My midwater buoyancy sucks

[decompression]

I have buoyancy problems too, and it's usually due to being too heavy. I use 8lbs on my salt water dives but have had to drop it down to 6lbs (I'm small). And then I have to factor whether I'm using a steel or aluminum tank, and whether it's 80cu or a 63cu tank into the equation. And then if I gain weight, then I need more weight added to my bcd (10lbs). I used to be an athlete and had a very strict low carb high protein so gaining and losing weight is common with me.
A friend told me (he ordered the peak performance buoyancy book but didn't take the course) but it explains something about the # of weight you need is based on your percentage of weight or something like that.

The simple way to find out how much weight you need can be done like this;
Add up all the "positive" pieces of your gear
-exposure suit, hood, gloves, bcd etc. Add +4 for an Al 80
Add up all the "negatives"
- regs, canister light etc. include steel tank if negative
Then minus the neg for the positive and that will give you the lead you need for a balanced rig.
Example;
3mm full suit.......+4
BCD...................+4
Al 80..................+4
Regs..................-2

So, 12-2=10 lbs of lead required
The tank will be -4 lbs at the beginning but will be "compensated" by adding air to the bcd (about 4lbs of lift) and used by the end of the dive.

This is proven and modified if required by doing a buoyancy check with a near empty tank.
Once this is done, buoyancy is all about breathing.....

 

[FinnMom]

Knowing the appropriate weight can be a really nice advantage in keeping a dive log. You can find what you last used in "real" salt water (Norway, not Vaasa @ .5%), what you used when diving a single tank & BCD (a rarity for my family), etc. Relating back to the original post: improve midwater bouyancy by keeping a record of what weight you used when, with what setup & conditions as well as how well did it work or what pblms did you notice.

If we needed to check their weight, I usually also note the amt. of weight I put on a new or infrequent diver. These are exactly the types that rarely keep track of this information and it saves my time when I know exactly how much weight Simo or Susie was using last summer and with what setup. The proper amt. might not be the same figure, but at least I'll have a much better idea of where to start.

 

[Kevo88]

Knowing the appropriate weight can be a really nice advantage in keeping a dive log. You can find what you last used in "real" salt water (Norway, not Vaasa @ .5%), what you used when diving a single tank & BCD (a rarity for my family), etc. Relating back to the original post: improve midwater bouyancy by keeping a record of what weight you used when, with what setup & conditions as well as how well did it work or what pblms did you notice.

If we needed to check their weight, I usually also note the amt. of weight I put on a new or infrequent diver. These are exactly the types that rarely keep track of this information and it saves my time when I know exactly how much weight Simo or Susie was using last summer and with what setup. The proper amt. might not be the same figure, but at least I'll have a much better idea of where to start.

I like this advice, and it is something my ow instructor really stressed. So I have been keeping a full exposure and equipment list with weighting and tank placement notes for my dives. The novelty may wear off lol, but I've been trying to keep as many details as possible about both the dive and how I feel/perform. I'll also notate the results of any equipment changes and weight changes/placement. Even in a short time, it really has already helped me bring the weights down from what the instructors hung on me during ow.

 

[cneal]

One thing an instructor told me early on was, "Everyone has dives with bouyancy problems. The more you learn the less frequent they are."

As a photographer I have learned that is very true. I have had days I could work six inches from the reef and get in and out of tight spots without even thinking about it. I have had days I didn't belong within six feet of the reef. The important is to pay attention with your bouyancy control each dive and act accordingly.

 

[TMHeimer]

I have a list also for weighting for my different exposure suits. It's only for salt water since that's where I almost always am, but I would just drop 5 pounds the odd time in fresh. I did have to revise it when I replaced my 7 mil suit--had to add 6 pounds since the suit wasn't 100 years old like my original one. But once you make the list after doing the weight check, it will be quickly memorized and remain the same unless you change equipment or gain/lose a lot of body weight. If you're diving and equipment changes a lot more than mine, you'll just have a longer list.

 

[Kevo88]

Hey all, just a quick update on my perils in midwater. Between the advise above, and talking with my instructors, I've felt like I've made some good improvements! I spent all day at the quarry yesterday, and got my first 3 AOW dives in and a couple of extra dives beyond that.

I did the clothes pins trick on the ascent lines and was able to hold my safety stops pretty easily without touching the line or moving up and down too much. The first dive of PPB was a huge confidence booster, and by the end of the day I was able to not only maintain depth better, but also skim inches above the bottom and navigate rocks and weeds by adjusting depth with breathing.

Not directly related, but the deep dive was pretty chilly at 44F despite it being 90F outside. We also had some good team building between students as there were a bunch of silly problems, between dropped weights and broken straps.