One of the best courses after OW Certification

[Searcaigh]

I have been on tours where some divers flat out devistated the visibility and also saw where they batted the heck out of the reef.

Tell me about it! Yesterday one diver of the only other two divers on the boat decided to come and look at what I was photographing and vis went from a few meters to a few centimeters ..... and I lost my shrimp

One important factor is weight issue. When you practice always work with your weights till you get that perfect weight and then remember it when using it with certain gear and try to stay around that number (For seasonal or vacation divers it can change over a period of time)

Another reason for maintaining a log book

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

To master buoyancy is a very important part of the skills a diver should have. At least for me, the fact to have a specialty course to teach buoyancy means that the OWD course is uncomplete or given too fast.

Fine-tuning buoyancy control is a continuum ... there is no such thing as "mastery", if by that one means there is nothing else to learn and improve upon. After more than 2700 dives and 30+ classes, I'm still improving my mastery of the skill.

PPB is one of the most useful specialty classes any new diver can take ... assuming the class is taught as intended ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ScubaDocER]

Bob hit the nail on the head. The ability to demonstrate and actually enjoy good buoyancy is a process. That process is affected by a number of factors including gear selection, exposure suits, tank configurations, task loading skills such as U/W photography, etc. Being neutral in singles may be different than doing so in doubles, or with a canister light, or a video camera, or in a dry suit. It is helpful if students are introduced to the concept early in their training, specifically at the OW level. They should know what it feels like to be neutral in the water, which often times seems to be the first hurdle to overcome.

I do require PPB as a part of my AOW course. I believe that an advanced diver should look like an advanced diver. They should understand and appreciate the importance of being in control (as much as one can be) in the water. While I agree that divers need to "dive more" to progress positively on this path, I also think that you have to show students how to progress. From demonstrating various propulsion techniques, trim position, breathing techniques, etc., you can give divers different options they can employ to achieve better buoyancy.

Mastering buoyancy is more of a journey than a destination. Just when you think you have it figured out, the next dive may introduce a humbling experience.

 

[Brendon]

I know a lot of new divers look forward to doing the AOW course almost as soon as they become certified and certainly there have been many posts that suggest that it is a course that should probably done once one has some experience.

There is one course however that is not as popular which I think new divers should take which will make a huge difference not only in their diving but also in their learning curve. Here I refer to the PPB course or Peak Performance Buoyancy. It is amazing how this is a skill that is so pivotal to diving and yet has so little focus placed on it. Besides the fact that it will help you protect the reef it will also go a huge way to making your dives safer, more fun and more comfortable.

Have fun and be safe

Peak Performance Buoyancy Course.....?Thats got to be a PADI course... This is something that should be taught in O/W and practiced thru Rescue. Do you have "Peak Performance" class for putting on your fins as well? Im not trying to poke fun at you, I just feel this all should be done to start with.

 

[Firefyter]

Mastering buoyancy is more of a journey than a destination. Just when you think you have it figured out, the next dive may introduce a humbling experience.

So true. If you want to see a person humbled, take a wetsuit diver who is really dialed in and put him in a drysuit for the first time. It happened to me, and while everyone else got a kick out of it, it really adjusted my attitude. I felt and looked like a brand new diver....

 

[fisheater]

So true. If you want to see a person humbled, take a wetsuit diver who is really dialed in and put him in a drysuit for the first time. It happened to me, and while everyone else got a kick out of it, it really adjusted my attitude. I felt and looked like a brand new diver....

I did just that. My first DS dive was DMing for an OW class doing their first dive.

It ended up being a contest as to whether the class or I would have the best buoyancy control.

It was a close run thing.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Craig66]

Peak Performance Buoyancy Course.....?Thats got to be a PADI course... This is something that should be taught in O/W and practiced thru Rescue. Do you have "Peak Performance" class for putting on your fins as well? Im not trying to poke fun at you, I just feel this all should be done to start with.

Brendon, your point was good, your delivery...well lets just leave it as: not so good...

Whether or not good buoyancy should be taught in OW class and should be a prerequisite for passing is a discussion all on its own. I happen to agree with you but suffice it to say that the majority of students going through OW do not have good buoyancy skills. With that being said as a new diver you have a choice - muddle through tens of dives before you finally figure it out and in the interim wreck 50 coral heads and put yourself and other in danger or take a course that will help you refine a skill that is not only essential but is also the biggest step towards becoming a better diver. For me that choice was easy.

 

[Quero]

Well said, Craig66. Agency bashing has no place here.

I have seen divers from nearly all agencies with both brilliant and appalling buoyancy. When it's new divers, it's understandable. We hope to do what we can to help them improve quickly, and we pray that they will continue to practice good buoyancy habits. On the other hand, the biggest surprise I've ever had leading experienced divers was a pair of BSAC divers with several hundred dives each who were always out of trim kicking corals; they had never really needed to avoid kicking stuff with the kinds of dives they had done in England, I guess, so they didn't put much emphasis on it in their development (I can't say they weren't taught properly, though). So training is one important aspect, but it does take time and practice to get to a point where you don't have to think about it much.

 

[emoreira]

Good buoyancy control is a must for every diver. I agree that new divers could have bad buoyancy control. Divers improve buoyancy control with dives, following the example of divers with more experience or having the attitude to improve the skills with every dive and learning from their own mistakes.
It´s important that in the OWD course the instructors not only try their best to teach buoyancy within the short time of the course, but also emphasize the importance of good buoyancy, so that the new diver understands the need of it.
Normally new divers rent gear. Every new dive is a test for buoyancy. Unknown wetsuit (jumpsuit, farmer John + shortie, 5mm, 6mm, vest, hood, gloves, etc), BCD, weight with no marks (if they are 4 pounds or 2 kilograms could make a difference). All this make proper weighting for those new divers a nightmare, if they care.
Yes, mastering every skill is a journey, not a destination. That´s why this PPB course sounds to me not good. It´s a shortcut, ok, but there should be no shortcut. The PADI OWD course should have one more lesson related to buoyancy.
My SSI instructor emphasized a lot, really a lot about buoyancy. We had a pool practice related to buoyancy. During the check-out dives we all had to make a proper weighting test in every 5 check-out dives. After every check-out day (in fact we did 6 dives in 3 days) we were sitting together after dinner discussing every aspect of the day and buoyancy was always a point of discussion.
Perhaps I was lucky with the course I did. That´s why this PPB course makes me feel that PADI is dividing the courses and teaching less in each so as divers need to take more courses.

 

[spectrum]

Fine-tuning buoyancy control is a continuum ... there is no such thing as "mastery", if by that one means there is nothing else to learn and improve upon. After more than 2700 dives and 30+ classes, I'm still improving my mastery of the skill.

PPB is one of the most useful specialty classes any new diver can take ... assuming the class is taught as intended ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I agree that it's a journey. There does however come a point where one is "capable" or "proficient". Getting to that point is a melding of skill and gear configuration. On my 7th dive a mentor made a weighting suggestion that in 1 dive had me diving like I hopped to be diving by the end of the season. It was amazing. I think the biggest benefit to a good PPB course is to get that sort of attention from a capable instructor. Even if you were dialed in perfectly when certified in shop gear that can come all unraveled after you go shopping and get in the water with your new toys. Having someone with the understanding and collection of weights etc. that can put the wheels back on the wagon is a great idea.

Many divers go though this same exercise when they go dry. By then, if they really understand what they are doing they can sort out the configuration in a few dives and start having fun again.

Granted, if you really read Scubaboard, have a mentor and access to spare weights and such you can get along fine without PPB. Then again when it comes down to it, a diver with a good OW foundation can obtain many advanced skills through mentoring and self study. Not everyone has those resources or takes to that learning style. If it makes for better & safer divers it's good.

Pete