Practice with induced task loading?

[stepfen]

I am a newb, but I tend to unconsciously hold my breath when doing tasks, especially mask removal. Take mask off with left hand, remove and replace regulator with right hand, put mask back on, and I am 4 feet higher than when I started and still rising...

I used to do the same as well. In my case it was a result of my swimming background. Swimmers always keep enough air in their lungs (helps them float better, but more importantly use it as back up if water splashes in their mouth during an inhale to be able to blow it out). Hence in diving before a drill I would take a deep breath for backup too and as a result I would ascent as a rocket. With practice underwater things improve a lot. To get used to it, you need to do whatever you do very slow. So slow that one breath is not enough, hence you need to breath in and out at least few times during the drill. You slowly get used to the idea that air is available at any moment and hence you don't need to keep your lungs full. Relax, take several normal breaths and do the drill slowly one step at a time. Soon it becomes so natural that you won't even think about it

 

[DogDiver]

When I was teaching up north I would arrive at the pool an hour early and lay line from one end to the other. Using ladders and bottom deep end grating. Then use a blackout mask to do lost line and no light cave drills. As my students arrived and started the gear up process the questions were inevitable. My response, you are always learning and training. If you can’t be in a Florida cave, you make do with a Michigan pool.

 

[GARY WINTHORPE]

I'm looking for a deep pool in Michigan to practice in, do you know of any?

 

[tbone1004]

I'm looking for a deep pool in Michigan to practice in, do you know of any?

any skill that can be done in shallow water, should. On scuba, that's just about all of them. It's harder to do in the shallow section without touching the floor or surface, and if you can do it in 3ft, you can do it anywhere

 

[lowviz]

...//... Do any divers that practice various skills have ways that they make it more challenging during said practice? ...

Yes, definitely. Get yourself a reel.

(You will come to hate me for that suggestion...)

 

[Landlocked123]

I do this all the time in my pool if I am not diving on the weekends. I have a cheap mask that I blacked out so you cannot see when its on at all. Put all your diving gear on (this is important) same config as if you were diving. For me it means 7 Mil, thick gloves etc. Practice anything and everything that could go wrong. Do it over and over again. You will find that after a while you literally know where everything is on your rig without even looking. Its hard to do with thick gloves. You get used to struggling at first and you get used to the feeling of not being able to see while underwater. It all becomes second nature in due time. When I go diving depending on which quarry I am at I go to the bottom and practice reg recover etc (i dive a pony bottle so I have a secondary reg on a necklace ready to go) . I do this in the 50-60 foot range usually if viz is doable. I have these drills down to a point that I have no qualms about practicing them at that depth..( I do have a dive buddy nearby whom knows i am going to do this.). I have to believe it will be helpful in a real emergency.