Recently certified - buoyancy a mess. Would PPB help?

[Zinman]

I am a newly certified OW diver (3 weeks at the time of writing). And I have done 1 guided dive since. So total 5 dives, 4 being a part of the course.

So as new as new can be. I didn't take to scuba naturally, needing 2 attempts and the 2nd being a private course so it worked at my pace. My first recreational dive was yesterday. It wasn't great.

My buoyancy is a colossal mess. I can swim buoyant horizontally back and forth, as that's something practiced a lot in the pool. Theoretically I know all about inhale and exhale, and I can use that for fin pivots. I can control breath enough to go over kelp or a rock etc as long as it's only a little bit of movement. But otherwise can only really swim in a straight line, body horizontal.

Issue 1 - I can't go down to look at stuff (guide wanted to show me a crayfish at the bottom of a kelp/shrub and I was about a metre or so above it) but there were already a couple of people down there taking photos; but I'd swum past it. I can't do sharp turns, or go downwards (and if I try, due to time lag, it will be pointless - the fish would be gone, which I don't care much about tbh at this early stage). I can't swim backwards either. I can't hold any position in water except horizontal with legs either up or flutter kick when moving. So ANYTHING that breaks this position, and my momentum will completely throw me off. Even if another diver shows up under me, if I end up being too high in water column, it's my instinct to get away from that column as their bubbles are going all over my face. If someone touches my fin, I ll lose my horizontal position and my body starts to contort.

Issue 2 - during my course ocean dives, I was too scared to add air to the BC for the risk of floating up (around 5 m depth). So I ended up either sitting on the ground or sinking to it with every exhale and using my finger to propel me back upwards. During my recreational dive yesterday, I didn't wanna be sinky or on the ground (as the terrain was full of kelp and uneven). So this time added more air to BC & in the second half of the 1 hour dive, floated up and stayed a minute on the surface (looking down at the rest) until someone noticed and one of the dive guides brought me down.

Initially, from Google reading I thought I was overweighted as most new students are. My OW instructor decided my weights after a few weight checks. My recreational dive yesterday was with a different shop to where I did my OW course, and they were surprised at how little I carried. They said it's (your weight divided by 10) + 2. They did not weight checks before descent.

I carry 4kg lead (I weigh 60kg). Based on the equation, I should be 8. I think that's a lot, surely the equation won't work as it factors in nothing.
And my fins are Heavy to manage my floaty feet (decided by OW course instructor).

I am at my wits end with research. I am either floating up or sinking down. I know everyone says buoyancy is practise, but I am starting to hate the dives cos' I know what will happen and I have no idea how to fix it. What do I even practice or change? I am just getting more experienced in getting it wrong I believe.

The recreational dive guide said to do PPB course, but shouldn't you have some dive experience under your belt to do that and perhaps atleast your own BCD (to get the best out of it)?

Is there a course that teaches you how to manoeuvre yourself? Bend your body in different ways so you can look at fish etc. or that just comes with buoyancy?

I am a very slow learner and things don't come naturally to me unless taught properly. That's why I fear the practice practice practice advice may fall short on me, and I ll end up teaching myself.. well - nothing, or worse - something wrong.

Some of the "more experienced" divers at the recreational group yesterday said to hold on to a piece of rock or something (safe) to maintain buoyancy, but I have heard and read repeatedly, touch nothing unless it's been put there for you to touch.

Any help or guidance would be hugely welcomed. And sorry for the long post!

 

[tbone1004]

I think you really just need to find a proper instructor and get you sorted. PPB is only as good as the instructor teaching it. Since you're in NZ, reach out to Steve Davis and see if he has any specific instructor recommendations.

Sidemount Pros — Steve Davis

Passion for Sidemount Diving

www.sidemountpros.com

 

[steinbil]

First of all, don't be too hard on yourself. Buoyancy can be tricky, and unless you happen to get very lucky to have awesome instruction, it can be hard to get comfortable with. And one of the hardest fundamental skills in scuba is to stay completely still, but once you unlock that skill everything else becomes much easier and more enjoyable.

If you were taught doing skills on your knees, you were not set up for success, and that's not your fault.

You should definitely find a great instructor to help you with this, but just so you can wrap your head around what you're missing, the skills you need to learn and get comfortable with are:

1. Get properly weighted - everything is much harder if you are too heavy or too light
2. Don't move your legs*
3. Adjust your BC to achieve neutral buoyancy at any depth (releasing or adding tiny bits of air at a time)
4. Initiate vertical movement by slightly changing your breathing pattern (bigger inhale to rise, bigger exhale to sink)
5. Realize that it takes time for any change to take effect underwater, so you don't overcompensate

*If you're always swimming, and moving your legs, it's hard to know if you're neutral in the water, since your momentum will stabilize you and mask problems with the buoyancy. Practice not moving, it will make it easier to see the consequence of your adjustments, and is an important skill to have.

If I were you, I'd talk to a local GUE instructor to help you out, since that would almost guarantee good instruction. Or you could get a recommendation for a great local instructor from any agency. I wouldn't personally sign up for a PBB class, as I have heard not great things about it. If you want to fix your buoyancy, it would probably be better to just do a private session with a great instructor (not whoever taught you in your OW) and take it from there.

 

[Zinman]

Th

First of all, don't be too hard on yourself. Buoyancy can be tricky, and unless you happen to get very lucky to have awesome instruction, it can be hard to get comfortable with. And one of the hardest fundamental skills in scuba is to stay completely still, but once you unlock that skill everything else becomes much easier and more enjoyable.

If you were taught doing skills on your knees, you were not set up for success, and that's not your fault.

You should definitely find a great instructor to help you with this, but just so you can wrap your head around what you're missing, the skills you need to learn and get comfortable with are:

1. Get properly weighted - everything is much harder if you are too heavy or too light
2. Don't move your legs*
3. Adjust your BC to achieve neutral buoyancy at any depth (releasing or adding tiny bits of air at a time)
4. Initiate vertical movement by slightly changing your breathing pattern (bigger inhale to rise, bigger exhale to sink)
5. Realize that it takes time for any change to take effect underwater, so you don't overcompensate

*If you're always swimming, and moving your legs, it's hard to know if you're neutral in the water, since your momentum will stabilize you and mask problems with the buoyancy. Practice not moving, it will make it easier to see the consequence of your adjustments, and is an important skill to have.

If I were you, I'd talk to a local GUE instructor to help you out, since that would almost guarantee good instruction. Or you could get a recommendation for a great local instructor from any agency. I wouldn't personally sign up for a PBB class, as I have heard not great things about it. If you want to fix your buoyancy, it would probably be better to just do a private session with a great instructor (not whoever taught you in your OW) and take it from there.

Thank You. Very helpful. What's GUE?

 

[steinbil]

It's just a SCUBA training agency with very high standards, and in my experience very friendly, helpful and competent divers. Some people dislike their rigid standards, as you might see on these forums, but the standardization and quality control makes a lot of things easier, like finding a good instructor. Check out the GUE NZ FB page (https://m.facebook.com/guenewzealand/) and reach out. At least you can get a feel for what GUE is about.

That being said, there are other agencies and other instructors. And there are many ways to achieve what you want. I'm just recommending something that has worked great for me.

 

[Zinman]

Tha

It's just a SCUBA training agency with very high standards, and in my experience very friendly, helpful and competent divers. Some people dislike their rigid standards, as you might see on these forums, but the standardization and quality control makes a lot of things easier, like finding a good instructor. Check out the GUE NZ FB page (https://m.facebook.com/guenewzealand/) and reach out. At least you can get a feel for what GUE is about.

That being said, there are other agencies and other instructors. And there are many ways to achieve what you want. I'm just recommending something that has worked great for me.

Thank You will definitely look at GUE

 

[inquis]

So this time added more air to BC & in the second half of the 1 hour dive, floated up

It's not clear that you realize you need to adjust the amount of air in the BCD as time goes by, even if you stay at the same depth. You lose the weight of the air you exhale, which can be up to 5-6 lbs over the course of a dive with a single AL80 tank (the most common type).

I agree with the others, a different instructor will be helpful, but generally the goal is: adjust the BCD so breathing in makes you go up and exhaling makes you go down. When your breathing is no longer effective to control buoyancy (e.g., you still sink with a large inhale), you must adjust the BCD to reset the "center".

 

[tursiops]

OP, much of what you want to learn and practice regarding BCDs and buoyancy can be done in a swimming pool, with less stress and less cost. One-on-one with a good instructor and some relaxed time to learn and practice is the key. It will begin to feel better, and they likely will click in for you.

 

[Tom_Ivan]

Your only problem is that you've been reading too much scubaboard and watching too much dive talk. Your expectations for yourself is too high.

Where in NZ are you?

NZ has no coral at the depth your diving so don't worry too much about grabbing things if you need to. Our marine life will grow back.
We also have **** all good instructors as most New Zealanders are only interested in hunting crayfish so training has adapted accordingly.

There is a GUE instructor up north near Auckland somewhere but I don't who any specific details.

All you need to do at this point is dive. Stay shallow. Have fun. You'll get better.

Do a weight check on your next dive.

 

[Zinman]

It's not clear that you realize you need to adjust the amount of air in the BCD as time goes by, even if you stay at the same depth. You lose the weight of the air you exhale, which can be up to 5-6 lbs over the course of a dive with a single AL80 tank (the most common type).

I agree with the others, a different instructor will be helpful, but generally the goal is: adjust the BCD so breathing in makes you go up and exhaling makes you go down. When your breathing is no longer effective to control buoyancy (e.g., you still sink with a large inhale), you must adjust the BCD to reset the "center".

That's what I realised after reading a few posts here - to remember that as you get further along in the dive, the tank will get lighter. I knew that theoretically but didn't click on it until just now. Because upon reflection, every time I float up and it's happened a few times, it's towards the end of the dive, in shallow so which means I didn't let air out of BC, cos I try and not fumble with it too much. So that ll be it.

Thank you!