Recently certified - buoyancy a mess. Would PPB help?

[34109411]

6-10m. Next dive in march is 15m. 7mm wet suit. My fins are slightly negatively buoyant (I have floaty feet so instructor gave me heavier fins). Gear rented (only my own mask and hood), my last dive where these issues happened, the shop forgot to fit my BCD to me, so it was a mess probably contributing to my float up.

for sure in shallow area a 7 mm will not compress much therefore you will be more + buoyant for a wild. Mmm floaty feet ? This look more like a trimming issue. Heavier fin will not solve the problem. 7 mmm wetsuit, thick boot, thick wood, thick glove make a lot in regarding the buoyancy.


You should check again if you are weight properly by doing a weight check at the surface. ( bit difficult to explain ! check YT ! ).

ohh i re-read you post, are you diving in salt water ? If it s the case 4 kg is not enough while using a 7 mm.

Be safe

 

[Zinman]

for sure in shallow area a 7 mm will not compress much therefore you will be more + buoyant for a wild. Mmm floaty feet ? This look more like a trimming issue. Heavier fin will not solve the problem. 7 mmm wetsuit, thick boot, thick wood, thick glove make a lot in regarding the buoyancy.


You should check again if you are weight properly by doing a weight check at the surface. ( bit difficult to explain ! check YT ! ).

ohh i re-read you post, are you diving in salt water ? If it s the case 4 kg is not enough while using a 7 mm.

Be safe

Hello, yes the recreational dive was in salt water (marine reserve). I am now going to test 4kg in pool, but will also take extra weight and play around with different distribution and configurations. Let’s see what it will do. It’s a question mark to me atm.

 

[34109411]

Hello, yes the recreational dive was in salt water (marine reserve). I am now going to test 4kg in pool, but will also take extra weight and play around with different distribution and configurations. Let’s see what it will do. It’s a question mark to me atm.

regarding your feet most likely you have thick boot. Make sure also your tank is in the correct position, i might think it's to hight on your back, lower it down. 7 mm in salt water you need at least 12 pound in my opinion.

 

[inquis]

FYI, due to your weight and assuming average salinity, you will need about 2 kg more lead in the ocean. (This is calculated as 2.4% of your total dry land weight including equipment.)

 

[Zinman]

FYI, due to your weight and assuming average salinity, you will need about 2 kg more lead in the ocean. (This is calculated as 2.4% of your total dry land weight including equipment.)

That's a good point to start with. Yeah I have been advised to go 2-3 kg heavier so let's see.

 

[Cthippo]

When I was first starting out after OW I had problems with hitting the wrong button on my BCD inflator and adding air when I meant to be dumping it. What I found helped was the mnemoic "Thumbs up, point down" since my thumb controlls the inflator and my index finger the dump.

Don't know if this is a problem OP is having, but I thought I would throw it our there.

 

[Sebs]

That's a good point to start with. Yeah I have been advised to go 2-3 kg heavier so let's see.

The buoyancy issues and floating to the surface halfway through your dive are due to being underweighted. No way will 4kg, or even 6kg of weight keep you down in a 7mm wetsuit. For reference I need around 8kg in a 5mm wetsuit with an alu bp/w.

Just remember this takes time. Adjusting weight is a slow process that happens over many dives and preferably with your own gear.

I would suggest though that you find some dive buddies or a good instructor and take some private lessons. By the sounds of it your OW instructor skipped a lot of things.

 

[inquis]

The buoyancy issues and floating to the surface halfway through your dive are due to being underweighted.

The OP already stated they didn't adjust wing buoyancy to compensate for gas consumption. I'd say it's worth another test before blanket statements of being under weighted. Don't forget that ballast is more than just the lead carried. Stating "no way will 4 kg" of lead keep you down seems premature and presumes much about their equipment.

By the sounds of it your OW instructor skipped a lot of things.

I totally agree with this, though.

 

[Zinman]

Update - since this post, I have dived 4 more times.
I increased weight to 5kg, then 6kg.
The floating up incident only happened in 1 of the 4 dives, the first one and at 2.5m depth, so very shallow. Now when it gets that shallow, I ll just come up to the surface rather than fight to keep myself under water.

Since the post, I have also been done 2 dives at 18m (my maximum allowable depth) - 6kg was too sinky; and so then went back to 5kg, better. At 8-9m plus, it was easier to control my buoyancy. I yo-yoed a lot less.

I would be prepared to do a deeper dive (within my limits) at 4kg also, but for now 5kg, seems like a sweet spot.

What I still can't control is the sway from the current. Found it the most challenging during 3min safety stop.

One of the 18m dives, buddy needed to give me SMB Spool to hold onto so I could somewhat control myself. Other 18m dive, had to hold the base of a kelp.

Also saw videos of myself, bicycle kicks going on when not horizontal. The current moves me into the reef or wall (or if buddy wants to show me something), and I curl my legs at my knees to stop from touching anything. (Pic). The buddy can hold their position in the gentle current so they don't get moved around like I do. The current isn't strong, as the dive sites are chosen friendly to new OW divers. But there's always some sway.

So onto new problems, which I am very happy with (you only progress to identify new problems when you can take your mind off the older ones)!

But thanks to the contributions here, the old problem, while still exists, is less of a pain in the A.. Hurrah.

Update - in the pic, getting ready for ascend

 

[inquis]

done 2 dives at 18m (my maximum allowable depth) - 6kg was too sinky

Are you adding air into your BCD at depth? That should make you neutral. ETA: Even overweighted, you should be able to adjust the BCD to be neutral (not sinky).

There is also interplay with your trim. If you are not horizontal (head up as in your pic), your kicks will try to move you up (as well as forward). In order to *not* move up, you have to compensate by being negatively buoyant. This works until you stop kicking... and you sink. Or you kick too fast and you rise.

My feeling is you need to change the location of some of your lead so your legs don't sink when you stop kicking. Try moving 2 kg from your waist to the upper tank band.