Teaching ascent to new divers

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I think it’s an acquired skill, it comes with PB but as you get better at body control you start working with it.
No. It needs to be taught and acquired in open water.

In a continuing informal query amongst instructors, it is apparent that the correlation between trim and neutral buoyancy is relatively unknown, misunderstood or disregarded. When you see the "Buddha hover" being demonstrated as neutral buoyancy, or hear the instructor repeat the "it takes a hundred dives" myth, it's a clear indication that they don't understand the relationship between thrust and buoyancy. Get the student flat and neutral from the onset of the class, and we eliminate that learning curve. The need for PPB is eliminated when trim is taught as an essential skill in OW.
 
Most divers I see on a boat are overweighted. Depending on the exposure protection, you're going to have some air at depth, but each additional pound over the minimum exacerbates the buoyancy from air swing. I often dive without a bladder. I have to be sure my weight is just right and use only my breath to ascend or descend. I do have a safety sausage for extended stays on the surface, but if you dive truly neutral, or close to it, then you only need your breathing to govern your depth.
 
No. It needs to be taught and acquired in open water.

In a continuing informal query amongst instructors, it is apparent that the correlation between trim and neutral buoyancy is relatively unknown, misunderstood or disregarded. When you see the "Buddha hover" being demonstrated as neutral buoyancy, or hear the instructor repeat the "it takes a hundred dives" myth, it's a clear indication that they don't understand the relationship between thrust and buoyancy. Get the student flat and neutral from the onset of the class, and we eliminate that learning curve. The need for PPB is eliminated when trim is taught as an essential skill in OW.
Aren't we just talking about the ascent phase here? Obviously good trim and propulsion are important during descent and BT, but I don't believe that imperative exists for novice divers ascending to the surface. Buoyancy control yes, flat trim no.
 
This thread got me curious so I went back to my PADI OW manual (1990) and my daughters (2016j to see if there was any difference in ascent procedures. There are a few subtle changes.

1990
1. You and your buddy should signal each other that you agree to ascend.
2. Note the time of your ascent. If you do not have a watch, simulate checking the time by looking at your wrist.
3. Extend one hand over your head for protection and put your other hand on the BCD exhaust valve control.
4. Look up and around, slowly rotating during your entire ascent.
5. Swim up slowly, at a rate no faster than one foot per second, while breathing normally.

2016
1. Signal “up” and confirm your buddies are ready.
2. Check your dive computer to be sure you are within its limits. (You’ll learn more about these limits later. If you’re not using a computer, check the time for use with dive tables)
3. Look up and hold your BCD deflator hose. Do not add air to your BCD, if you’re properly weighted and neutrally buoyant, you only need to start swimming up gently.
4. Ascent slowly-no faster than your dive computers maximum rate. The maximum ascent rate is ...60 feet per minute, but most dive computers require a slower rate of ...30 feet per minute. Most dive computers will warn you if you ascend too fast, so use your computer to guide your speed. Release air expanding in your BCD to control your buoyancy so you don’t start to rise to fast. If your not using a computer, use your timer and depth gauge to be sure you ascend no faster than ...10 feet each 10 seconds.
5. Look up and turn as you ascend, and stay with your buddies. Watch for obstacles overhead. Reach up as you near and break the surface.

There are some obvious changes in the two procedures, emphasizing the use of a computer. But there is also a subtle change. In 1990 you were encouraged to ascend vertical by the verbiage to “extend one hand over your head” from the beginning of the ascent whereas in the 2016 version you are told to look up during the ascent but not necessarily extend a hand over your head until you begin to break the surface.

If could be innocuous but I would interpret the change as being more neutral about body position while ascending IOT allow multiple methods. Interestingly the pictures in both manuals show divers ascending in vertical positions, but the 2016 version shows the diver holding and looking at computer during ascent rather than having hand extended overhead Superman style.
I think the hand over head lost out to using a hand to monitor ascent rate on the computer with the other hand ready to release air as needed. Unless you have three hands...
 
A thought-- with many instructors (especially here on SB) touting the benefits of teaching the OW course neutrally from the start, does that mean that the resulting students would be capable of easily learning a horizontal ascent--as opposed to just learning the simplest vertical way? Do any of you "neutral" instructors teach horizontal ascents to your OW students, say, during the checkout dives?
Interesting -- I have often done horizontal (well 45 degree angle) descents on my shallow 20-30' shore dives, as I am then in position to start diving at the bottom. I also did this when taking the Deep course years ago (as was shown how by the instructor), but for regular boat dives always used the anchor line.
But, I don't think that in 15 years I've ever really done a horizontal ascent. To be honest, just never thought of it. I'm gunna be vertical at the surface anyway, and vertical ascent is how I was taught. What is an advantage of a horizontal ascent? Perhaps better if drift diving?
 
What is an advantage of a horizontal ascent?
Assuming you've been diving along at depth horizontal (to not kick up the bottom and for easier depth control), you've been controlling your depth by slight shifts in your breathing pattern. Whether to maintain depth, or go up or down a little depending on terrain. So horizontal ascent:
- is just a continuation of how you've been controlling and adjusting depth the whole dive.
- increases vertical drag, just like it did at depth, making depth control easier.
- makes breathing easier, just like it did at depth.

Sure, in the last few feet shift to vertical so you can do a 360 as you approach the surface. But below that, horizontal makes depth and breathing easier. A slight roll and twist lets you check above you periodically.
 
Obviously good trim and propulsion are important during descent and BT, but I don't believe that imperative exists for novice divers ascending to the surface. Buoyancy control yes, flat trim no.
Respectfully, you can't really achieve any semblance of buoyancy control without getting trim down first and you prove my contention that most don't understand the correlation. I call being horizontal the "Scuba position" and other than mask clearing in shallows, it's the first skill I introduce. Not getting it first dooms the new diver to a hundred or more dives trying to figure out their buoyancy. Get it done first, and then teach the entire course with flat trim and neutral and your students look like rock stars when you're done. It's all about comfort, and a trim and neutral student is far, far more comfortable because they are in control all the time. If they're in control from the beginning, then you spend no time trying to keep them from floating away and they learn, far, far faster. In other words, there's a bit of a time penalty early on, but you make it up as the class continues.

Students that are in control do everything more easily and with less drama... and that includes ascending.
 
Do any of you "neutral" instructors teach horizontal ascents to your OW students, say, during the checkout dives?
My students are flat until they hit 15 to 20 FSW. They merely breathe themselves up. It's not hard when they are in control. Once they hit their safety stop, we go vertical. The entire stop and subsequent slow ascent are vertical.
 
I think the hand over head lost out to using a hand to monitor ascent rate on the computer with the other hand ready to release air as needed. Unless you have three hands...

Or have the computer on the same hand as one is controlling the release of air. I do have a short inflator hose, couldn't have done that when I was using an Air 2.



Bob
 
Or have the computer on the same hand as one is controlling the release of air. I do have a short inflator hose, couldn't have done that when I was using an Air 2.



Bob
Yeah, I had to think through what I actually do when diving for myself and not with students. First, I am not really conscious of what exact position I am in on my ascent, as it is just comfortable and second nature, not a conscious effort.
But I realize now that for years I would half wrap the retractor line on my console computer around my left wrist while elevating the inflator hose, and elevate my right hand for protection. That did once prevent a bump on the bottom of the boat in Bonaire several years ago.
 
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