When Diving Goes Askew...

Lately, my diving trips have been plagued by bad luck, bad buoyancy, and bad brain. Now, bad luck is beyond my control and I'm working on the bad brain already; so it's time I have a look at my buoyancy problems. Because when I fix the brain, I'm still not going to have successful dives if my buoyancy is all over the place. 

Buoyancy is really important when diving. You wouldn't think so because you're trying to get below the water not stay on top! (Hahaha, I'm trying to be funny there.) But, once under, you don't want to be scraping along the seabed because that reduces visibility. Nor do you want to be floating up to the top because that gives you the bends. Which is bad. You want to be neutrally buoyant - resting in the water, neither sinking down nor floating up.

I struggle with this. I am positively buoyant. This means I float. If I was negatively buoyant, I'd sink and have different problems. For me, the issue is getting under the water in the first place. I can empty my lungs on the surface of the deep end of the pool and not go anywhere. Many a dive at Capernwray has started with me emptying my BCD of air and just sitting on the surface while my buddy disappears from view. This usually results in someone stuffing a weight in one pocket and I'm oddly weighted, listing to one side.

This weekend just gone, I went in with 10kg of lead stuffed in my BCD and weight belt. I had no issue sinking this time. I sank too much. I was constantly hitting the quarry bed and kicking up muck. Not the best when you're trying to exhibit a new skill to be signed off on. To compensate, I was chucking loads of air into my BCD. I tried to do a little bit at a time, but when you're still sinking it becomes very tempting to just hold down that button until the floor is a little further away. But then it gets really far away and you're floating away from your buddy and instructor! So you dump the air until the floor comes back. And then it won't go away. Rinse, lather, and repeat.

So 10kg is too much. I know 8kg is too little because that is when I don't sink. So maybe I should give 9kg a go. Now, an odd number of kilos means I cannot spread the weight evenly which leads to listing - and a whole new set of problems! But I have found out you can get baby half weights to combat this problem. If 9kg is what it takes to make me sink enough but not too much, then it'll be worth investing in.

Another problem I have with my kit set up, is that my BCD is actually a little big for me. Buying second hand, from a limited supply meant I had to go with what was there. I could have spent a little more and got one a better size but that wasn't in the budget. Nor was I patient enough for that. Plus, I am a funny size, so I reckon even with a wider selection I would still have similar problems. In my top half alone, I go from medium to small to (super) large. Never go dress shopping with me, it is not pretty. But because of this, I always have to cater for the largest size which means it'll be too big in places. I have had it adjusted; the fella's mum is a dab hand with the old sewing and she extended the velcro on the cumberband for me so I can do that up properly now.

Out of the water, the over-sizing of my BCD does not really matter, everything is where it should be. So when I am doing my buddy check, I can find my hoses and dump valves. In the water, this is not the case. When over-weighted, especially, there is so much air in my BCD that the whole thing floats off my shoulders. A key tactic I have when floating off is to dump the air via the shoulder valve, as the air is gathering at the top of the jacket and that is the highest release valve. Except, when the BCD is floating off my shoulders, the toggle is suddenly a foot higher and I cannot find it. I have a similar problem with the inflator hose on the other side. 

Hopefully, sorting out my weights means I won't have to fill my BCD with so much air. However, I am doubtful it will stop floating off me altogether. Like I said, I am a funny size. I'm thinking of ways I can work with this, use what I have. Because the set up I have at the moment is not working. When you're taking off, unable to find your dump toggle, and have people trying to drag you down all while you're trying to show you can do a three minute decompression stop, it can get a little overwhelming. Like panic attack overwhelming. It kind of puts a sour note on the dive when you have to be taken to the surface to hyperventilate.

One way I am thinking will help to avoid this, would be to extend my shoulder toggle. I rely on it heavily and I am surprised I have not thought of it before. It's a great way to get my BCD back on my shoulders and for me to feel weighted again. So actually being able to find it because it is a few inches longer seem like a simple solution. It's one I am going to have to play around with in the pool.

Another piece of kit I have trouble with is my hood. Again, it is a little too big but still a darn sight smaller than the first one I had which I traded for this one I currently have. Now, whether it is just what happens or because of my heavy, Vader breathing, I get an air bubble on the top of my head which my hood traps. As there is some wiggle room, quite a bit of air gets trapped inside it. To the point where I can move it around. This also screws up buoyancy. And we all know I have such a good grip on that!

Some hoods come with built in holes to prevent this. Mine, does not. I have been advised by club members to poke some holes into the top to help vent the air. I have finally done this. And by "I", I know you know I mean I got the fella to do it. He is the one with tools. I did not get the chance to test the new vents in my hood at Capernwray this weekend, because I did not do the last dive. I could not shake my anxiety or calm my breathing for long enough; not good conditions to dive under. It did mean I got to be Dive Manager though, filling in the tables on the surface, which is necessary for the Sport Diver course. So, silver lining?

The last thing I am having trouble with at the moment is placement of my cylinder. We finally bought a couple of our own and have only used them a couple of times in the pool. They are a bit taller than the club ones, so I am finding they bash the back of my legs. In the pool, I can sink to the bottom and get the fella to hoik it up. It's not a perfect system, because it always goes too high up and whacks me in the back of the head, but is an option. It's less of one on an actual dive. It was definitely too low this weekend and felt like it was shifting my BCD.  This one is just trial and error, and being armed with a sharpie so that when I do get the placement right I can mark the cylinder for future reference.

So. The kit adjustments I need to test in the pool are:

• Check the ventilation holes work;
• Extend my shoulder toggle and see if that is effective;
• Play around with the placement of my cylinder.

Maybe once I get these sorted, I'll be able to figure out where the camera goes!