Being a gear intensive recreational activity, divers are subjected to bring all the bells and whistles needed for a dive mission. A result to which they become overweight and sink like a stone as they descent. The secret to the perfect neutral buoyancy is revealed by dive masters, dive and take a look:
Thou shall find one’s weight.
Wearing the exact amount of lead is the most vital step when mastering buoyancy control, and most divers wear way too much. Check one’s weight upon the surface by floating up straight with your regulator in and completely respire. Divers should only descend until the water’s surface is at the eye level. A trial and error of lead amount is done until it’s just right.
Thou shall keep a dive log.
Take note of the amount of weight used for each dive mission. As well as the wetsuit’s neoprene thickness. Not only will it fine-tune your future dives, it will also serve as an at-a-glance record when you dive in the same site once again.
Thou shall use the deflator.
At the beginning of your descent, stretch the inflator house upward and over your head.
All the while, ensure that all the air in the lungs have been exhaled. Squeeze the BC against the chest with your free arm to remove the bubbles in the BC that may be disturbing your buoyancy.
Thou shall take your time and relax.
Before you dive, take a few deep breaths at the surface to calm nerves. Descend as quietly and graceful as possible. Avoid flailing your arms or kicking your legs so that they don’t impede your descent.
Thou shall use your breath.
Before reaching for the inflator/deflator hose to control your buoyancy, relax and use your inhalations and exhalations to work. With each inhalation, one should start to rise. While with exhalation, one should start to sink. If you opt use the inflator to get buoyant, use it carefully.
Thou shall ensure nothing changed after initial weighting.
As you pack and check your gear, run another weight check to make sure nothing changes that could distress initial weighting. Brand-new suits weigh than old ones.
Thou shall wear a lighter wetsuit.
If one’s dive mission are in warm temperatures, don a lightweight wetsuit for easier buoyancy.
Thou shall wear socks instead.
If braving warm waters, opt to wear neoprene socks instead of scuba diving boots when wearing open-heel fins.
Thou shall experiment with weight placement.
Perform a trial and error with one’s weight placement. Shift some weight from one’s BC belt and add them into a trim pocket. This sheds off a couple of pounds.
Thou shall remove trapped air in BC’s.
Every so often, air gets stuck inside BC’s which will still to expand as you rise. This can increase quite a lot of pounds of buoyancy. To congest the air, lean back as if you are lounging on a recliner and hold your oral inflate/deflate device towards the surface.
