Training: Perfecting ‘Perfect Bouyancy’

 The reason why we all dive is different from person to person. Some of us enjoy the tiny creatures like nudibranchs more than others, most divers are amazed by “big stuff” whether that’s groupers and potato cods on the HMAS Brisbane or manta rays on the local Mooloolaba reefs, and other divers find coral gardens absolutely breathtaking.

However, what we all have in common is for sure the feeling of freedom as we swim weightless underwater.

Buoyancy control is the most challenging and important skill for divers to master. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you feel perfectly buoyant in order to protect the underwater environment and also enjoy your next dive even more!

Don’t wear too much weight!

You should never sink like a rock. If you are perfectly weighted you might have to kick yourself down the first couple meters, this is OK, at least you’re not perforating your eardrums and damaging the marine life below you.

Next time you are in the water do a “Buoyancy Check” at the surface, you want to make sure once you are completely deflated that your eyes sit at water level, this will mean you are perfectly weighted for the dive.

Watch where you’re going!

By placing your eyes on the dive site, you can anticipate the change of depth and control your descent rate by positioning your body horizontally in a diving position. A little bit of drag controls your descent and you never know what you might see swim by when you are descending.

Easy does it!

As you get close to the dive site, add a few gentle bursts of air to your BC. You should not need to kick yourself up in order to maintain neutral buoyancy. That’s exhausting and uses a lot more energy which means uses a lot more air.

@Aqua Lung Divers

Your inflator hose is not a joystick!

You are now perfectly buoyant at your maximum depth, don’t over use your inflator button, you can always kick or use your lungs to slightly move up and down.

Deflate on the way up!
Controlling your ascent is very important, release air from your BC while using your fins to get to the surface. Never inflate to go up as this can cause serious injury!

After some more tips and tricks to perfect buoyancy? Think about joining our fun filled Perfect Buoyancy course, it is as easy as spending 4 hours in the pool with our qualified instructors and they will show you how to master buoyancy.

We will let you know when courses are back up and running but In the meantime, ask yourselves these questions to help you determine your current level of buoyancy.

• Do you gently pull yourself down the line at the start of a dive, or do you sink as soon as you deflate your BC?
• Do you need air in your BC to maintain neutral buoyancy at the safety stop?
• Do you dive over weighted? In our experience – 70% of the diving population do.

Our next Perfect Buoyancy course with availability is on the 24th of April. BOOK NOW so your don’t miss out.

Check out more info about the Perfect buoyancy courses here 

Leila Barnsley ~ Scuba World Instructor