5 Tips for Better Buoyancy Control

9 Oct 2017

5 Tips for Better Buoyancy Control

What holds you back from the best diving experience you can possibly have? The answer is simple: lack of buoyancy control. When you achieve proper buoyancy control you’ll have tons of freedom under the waves to completely enjoy your dive. Do you want the ability to take stunning underwater photos or videos while floating effortlessly through the water? Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to do that without touching any delicate marine life? When you learn to control buoyancy you’ll be able to do just that. You’ll also reduce air consumption and the risk of injuries, accidents, and other underwater emergencies. So how can you more effectively control buoyancy?

These 5 tips will give you the answer.

1. Learn to Control Your Breathing

You shouldn’t need to use the inflate button while you’re ascending. Instead, learn how to use your lungs. When you want to descend, slowly breath out. When ascending, breathe in. You also want to breathe evenly and consistently throughout the duration of the dive. This prevents sudden changes in buoyancy.Many new divers will over-weight their equipment in order to counteract erratic or deep breaths due to anxiety. But once you learn proper breathing techniques, you won’t have to rely on these alterations.

2. Buoyancy Check

The weight you’ll need varies based upon the site you’re diving in and environmental conditions. That said, you always need to perform a simple buoyancy check. Test buoyancy near the end of the day’s first dive. When your tank is nearly empty, empty out the BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) fully while at the surface. Hold in one breath so you’ll float at the surface at eye level.Change weight as required for the rest of the day’s dives. Once you find the correct weight you’ll be a little negatively buoyant when reaching the safety stop. At this point, check again.Use a dive buddy to assist in adding or removing weight until you’ve perfected the configuration.

3. Don’t Use Your Hands for Buoyancy Control

Using your hands to control buoyancy is highly inefficient. You unnecessarily expend energy and air by repositioning your body with your hands and arms. Most of the power in your swim comes from your legs, so learn how to control your buoyancy with your fins, as well as your lungs and BCD.

4. Maintain a Dive Log

Maintaining a log helps you find patterns so that you can weight yourself perfectly on future dives. In your log, keep records of how much weight you used, details about your wetsuit and the exact diving conditions.

5. Be Familiar With Your BCD

Get to know your BCD as well as possible before going on a dive. It’s the most important piece of equipment you use to achieve control buoyancy. Divers who don’t know how to correctly use their BCD can quickly find themselves in danger. Know exactly where the dump valves are located and how to operate them. Also, make sure your BCD fits properly. If it’s too small or too big it’ll be difficult to achieve proper buoyancy.

Buoyancy Control is Critical For a Successful Dive

Now that you understand the importance of buoyancy, it’s time to perfect it. If you need help, get in touch with us for custom diving instruction. Nothing beats the perfect dive, and we can help you achieve it.

We hope to see you soon and make you a better diver, especially if you want to dive in NJ.