14 replies to this topic

[scubaski]

I just happen upon this.

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

Thanks, Stan! That looks like a perfect example of a diver who is VERY comfortable with his equipment, and knows where everything is and how it works. And the buoyancy in the pool was stellar!

[JimG]

I've seen that particular video referenced on several sites as an example of "good" buoyancy and technique, and I have to respectfully disagree with that assessment. The diver is certainly exhibiting better control than what your average newly certified OW diver is able to do, but I personally don't think it's up to the standard that I would expect to see for a technical diver. Sorry if that sounds overly harsh or critical, but that is my opinion.

-JimG

[VADiver]

I agree Jim. My first thought was very sloppy.

[ThatJoeGuy]

That is sloppy buoyancy in your book?!?!

[JimG]

That is sloppy buoyancy in your book?!?!

In my book, yes. Some of the issues are not that obvious unless you really know what to look for, but they are definitely there.

If anyone is interested, then I will be more than happy to discuss the problems that I see with the diver's technique. However, I don't want to turn this into a "hate on the YouTube diver" thread. It actually takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there like that for potential scrutiny. So "constructive criticism" would be my preferred way to address this - no name-calling or anything, OK?

-JimG

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

All opinions are welcome on SD, as long as they're stated respectfully! We don't want to turn this into bashing anybody....the video guy, DIR afficionados, or the recreational diver. Make your cases! And if you disagree with an opinion, that doesn't mean someone else is wrong! Learning is good......

I personally thought his buoyancy control in the vertical plane was pretty good, considering the tasks. (I'm not speaking about performing the tech tasks themselves) I know how difficult it is in the pool to "keep your eyes level with this dot on the wall" just while breathing, much less while task loading. Had to master that in my Rescue class, and it took lots of practice!

[ThatJoeGuy]

In my book, yes. Some of the issues are not that obvious unless you really know what to look for, but they are definitely there.

If anyone is interested, then I will be more than happy to discuss the problems that I see with the diver's technique. However, I don't want to turn this into a "hate on the YouTube diver" thread. It actually takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there like that for potential scrutiny. So "constructive criticism" would be my preferred way to address this - no name-calling or anything, OK?

-JimG

Go wild, you can turn this into a "little things you can do to improve your buoyancy control" thread. There are lots of divers out there who could benefit.

[gcbryan]

He was out of trim for one thing. (I have a slow connection and didn't set through the rest).

[JimG]

OK here goes. I see two really big issues - these are general diving issues and have nothing to do with rec vs tech or anything like that.

First is the position of body and feet. Most of the way through the video, the diver's body is head up and the knees, feet, and fins are dropped. This is particularly evident during some of the bottle handling exercises. The lower abdomen should always be the lowest point of the body - if you get too close to a silty bottom and your abdomen is not the lowest point, then you are going to stir things up, no question about it. You can also see that the diver's waist strap and console are dangling well below the body, which increases the likelihood of disturbing a silty bottom.

The other general problem I see is excessive movement of hands and feet, and using them to maintain position and stability in the water. A diver who is properly weighted should be able to hold their position in the water column without moving any part of their body. In the video, the diver is constantly using his hands to back away from the camera, due to the lack of a sufficiently developed back kick (you can see that he actually attempts a back kick at 0:15 and goes nowhere - that's why he is constantly having to use his hands). There is also a lot unnecessary fin movement - couple this with the "feet down" position mentioned in the previous paragraph, and that can lead to trouble.

I also see a couple of other issues that relate more to tech diving than rec diving. For example, I think it's a bad idea to push the primary regulator through the necklace when it is not in use. This is not a secure method of stowing it, makes the reg difficult to retrieve in an emergency (requires two hands to do it), and interferes with the proper use of the backup regulator if the diver should have to donate gas. The primary really needs to be clipped off out of the way somewhere where it is secure, but still accessible.

I also don't care for inconsistencies in the bottle handling. You will notice that the first time the diver stows the deco bottle, he clips the top clip first (which is the way I prefer to do it). The second time he clips the bottom clip first. That may not seem like that big of a deal, but to me it is indicative of some procedural sloppiness.

Most of the rest of the issues I see are more philosophical (i.e. DIR vs not), so I don't see any reason to discuss those here (unless there is interest of course, and we can all agree to keep the tone civil).

-JimG

[finGrabber]

I agree with JimG. His form wasn't the best - he didn't drift up and down alot but was very "busy" in the water.

I also noticed that the diver didn't check the Deco bottle to make sure he was changing to the correct mix.

[peterbj7]

I hadn't seen this, but now I have I agree with everything that's been said. Not at all impressive.

[shadragon]

So who here is going to post a video of themselves showing "proper" techniques?

You have to give the guy points for being brave enough to make such a vid and post it publically. While it may not be perfect, his skills are much better than 99% of the divers I see out there on a daily basis.

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

I too was comparing his competence with those you typically see in the water. If all the newly-certified divers on our site would aspire to this video's level of buoyancy control, the reefs would certainly be better off, and their air consumption would improve.

I just figured the "head up" position, etc. in the video was more for the camera than anything else, since he tried to look into the camera as much as possible.....it is very hard on the neck to look directly forward for extended periods of time, so most will tend to raise the upper body slightly.

Just curious......I wonder who decided that you could NEVER use your hands at all while diving (except to deal with gear)? If you haven't mastered the back-kick (horizontal plane) and breath control is not enough to get you where you need to be (vertical plane), then if there is no animal, wreck or reef in the way what is wrong with a slight skulling motion to re-position yourself, as long as you get back into your diving position quickly? It could use less air than struggling to re-position yourself with an un-mastered finning technique.

[gcbryan]

I too was comparing his competence with those you typically see in the water. If all the newly-certified divers on our site would aspire to this video's level of buoyancy control, the reefs would certainly be better off, and their air consumption would improve.

I just figured the "head up" position, etc. in the video was more for the camera than anything else, since he tried to look into the camera as much as possible.....it is very hard on the neck to look directly forward for extended periods of time, so most will tend to raise the upper body slightly.

Just curious......I wonder who decided that you could NEVER use your hands at all while diving (except to deal with gear)? If you haven't mastered the back-kick (horizontal plane) and breath control is not enough to get you where you need to be (vertical plane), then if there is no animal, wreck or reef in the way what is wrong with a slight skulling motion to re-position yourself, as long as you get back into your diving position quickly? It could use less air than struggling to re-position yourself with an un-mastered finning technique.

In one sense there's nothing "wrong" with it. It's just an indicator of a lack of diving skill/control in one particular area. In a relative scale it is better than damaging a reef if the alternative is just that.

When a baby is just learning to walk they may have to use their hands more. There's nothing wrong with it. As an adult it would indicate some physical problem for the most part if we walked the same way a baby does. It's just not efficient and it indicates improvement is needed in various areas.