Hello everyone, friends of diving and fellow Dive Academy members. Today I want to share with you 5 common mistakes that are made when practicing recreational diving.
These errors, although they may seem unimportant details on their own, are vices that negatively affect our technique and comfort when diving:
1. Carrying the wrong amount of ballast
Often, we meet divers who are not clear about the amount of lead they should carry, and just use the same amount of lead every time. Variations in weight, the thickness of the wetsuit or the size of the tank influence our buoyancy, so it is necessary to regularly check your need for ballast.
It is important to carry the correct amount of ballast to better control underwater buoyancy, stability and balance.
If you are over-ballasted, you will be forced to compensate for the extra weight by inflating the jacket (BCD) more often. You will have to make buoyancy adjustments at different depths and throughout the dive, which is an unnecessary waste of air. Also, the heavier the weight, the more effort to move. With the right weight, buoyancy adjustments are minimal and you have more freedom to move without relying so much on the BCD. On the other hand, excess weight makes it difficult to adopt a hydrodynamic or trim position, which will add to the effort of finning.
If you carry insufficient ballast, you will encounter clear resistance when descending, which will result in overexertion when descending. There is also the risk of making an uncontrolled ascent when ascending or skipping the safety stop. In addition, the position of our body will tend to be upside down, since we will have to flap continuously to maintain the depth.
To calculate the correct amount of ballast, we do the following:
Once in the water, with our diving equipment on, we completely deflate the jacket. If we carry the correct amount of ballast, the water should cover us up to eye level while maintaining normal breathing. We should vary the weighting until we get it right. In case of doubt, you can ask your guide or PADI instructor for assistance. It is advisable to do this exercise regularly, especially if we dive in different environments, with other equipment, wetsuits and if we are going to dive in fresh water.
2. Using your hands to move underwater
To address this vice, first and foremost, we must ensure that we carry the correct amount of ballast. Additionally, perfecting your finning is key to improving your range of motion and achieving greater control of your body in the water. If there is any maneuver that you are struggling with, talk to your Instructor or Dive Master so they can give you recommendations on how to do it. During the PADI Advanced Open Water course you work on finning and learn techniques for the different maneuvers. For more in-depth learning there is also thePADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty.
3. Deflate the vest using only the trachea.
It is true that using the trachea to deflate the jacket is not a mistake in itself, but by doing so, we run the risk of acquiring the vice of depending on the trachea as the only element to release air from our equipment.
For this reason it is key to become familiar with the use of your jacket’s valves, normally located on the right shoulder and on the right side of your lower back. This way you can let the air out of your BC when your windpipe won’t allow it. Personally, I only touch the trachea to inflate the BCD.
4. Not compensating your ears and your mask in the right way
When descending, there are 2 factors to control: descent speed and sinus and ear compensation. If you are an amateur diver, you should focus on keeping both under control, as they have a direct impact on your well-being underwater. With practice, it becomes a habit and you do it without realizing it.
In my case, I usually compensate the ears every 1.5 meters.
To compensate the ears, we perform the Valsalva maneuver. It consists of pinching the nose with two fingers, blocking both nostrils, and blowing through the nose which allows us to compensate the pressure exerted by the water in the ears. To compensate the mask, we simply expel some air through our nose (most people do it unconsciously).
In case you notice excessive pressure in your ears, instead of forcing the compensation maneuver, it is better to ascend a little until the pressure decreases, and then you will be able to compensate. In this way we avoid forcing the eardrums, and we do not run the risk of damaging them.
THE OBJECTIVE IS TO COMPENSATE BEFORE DISCOMFORT IS FELT
Sometimes, when compensating we feel that one of our ears compensates and the other does not.
To help compensate for this hearing, we can do several things:
- If you are wearing a hood, pull the hood back to help water enter the hood and air that may have been trapped inside to escape, and try again.
- Stretch the side of the neck where we have difficulties to compensate, so that the ear is oriented towards the surface. By stretching the musculature we favor the air flow. We try again.
- Open and close the jaw and swallow saliva. We try to compensate again.
If you are not able to compensate correctly despite these tips, you should stop your descent. Your ears are responsible for your balance and for hearing what is going on around you, so it is important to take care of them ????.
5. Total dependence on your guide or partner
This is a mental rather than a behavioral vice. In my own experience, I have found that when I conducted my first dives, I delegated to the Dive Master or instructor the total control of the dive in all its variants.
It is important that from the very beginning you are aware of your surroundings underwater, as well as your actions and your location. To achieve this, I have identified a few key areas to work on:
a) Navigation control
It is key for your safety to be clear about your location throughout the dive, with respect to the dive start point, and the end point.
b) Tracking and controlling your air consumption
Check the air in your tank regularly, not just when your Dive Master or Instructor asks you. This way you will have a clear idea of your consumption on an ongoing basis, and you will be able to control the impact of depth changes. As you know, the deeper you go, the higher the pressure, and the higher the air consumption.
c) Depth and dive time control
The dive computer is an indispensable tool for diving, as it provides you with real time information about the duration of the dive, depth meters you are at, safety stops, time remaining to enter DECO, water temperature, etc. This data is necessary to have an active and strict control of your dive. If you are going to dive regularly, you should have one, and if not, rent one for your dive (dive centers usually have one). The sooner you become familiar with its use and start working hand in hand with your computer, the better. Do not delegate to third parties the control of your depth, nor of your safety stops.
d) Ask yourself if the dive you are going to do is in accordance with your level and experience.
If you are going to dive and you realize that due to depth, external conditions such as current or nature of the dive, if it presents more difficulty than the dives you have done in the past, do not hesitate, raise your hand and tell your Dive Master. He/she will be able to advise you and evaluate with you the level of complexity of the dive. In case, in spite of receiving individual indications from the guide, it is not clear to you, do not hesitate and cancel the dive. This is not a contest of courage, it is a hobby and the aim is to enjoy yourself.
If you want to improve your skills as a recreational diver, the key is training, with the PADI Advanced Open Water or PADI Rescue Diver course you will learn a lot and gain confidence as a diver.
Train yourself and then test yourself, don’t do it the other way around.
Javier Ayensa Barabarín 03/06/2021
