Buoyancy tips for scuba diving beginners - Equipment, breathing, and finning techniques

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Buoyancy tips for scuba diving beginners - Equipment, breathing, and finning techniques

Рет қаралды 40,013

Azul Unlimited

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 132

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

There's still 1 spot left for my trip in January! Anyone interested in escaping the winter cold with us? azulunlimited.com/baja-dive-expedition-2023/ ✅ Join the Azul scuba community: www.patreon.com/azulunlimited

@timgosling6189 Жыл бұрын

All I'd say is that getting properly weighted is quite easy and your instructor should show you how to do it. Trim can be a lot harder and it does require work. But diving with someone else. a good instructor or an experienced and proficient buddy, can make it a lot easier as they can set you in the right position so you know what it feels like. Having someone video you so you can see what your are doing is also a great aid. And once you've got it, and you can just hang there with no effort, it feels so awesome and relaxing! And one thing many people don't get told: If you find you are always a bit head up in the water, try moving weight down your body, maybe lowering the cylinder an inch or so in the cam-bands. I know it's counter-intuitive but if your top is heavy you need your buoyancy further up your body too to stay in balance. And the way that happens is you lift your head so the air in your BC (and drysuit) moves up your body. Move the weight down a bit and you'll balance with the air further down your body, and that happens with your back more level, unless you go too far. Trial and error and you'll hit the spot before too long.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Great point! And you’re right, we don’t talk about it enough

@CircleHScuba Жыл бұрын

Great video! I know for me, time in the water was what really helped me with bouyancy. I am such a perfectionist that I was very frustrated when I'd have issues. Then I went on a dive trip and after diving all week, I was SO much better. A couple years later, and I can Buddha hover in just about any kit (though sometimes I'll fall to the side, haha).

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Yep! Time in the water makes all the difference🤙

@GlennMcFarland Жыл бұрын

Nice job! I'm one of those aging instructors who constantly strive to keep my teaching materials current and relevant. Thanks for putting out content that I can use to help my students learn. You are a talented teacher, and I will introduce your channel to my students.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Oh my goodness, thank you so much 🙏 I love connecting with and learning from other instructors too. Super helpful to develop skills and style as a teacher💙

@michaellambert2976 Жыл бұрын

3 ideas were important for me in improving my trim: 1. videoing myself: you wont know how good your trim is without being able to see it yourself; having someone else describe it to you is never as impactful. its hard to dismiss criticism when the proof of it is staring at you. 2. weight distribution: making sure the top and bottom parts of your body are weighted equally and learning to dynamically reposition your tank during the dive to make sure you stay evenly balanced 3. core exercises: exercising helps your ability to lift the upper or lower parts of your body to further refine your weight distribution. having a strong core also help you to maintain a prone/aerodynamic position in the water (e.g. avoiding droopy leg syndrome)

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Absolutely! I love the videoing tip. Also, always a fan of strong core! Helps with all kinds of things in and out of the water

@davidmorais2394 2 ай бұрын

A couple of years ago a very experienced instructor I was diving with showed me how to take a slow breath hold for 3 before exhaling for 5. It’s become natural for me though sometimes I use the count to remind myself. I’ve found an immediate and radical improvement to my buoyancy control. Suddenly I have near complete control. It’s transformed my diving and now all the other details on weighting, trim, positive / negative / stiff / flexible fins etc etc have started to make sense!

@AzulUnlimited Ай бұрын

That's wonderful! Most dive professionals love to share tips and tidbits with divers to improve their diving. I'm so glad you got that advice and it helped your diving.

@davidmorais2394 Ай бұрын

@@AzulUnlimited what kind of water temperature is it in December in Baja? We live in Malaysia and I dive in a rash guard and shorts. Max a 2mm jacket. What do you wear to dive?

@mikesbigadventures194 Жыл бұрын

The thing that helped me the most was a properly fitted dry suit. It was really a game changer. My CLX 450 is a great dry suit but I was missmeasured and maintaining buoyancy was super hard. It was either too much squeeze or too much gas. When I got my properly fitted Seaskin it all just clicked. All the other stuff that I was doing right just worked easily rather than being a struggle or hit and miss. This is not an issue with a brand but with fit. Dry suit fit is way more important than you think. My tech and cave diving has really gone to the next step now

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

YES! this is so true. I bet I'll notice the difference when I eventually get a suit that is custom made for me.

@BobJohnson-xg9ng Жыл бұрын

Thank you! The most important aspect of diving. Struggled last two trips, used to use a 50# camera, lights, batteries, tripod, had no reference what i needed when switching to gopro, struggled, seriously overweighted. Earlier this month, dove Coron Palawan, all rental gear. Explained buoyancy probs to dive guide, he put weights on a belt, HALF what I had been using, and BAM! I was a fish. Thanks for this tutorial, I can't stress enough how important this is to all divers

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

So glad it helped! Awesome you had some in person help. That’s always key to improving as a diver👏

@SummersideDiver 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for another great video. The information you share and the presentation you use is very helpful

@AzulUnlimited 7 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! Glad it was helpful. I’m always happy to share what I know😌

@crashlvmc Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I wish my instructor had taught me these tips, i learned them, the hard way. Some by watching/ teaching my students, and some by stupid...

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

It happens. That’s why I make these videos🙏

@robertcummings7508 Жыл бұрын

In 41 years of diving, I have almost exclusively used a flutter kick and it wasn't until recently that I have have consciously decided to use the frog kick more. Needless to say it takes practice. I was in the pool yesterday for about three hours with students and, since the end of the class, I have had just a really dull ache in my lower back. The light went off at the end of your video! We, as divers, forget that we need to adjust our physicality to the techniques. Diving seems so effortless that we ignore we may need to spend some time building muscle and endurance. This definitely will change some of my gym routine going forward. Thanks so much for your videos. They are great!

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching!! Yes, I think it’s very important to bring fitness, even low impact stuff, to diving. Makes us better, safer divers

@cruisercaptain Жыл бұрын

Great teacher. Thank you 🙏🏻

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching🤙🙏

@vnoockthebrain Жыл бұрын

Hey, nice to see you again! Thanks for the video. My "click" was the advice of my teacher and buddy - to keep some tension in the back - like a skydiver, and to make the belly "loose".

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Yes! Great tips🤙 thanks for watching

@davidshearer567 6 ай бұрын

Switching to a wing and shoulder weights helped flatten me out. 4 lbs on the shoulders, 4 lbs on the waste Holding the "superman pose" with a VR3 (brick) on each arm helped me a bunch. There's a debate about this though... My back stopped arching (and aching) when I quit sinching my shoulder straps tight and stopped using my chest strap while tightening the waste belt and having the crotch strap fairly tight. This was recently confirmed when I explored the DIR/Hargothian set up. Heavy fins, ankle weights and gaitors help control a drysuit. These adjustments allowed me to do exactly what you said - reellaaaaaxx 🙂🙂🙂

@AzulUnlimited 6 ай бұрын

We love being able to relax! Thank you for sharing all this information. It's all about the fine tuning. I've actually been doing that with my trim in the drysuit and I think I need some heavier fins.

@davidshearer567 6 ай бұрын

I've been using Apeks RK3 fins. They are the heaviest fins my lds carries. You might try them out if you haven't already. Happy diving!

@AzulUnlimited 6 ай бұрын

I may try those or jet fins. I'm finding that with the UW camera setup, my oms fins are a bit light. Always tweaking things :)@@davidshearer567

@Ublomor 2 күн бұрын

Grazie

@AzulUnlimited Күн бұрын

Thank you!

@astridschneider7307 Жыл бұрын

Learning frogkicking and proper Breathing was key for me

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Yay! The frogkick club is the best club :)

@ivoryjohnson4662 Жыл бұрын

For me trusting my equipment breathing control and you are so right on strength training

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Appreciate you🙃

@cesarcouteiro505 Жыл бұрын

muito obrigado pela ajuda

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@00bikeboy Жыл бұрын

I had no idea there were so many factors to getting it right ! Very interesting and helpful, thanks.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Glad to help! Happy diving🤙

@hershshah9215 4 ай бұрын

Love the new vid! Keep them coming!! Throw some side mount vids our way if you can :)

@AzulUnlimited 4 ай бұрын

Thanks! Will do!

@n2olowen2olowe35 Жыл бұрын

Great video. I've been wondering why my breaths seem to cause more rise and follow then my fellow divers. Perhaps too much weight is the answer. In fact, all this moving with respiration gives me a tendency to breath hold which is obviously the wrong answer!

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Try it out! Hopefully that’ll be the key for you😊

@bradallen5571 Жыл бұрын

Great video!! Very informative and fun to watch. Did you know that "belly breathing" is a technique that singers use to push air from the diaphragm to achieve more control with their notes? Well.....now you do. So great advise whether you want to sing or breath properly underwater. Now.....let's go diving and sing through our regulators while indicating to the other divers that we don't know where that sound is coming from. Another fun tip.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Haha I did know that! I used to be a trumpet player😉

@00bikeboy Жыл бұрын

Hope this finds you safe and in good company. Wishing you a Merry Christmas (even if you don't celebrate). Looking forward to more cool videos in 2023!

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much and HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

@Biodoc100 Жыл бұрын

For me, the final bit of getting that nice trim position was having my arms (relaxedly? is that a word?) extended out in front of me. It has the added benefit of putting my computer out in front of me, making it easier to track my dive data.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Yes! That is definitely helpful for a lot of people

@ScottUrbach Жыл бұрын

Great tips. Thank you very much. I have been switching between wet and dry suits lately. Definitely need work fine tuning my trim and buoyancy.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Time is what it takes! Having someone help out or recording yourself helps a lot too 🤙

@phillipholman9558 Жыл бұрын

Awesome video! My biggest tip / struggle was my breathing. Another big thing I run into here is, like you said, people being over weighted. I finally got my weight dialed in and now I am working on my camera neutrality. Thanks for the great tips and explanations! Happy diving!

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Yes! Camera work brings in a whole new element. Good luck, you’ll get it🙃

@fabherod Жыл бұрын

Definitely the positive aluminum tanks at the end of the dive are the worst thing! I told several instructors/divemasters I was feeling more positive for some reason at the end of the dive.....they were like...."it's just your imagination"....🤨🤨😁

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Oh dear... that's embarrassing 🤣

@lonestripediver 11 ай бұрын

Something I will have to try.

@AzulUnlimited 11 ай бұрын

Give it a go 😊

@elizabethofreeman2346 Жыл бұрын

I love your Video. Im from the Philippines🇵🇭 I now follow you. ♥️🌷🐳

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Happy to have you here🤙

@R_T_HEIDE Жыл бұрын

Great video! No one tip that made my boyancy and trim click , I needed lots of repetition and like you said using those muscles in the lower back and butt, I think you got that spot on. My first tec instructor told me to visualize to try and hold a coin between my buttcheeks 🤭 Filming each other helped for feedback, my mental image of what I thought my trim was and what I did was how shall I put this... different from what it actually was. Doing excercises on top of a flat surface (platform etc) helps me find and confirm my trim every once in a while. It gives me a very direct and tactile feedback when I hover over such a surface and very slowly move down. You feel which bodypart touches first. For back kicking I had to unlearn having my knees bent at a right angle in the neutral position. Having them a bit more stretched out increased the efficiency of that first kick dramatically. And to take it slowly, maybe that's the greatest advice I got, slow down. For instance using the gliding fase of the frogkick, that gets you further on the same amount of gas (kinda important when I'm in a cave 😅).

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

yeeeeessss all about the glide. So true.

@davidb5195 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip today.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, my friend!

@gingerstrand6153 Жыл бұрын

We're awkward mouth breathers....I bout fell out of my chair, that caught my funny bone!!🤣🤣☮️☯️

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Luke, I am your father😉

@gelsaesser Жыл бұрын

Great advise. Thank you.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@kristerjohansson9100 Жыл бұрын

To get the "right feel" of how being in good trim feels like, there is one thing in the water column that is always in perfect trim and that´s the surface. When being face down on the surface, you should have your mouth over the surface and your feet also at the surface, or slightly above. Try this exercise in just your exposure suit, without bcd or fins and just try to get the feel of how your body feels when in good trim. 🙂

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Love that. I bet it looks hilarious with students too 🤣

@kristerjohansson9100 Жыл бұрын

@@AzulUnlimited It’s also a good time to practice different types of fin techniques. 😊

@never2old-sd638 Жыл бұрын

Very good explanation 👏🏻

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Good to break it down. Too many people are out there struggling.

@WordizbonDon 7 ай бұрын

Thank You!

@AzulUnlimited 7 ай бұрын

You're welcome! I hope this helps you!

@ThomannH Жыл бұрын

The thing that helped me most? Practice, practice, practice ;-)

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Just like any other skill right? Thanks for watching!

@billendres3115 Жыл бұрын

Great video and easy advise for beginners and seasoned divers. Question, are you cave certified? If not you should, your trim and buoyancy are spot on. 👌

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

I am! I haven’t been in a cave in over 5 years though😅

@billendres3115 Жыл бұрын

I thought so, your skill and attention to detail is what sets cave divers apart. 🤙looking forward to your next vid. 😋

@lilypondgarage2968 Жыл бұрын

My breathing was messing with me and I always wondered why everyone buys aluminum tanks and has to where more weight plus Steel tanks last forever it seams iv been gust buying steels now. Thanks for the help

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

@@lilypondgarage2968 happy to be of service :)

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

@@billendres3115 🥰

@eriknodland8352 Жыл бұрын

Best tip/cheat for breathing and buoyancy, switch to ccr and breathing no longer affects your buoyancy ;) Adding weight for the gas you use is important for every tank, not just Al as what that weight is for is the change in sectional density from the gas consumed/lost to the environment. Every tank gets less dense and therefore more floaty (even if that means less negatively buoyant) as the gas is drained.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Hahaha, let me just go buy a rebreather then🤑😜

@Robert_H_Diver Жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

@McNighthawk750 Жыл бұрын

What would you recommend for exercises on land to help with trim & proper finning techniques?

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

I always recommend yoga and strength training. I do vinyasa, Pilates, hiit, and climbing

@missmushyroo7581 7 ай бұрын

Just passed my OD, but had to change up my dry suit and weights. Happened twice, around 70bar i started floating up uncontrollably. Ive been practicing for little over a year now and worried im never gonna get it. Also, i quite dislike dry suits! Ive alwaus wanted to dive but what if i never get it? I get so anxious at 80bar now and i think that doesn't help my buyouncy too.

@AzulUnlimited 7 ай бұрын

I have a good friend who went through something similar. She was always a warm water diver and when she moved to a cold water area, she made the switch to drysuit diving. She had major issues with getting floaty, especially near the end of the dive when her tank was empty. Here are some tips she shared with me. - She got heavy fins. Her feet are naturally floaty, so she switched to heavier jetfins. - She used ankle weights. This also helped her get her feet under control. - She starts dumping air from her dry suit as soon as she turns the dive. Dumping air early and often (every half meter or less) helped her to manage the air in her suit. - Sometimes she has to turn completely vertical to get the air from her feet to travel up to her shoulder valve. - She only uses steel tanks. Aluminum tanks are positively buoyant when they are "empty" thus they float. Steel tanks are always negatively buoyant. -Don't be afraid to use an extra kilo to compensate for the floatiness at the end of the dive. Keep at it. It seems frustrating and I remember my friend being really upset that she was having this issue. But she eventually was able to figure it out and now she's a better diver for it and can help others going through the same thing.

@Dboy10810 Жыл бұрын

Great video! Is that a Tulasi around your neck? :-)

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

It is! Hare Krishna🙏💙

@gregolm Жыл бұрын

Wish someone would make just a trim video

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

I’ll add it to my ever-growing list of video topics to cover 😉

@jonnieinbangkok Жыл бұрын

800 grams for me wearing shorts and rashguard here in Phuket.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

That’s always a freeing feeling!

@never2old-sd638 Жыл бұрын

The less weight we have on the better

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

yes yes yes. My favorite tip ever

@leopoldbloom4835 Жыл бұрын

Most beginners control their buoyancy by using their inflator instead of their lungs, with all the problems resulting from this. A good pre-dive breathing exercise is first to inflate your thorax as much as you can and then keep breathing and talking while keeping the same body volume. After that, you do the opposite thing, breath out and keep breathing and talking at your minimum body volume. This way, the students learn that controlling your buoyancy with your lungs doesn’t keep from breathing. It’s two different things.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

That’s an awesome exercise👏🤙

@louis840 Жыл бұрын

Hi, what's your work & rest SAC ? Flutter kick is fine but not for optimizing one's SAC ...

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

new SAC/RMV video :) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z5lzpdJ4157bgYU.html

@jonnieinbangkok Жыл бұрын

The Jet Fins arent fins...they're weights 😆

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

So true!

@arghidontknow Жыл бұрын

When I do the exercise with you, I find I can exhale for much longer than 5 seconds. Is this normal? Should I be aiming for 5 seconds or just breathe out slowly until I am fully exhaled? I don’t feel like I’m taking large breaths in or anything

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Everybody is different. The important thing is to feel comfortable the whole time, so you won't be pushing out every bit of air in your lungs. Make the exhale longer than your inhale and play with the rhythm that keeps you calm and comfortable.

@BoxerDogs Жыл бұрын

When I tried open water diving in the pool I had a lot of buoyancy problems. If I were to remain perfectly still, I would slowly tip face down. If I was underwater, I would start tilting sideways. The instructors couldn’t fix this problem even after two weekends. What is the cause of this and how do you fix this?

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

There are a lot of factors so I can’t say for sure without seeing you in person but it may have to do with the style of bcd you have or the position of the tank/weights. It’s rare but if the turning to one side continues after you’ve balanced everything, you could just be heavier on one side

@BoxerDogs Жыл бұрын

@@AzulUnlimited Interesting what you said about being heavier on one side. Nobody has mentioned that. I have one leg longer than the other. I can tell there is a misalignment in my hips when I try to do the splits. So I was just thinking these misalignments and assymetry (not actually noticeable) might be the cause of tilting to one side. The instructors I had weren't smart enough or skilled enough to think of these things. I wasted more than $400 for that course. I want to try again this summer at a different place but I'm understandably concerned about receiving quality instruction. Are you near Northern Virginia?

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

@@BoxerDogs I am not. I will probably spend the summer in Texas and Colorado. If you find yourself further west this year and want to hop in the water to work on it, email me azulunlimited@gmail.com I'll also be back in Baja, Mexico next winter guiding my dive expeditions if you want to join the beginner friendly one.

@BoxerDogs Жыл бұрын

@@AzulUnlimited Baja, Mexico? That sounds really awesome. I've been wanting to go there. I'm concerned about how safe it might be though.

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

@@BoxerDogs I've been here traveling in the van for 4 months. it's safe 🤙🏼

@alessiobruti Жыл бұрын

👍👍👏👏👏💪💪💪

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

🙏💃

@CritterHunter Жыл бұрын

I just go turtle mode

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Turtle mode is an appropriate answer😂

@meta4kl237 6 ай бұрын

you say your normal breath diving is only half of your lung capacity, but when i exhale at count of 5 i completely empty my lungs. . please comment

@AzulUnlimited 6 ай бұрын

Every body is different so you may need to adjust the count to suit what’s comfortable for you. Also, I slow down/extend my breath by making a slight whisper sound (kind of like when you try to fog up a mirror). Hope that helps!

@x994910 8 ай бұрын

I attempted the frog kick following your example, but after watching this video (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/etV6ZaWZuJymmac.html), I was unsure if I was executing it correctly. To clarify, maintaining a straight back and a 90-degree angle is the correct form, right? However, I encountered difficulty in bringing my feet together due to insufficient curvature. Any suggestions? Additionally, I seek clarification on breathing techniques: is stomach breathing for regular breaths and chest breathing for changing elevation accurate? I appreciate the insightful video; it greatly aids my ongoing efforts to refine my buoyancy, trim, and frog kick for the upcoming wreck specialty.

@AzulUnlimited 8 ай бұрын

We aim to get trim straight and horizontal but the spine will have a slight curve. Knees at a 90 degree help keep your kicks above the ground to not stir up the bottom. Ultimately, you do your best based on your flexibility and physiological capacities. It helps to record yourself so you can see exactly what you’re doing. As for breathing. Stick with belly breathing unless you need to take a deeper breath to change buoyancy, then that breath starts as a belly breath but you let it expand into the chest

@troop1026 Жыл бұрын

Meters!!!! Meter!!!!! Feet Sarah. In feet. North America. Feet. 😊😂

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

NEVER😂😂😂😂😂

@troop1026 Жыл бұрын

@@AzulUnlimited Well just because it’s you, Ok.

@YouTube_user3333 Жыл бұрын

I know you’re focused on the new diver, but damn, the first diver was bad 🤣 Suck in that air like your about to lay down and go to bed. Your sack rate, the best calculation is then more accurate, when in a relaxed state. But when calculating your emergency sac rate, double it 😏

@AzulUnlimited Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching

@LauraParke 26 күн бұрын

Overall pretty good tips, however I disagree with your breathing. A normal breath. Slow and deep like the book says is wrong. I'll compare my methods with anyones anyday and anytime. Deep makes people ascent at the end of exhalation, not good for photography or hunting. IMO

@AzulUnlimited 20 күн бұрын

Thanks for the tips!