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

[@AzulUnlimited]

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]

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]

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

[@CircleHScuba]

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]

Yep! Time in the water makes all the difference🤙

[@GlennMcFarland]

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]

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💙

[@BobJohnson-xg9ng]

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]

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

[@mikesbigadventures194]

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]

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

[@hassanelalami1119]

My tilt was when I did the peak performance buoyancy ! johnny my Instructor explained the mechanism of how when you inhale the volume of the thorax get bigger and you float more and reciprocly so by ALWAYS breathing I should inspire more to float et exhale slowly and vice versa. Then he puted a weight on the bottom I shoud have gone as near as possible without touching the bottom. Then I understood. This was a magic expérience , Thanks Johnny !

[@AzulUnlimited]

Yes, dialing in buoyancy is tricky and takes time. Glad you got it though!

[@SummersideDiver]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

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

[@michaellambert2976]

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]

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

[@robertcummings7508]

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]

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

[@crashlvmc]

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]

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

[@davidmorais2394]

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]

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]

@@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?

[@vincesoliman6923]

As someone who’s just getting their dive cert, the book and instructor says to never hold your breath. Have you experienced any difference in health or for holding your breath for 3 seconds. Just trying to learn the tricks to the trades!

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@vincesoliman6923 Never hold your breath is a solid rule to stick by, but as along as you are not changing depths while you hold your breath, you won't run the risk of lung over expansion. As for longer breath holds required for freediving, always consult your doctor about health risks.

[@davidshearer567]

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]

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]

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]

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

[@00bikeboy]

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]

Thank you so much and HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks for watching! Appreciate you🙃

[@vnoockthebrain]

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]

Yes! Great tips🤙 thanks for watching

[@n2olowen2olowe35]

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]

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

[@McNighthawk750]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

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

[@ScottUrbach]

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]

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

[@bradallen5571]

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]

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

[@lonestripediver]

Something I will have to try.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Give it a go 😊

[@astridschneider7307]

Learning frogkicking and proper Breathing was key for me

[@AzulUnlimited]

Yay! The frogkick club is the best club :)

[@hershshah9215]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks! Will do!

[@cesarcouteiro505]

muito obrigado pela ajuda

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks for watching!

[@00bikeboy]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

Glad to help! Happy diving🤙

[@Biodoc100]

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]

Yes! That is definitely helpful for a lot of people

[@davidb5195]

Thanks for the tip today.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks for watching, my friend!

[@ramkrishn4762]

Body structure matters as to where to slide oxygen cylinder to be fixed on the strengths of height, muscle strength of hands and legs. Just an idea.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Cool thanks for sharing🙏

[@elizabethofreeman2346]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks! Happy to have you here🤙

[@gelsaesser]

Great advise. Thank you.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks for watching!

[@louis840]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

new SAC/RMV video :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2Smo6J9p52qh7M

[@never2old-sd638]

Very good explanation 👏🏻

[@AzulUnlimited]

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

[@R_T_HEIDE]

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]

yeeeeessss all about the glide. So true.

[@billendres3115]

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]

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

[@billendres3115]

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

[@lilypondgarage2968]

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]

@@lilypondgarage2968 happy to be of service :)

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@billendres3115 🥰

[@missmushyroo7581]

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]

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.

[@WordizbonDon]

Thank You!

[@AzulUnlimited]

You're welcome! I hope this helps you!

[@Dboy10810]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

It is! Hare Krishna🙏💙

[@kristerjohansson9100]

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]

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

[@kristerjohansson9100]

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

[@phillipholman9558]

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]

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

[@gregolm]

Wish someone would make just a trim video

[@AzulUnlimited]

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

[@fabherod]

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]

Oh dear... that's embarrassing 🤣

[@BoxerDogs]

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]

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]

@@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]

@@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 [e-mail] I'll also be back in Baja, Mexico next winter guiding my dive expeditions if you want to join the beginner friendly one.

[@BoxerDogs]

@@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]

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

[@cruisercaptain]

Great teacher. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you for watching🤙🙏

[@arghidontknow]

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]

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.

[@ThomannH]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

Just like any other skill right? Thanks for watching!

[@Ublomor]

Grazie

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you!

[@eriknodland8352]

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]

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

[@Robert_H_Diver]

😂😂😂

[@gingerstrand6153]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

Luke, I am your father😉

[@leopoldbloom4835]

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]

That’s an awesome exercise👏🤙

[@jonnieinbangkok]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

That’s always a freeing feeling!

[@never2old-sd638]

The less weight we have on the better

[@AzulUnlimited]

yes yes yes. My favorite tip ever

[@x994910]

I attempted the frog kick following your example, but after watching this video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqCtY3WeiJt1n9U), 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]

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

[@CritterHunter]

I just go turtle mode

[@AzulUnlimited]

Turtle mode is an appropriate answer😂

[@alessiobruti]

👍👍👏👏👏💪💪💪

[@AzulUnlimited]

🙏💃

[@meta4kl237]

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]

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!

[@jonnieinbangkok]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

So true!

[@LauraParke]

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]

Thanks for the tips!

[@YouTube_user3333]

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]

Thanks for watching

[@troop1026]

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

[@AzulUnlimited]

NEVER😂😂😂😂😂

[@troop1026]

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

[@jacknelson9800]

sorry but im not trust guy that wear socks to sandals.

[@AzulUnlimited]

You're missing out in life 🤣

[@Robert_H_Diver]

Was that the RK3, or the RK3 HD?

[@AzulUnlimited]

It’s the rk3. I believe the HD is heavier and people tend to use them for dry suit diving