Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

Horizontal ascents and descents allow you to be in the best position to assist your buddy and yourself if problems occur. Take time to ensure that you have neutral buoyancy throughout the water column so that you are able to react to problems easily.

Before you learn to remove and replace your mask completely, practice clearing the mask until you are comfortable with this skill. Remember, once you clear the mask start breathing out before you tilt your head up to prevent water going up your nose.

Ocean Diver Knowledge Review
OT2 Diving Equipment & Diving Signals (Multiple-choice Exercise)

Buoyancy control is the divers best friend, and the inexperienced or unskilled divers biggest concern. So stay neutral and still in the water column. The required level of precision in buoyancy control varies with the demands of the dive. Buoyancy control should be considered the primary platform upon which all diving skills are built and a responsible diver should aim for as much control as possible.

To assess your buoyancy control, descend slowly adding gas to the wing where necessary to remain neutral throughout the descent. A new recreational diver should be able to stop within 3 meters of the bottom and float for intervals without having to fin, use hand movement or add/remove gas to maintain position. A more advanced diver should be able to exercise greater control. The first and most immediately effective tool we can use for control is our breathing, but adjustments which are made quickly via lung capacity should be rectified by changing the volume of gas in the wing at the earliest opportunity.

For instant feedback, breathe in deeply. If you start to rise immediately then you are a little too buoyant and should adjust. When a diver is neutral, a deep breath in will start a slow movement in the water column which will accelerate as gas in the BCD starts to expand. If a deep breath in does nothing, then the diver was slightly negative at the start of the exercise and was probably running some buoyancy on lung volume already.

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