Posted by Wayne on December 03, 2001 at 22:18:45:
In Reply to: Re: I disagree with your statement about weighting posted by George Austin on December 03, 2001 at 21:37:49:
When I beach dive, I also usually have a long slow ascent based on bottom topography. But I have no intention of ending the dive 5-6 pounds minimum positive buoyancy (based on the weight of the air). The last place I want to be is bobbing and thrashing along the surface in the shallows at the end of the dive. In fact I prefer to be a bit negative in the surge zone to allow for better finger traction as I use the surge to bring me in. So I am unconvinced about the wisdom of your weighting advice. Sounds like something to tell a student with limited ocean swimming skills to get them through a class without teaching them to dive.
And maybe I was not clear about the use of the regulator and going to the bottom. It is just like swimming out through surf when body surfing. When diving, you go under and zip along the bottom 'till your are past the breakers (It takes only a few seconds if you kick like hell and crawl with your hands). This brief time under water could be done with a simple breathhold as we would in regular swimming. But that leaves the open mouthpiece of the regulator full of sand for the rest of the dive. Hiding the mouthpiece in the mouth stops the sand from entering the reg. It is also a convenient way to get a few breaths of air while on the bottom.
So if you are planning on starting the dive deep, you come back up and surface swim to the entry point. If you are starting the dive shallow, you just stay on the bottom.
One does not plow through the surface on SCUBA, at least not on the way out. Although I usually do on the way back. I want to get the use out of the tank of air I bought. The refil cost the same whether you have 900 or 300.
Wayne