Buoyancy and Trim Workshop
The Buoyancy and Trim Workshop includes one theory session and two open-water dives. In it the diver is taught the value of control and relaxation to achieve an optimum position in the water and to understand what affects buoyancy underwater and the practical steps you need to take to achieve and maintain a horizontal diving posture.
At the end of this lesson students should:
- understand the issues that lead towards buoyancy problems
- recognise the symptoms of poor buoyancy
- have an appreciation of how to overcome poor buoyancy
- recognise the signs of overweighting
- appreciate correct weighting for diving in fresh and salt water
- understand that kit configurations will affect buoyancy and trim
- understand the importance of trim
If you have a first class diver and the author of the course, then it seems sensible to use them to teach the course.
With that in mind Rick set the course up and arrived at Capernwray with the requisite equipment, a rope, weight, air bag and buoy.
There were two of us diving, just for fun and two taking the practical course.
Mark and I jumped in and headed round to the Gnome Garden via the Murphy and the sump, over to the new boat and then to the Podsnap finally returning to the slip way. Time for a brew.
As surfaced the training team had just entered for their first practical session of descents, diving above the surface and ascents with stops.
After a brief break and a slice of Jen’s cake we entered for our second dive, a simple circuit past the Oil Rig, Podsnap up the slope to the Diving Bell and back to the slip way. The others started their second training dive, a repeat of the first with a few added skills such as a 360o rotation.
We met up in the carpark and were pleased to see that both club members had successfully completed the workshop, I will leave you to ask them what grade, but they were both pleased.
Thanks to Rick and Jen for running the day and thanks to Mark, Richard and Paula for a good day out.
