A diver has no better feeling than achiving neutral bouyancy, but many divers have difficulty reaching this underwater Nirvana.

What is the secret of perfect neutral buoyancy and the feeling of weightlessness underwater? It starts with getting your weighting correct either on you belt or in the weight pockets of your BC, or a combo of both. If you wear an appropriate amount, you don't have to adjust the air volume of BC when diving. You can practice the skills on the PADI PPB ( Peak Performance Buoyancy) and accurate buoyancy control can be yours and you will know what it mean by diving nirvana.

Many factors are play a role in selecting the correct weights, which makes proper weighting diferent for each diver, even if they are making the same dive. Some of these factors are body weight and compostion, the thickness of the wetsuit being used, breathing rate and even the choice to use boots or bare foot.

However, if you are overweight, you can notice it immediately after beginning your descent. Do you sink like a stone, and then you must inflatable your BC to compensate for the extra weights on your belt. This is a sign that it is transporting too much Lead. Or maybe it is hard for you to go down, but once in depth, you feel heavy and you need to put some air in your BC.

Dive Tips

On your following dive trip, try these five simple methods - they may help you dive more proficiently.

Just do it. Start by losing one or two weights off on your next dive. By following this and proceeding in the next four tips, you may be able to get started with a smaller amount of weight.

Keep a Dive Log. Keep track of the weight you put on during each dive. Also, take note of the thickness of the neoprene of your wetsuit. This will enhance your ability to fine-tune your weightings for future dives, it will also serve as a general record of the same area for future visits.

Employ the Deflator. As you begin your ascent for the dive, grasp the inflation hose over your head and extend it upward slightly. Ensure that the attachment point to the BC is at its highest position. Sill not sinking? Ensure that you've exhaled all of the air in your lungs and attempt to squeeze the BC against your chest with your free arm in order to expel any bubbles that may be negatively affecting your buoyancy. If this isn’t effective, try the descent line method. Once you reach 15 to meters, the water pressure should assist you in your descent.

Take your time and enjoy. At the start of the dive, take a few deep breaths before diving to put you in the mindset for diving. This will soothe any anxieties. Descend in a stealthy manner with your feet, attempt to point your fins downward in order to avoid hindering your descent. Don't waver or kick your legs. Then once you've reached the agreed-upon meeting place with your buddy — the mooring line or another location, pause and make sure you're comfortable, relaxed, and prepared to explore.

Utilise your breath. A lung that is filled with air can increase the weight of the body by as much as 5kg / 10 pounds of positive buoyancy . Exhale completely as you begin your descent. Once submerged, attempt to breathe evenly and consistently. Before attempting to control your buoyancy with the inflator/deflator hose, relax and utilise your inhalations and exhalations to assist. As you take each inhalation, you should begin to ascend. Exhale, and you should begin to sink. If you must use the inflation tool to raise neutrally buoyant objects, try to utilise it sparingly—only give it one brief burst and allow it time to stabilise. If you're constantly adding and subtracting air from and from your BC, you'll feel like an underwater yo-yo, and you'll stop enjoying the dive.

Gear Tips

As you pack and check your equipment, double-check to make sure nothing has changed that could affect initial weighting. New wetsuit? Brand-new wetsuits need more weight than old ones.

If you are wearing a 5 -millimeter waterproof suit and the water temperature is warm enough, consider wearing a different thinner suit.

If you wear open-heel fins, switch to a thinner bootie—if the water is warm, consider wearing neoprene socks instead.

Experiment with weight placement. For instance, if you're carrying 8kg of weight, try removing 4kgs from your belt to your BC weight pockets. By shifting some, but not all, of the load, you may be able to reduce weight by a kilo or two in the future.

New BC? Stick it on a bathroom scale; often there is variation between claimed and actual weight.

Sometimes air gets "trapped" in a BC, which will continue to expand as you ascend. Feel behind your head to feel the top of your BC. If it feels like one of those pillows people carry onto a plane, your BC has trapped some air. This can add up to several kilos of buoyancy. To squeeze out the trapped air, lean back as though you are relaxing in a recliner and hold your oral inflate/deflate device toward the surface. Most BC’s will then vent that last bit of air.

On deeper dives, you should only have to start swimming up a little before expanding air takes over. But if some air is still in your BC, you could lose control of your ascent. Be prepared to vent air if that happens.

If you want to get the best from your diving, dive for longer use less air? Then complete the PADI PPB with one of our instructors this summer. For more info visit here.