That dive supervisor's critique about my buoyancy changed my whole routine

Back in March, I was doing a hull inspection in San Diego harbor and my supervisor pulled me aside after the second dive. He said I was too heavy on my fins and stirring up silt on every kick, which was costing us time on the job. I had been using the same weights and fin technique for five years without thinking about it. He made me drop 8 pounds and switch to a frog kick for the rest of the day. The difference was immediate, the water stayed clear and I used noticeably less air. Now I practice that kick on every shallow water job, and it's hard to believe I fought it for so long. Has anyone else had a supervisor point out a basic habit that you never questioned?

2 comments

2 Comments

carter.gavin20d ago

Wait till you try it with a back kick, complete game changer for tight spaces.

gavin69222d ago

Same thing happened to me on a reef cleanup, different skill though. My buddy pointed out I was holding my breath between kicks and my buoyancy was all over the place because of it. I had no idea, been diving for years like that. He made me do a slow exhale the whole dive, it felt so weird at first, but my trim got way better and I stopped bouncing off the coral. Now I catch myself doing it when I'm stressed underwater and just breathe through it. Funny how the little things we never question turn out to be the biggest game changers lol.