Advanced Buoyancy
This is a course that, if you learned to dive from us, you shouldn’t need. Still, there are people who can benefit from taking it. Click the About table below to learn more.
If you find yourself among those who need this course, don’t worry. We can fix it.
The course generally takes just a single day and two dives. You can sign up for this $199.95 course in person, over the phone or online by clicking the button below. If you sign up online, you will still need to call to schedule your class.
This program generally takes just one day and two dives. With sufficient notice, we can usually offer this course when it’s most convenient for you.
- Be at least 10 years old. Students ages 10-14 may qualify for special Junior certification. Learn more.
- Be certified to at least the Open Water Diver level.
- Be able to answer No to all the questions on the medical questionnaire or obtain a physician’s approval for diving.
$199.95/person includes:
- All instruction
- Certification processing when earned
You supply:
- Mask and snorkel
- Adjustable scuba fins and wetsuit boots
- Adequate exposure protection
- Cylinder (one per dive)
- Regulator system with alternate air source
- BC with integrated weight system or weight belt
- Weights
- Dive computer
- Underwater compass
- Dive knife/cutting tool
- Dive light
- SMB
Items you don’t already own are generally available for rent. Students are also responsible for gas fills and boat fees or dive site admission.
The name of this program is one the training agencies chose, not us. As far as we’re concerned, having “advanced” buoyancy is like saying someone is only “slightly” dead. Either your buoyancy is under control or it isn’t. As Yoda famously said, “Do…or do not. There is no ‘try.’”
If you learned to dive with us or have dove frequently to maintain your skills, you shouldn’t need this course. We regard buoyancy control as a fundamental skill that is every bit as critical as regulator use or mask clearing. Students don’t get out of our courses unless they can demonstrate mastery of proper weighting, BC use, breath control and horizontal trim.
Unfortunately, not every dive center, instructor — or training agency — feels this way. They think there isn’t enough time during an Open Water Diver course to teach proper buoyancy control.. However, they are more than happy to sell you an “advanced” buoyancy control course as a costly add-on. It’s kind of like selling someone a car and then asking them if they’d like the optional wheels, tires and engine.
Nevertheless, we do think there is a place for this course. Generally speaking, it is for people who learned to dive elsewhere. Or, if you’ve been away from diving for a while, you discover your buoyancy skills have degraded to a point where a simple refresher course can’t fix them.
Here is how you can tell if you need this course:
- You are so overweighted that, at the end of a dive, you can’t hover neutral at safety-stop depth without adding air to your BC.
- You rely on a formula to determine how much weight you need rather than establishing it through best diving practices.
- When underwater, any time you stop swimming you sink.
- Also, when you stop swimming, your feet sink.
- You have a hard time making buoyancy adjustments with your BC. Every time you attempt this, you end up either floating to the surface or sinking to the bottom.
If any of these apply to you, you need this course. It only takes a day and can make a huge difference in your comfort and enjoyment.
In this course, we cover:
- Streamline equipment to reduce drag
- Adjustment of weight placement/amount
- Controlled descent into horizontal position
Hovering Exercises
- Fine-tune with breath control
- Fine-tune with BC or drysuit
- Close to bottom exercises, do not touch bottom
- Equipment removal/replacement while neurtally buoyant. (No contact with bottom, depth variation no more than 1 m/3 ft)
Swimming Exercises
- Out and back 30 m/100 ft witout touching bottom
- Change depth by breath control (not power inflator)
- Simulate decompression stop with no reference
- Ascent that includes a safety stop while hovering
Most importantly, we don’t practice these skills until you finally get them right. We have you repeat them until you can’t do them wrong.
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