Just realized my lift bag technique was all wrong after a diver called me out on it

I've been doing this for about 4 years and always used a 50-pound lift bag for smaller lifts because that's what my old supervisor taught me. Last month on a job in Norfolk, a guy I'd never met watched me rig up and just said "that bag's too big for that anchor, you're losing control." I laughed it off at first but after he showed me his setup with a 25-pound bag and a smaller dump valve, I tried it my next dive. He was right. My bag was surging every time I hit the surface and I had to fight it. Now I use the smallest bag that'll do the job and my recoveries are way smoother. Anyone else get handed down bad habits from the old-timers that you had to unlearn?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenny58011d ago

Different issue nobody talks about is how bag size changes your ascent rate control in current. A 50-pounder catches way more water movement than a 25 at depth so you drift sideways harder before you even start coming up. Switching down cleaned up my drift too, not just my surface control.

troy_wilson811d ago

Dunno man, feels like you're overthinking this. I've run 50s in current plenty of times and never noticed that much of a difference. Maybe it matters more if you're diving in stupid strong rips or something.