You hear it all the time, get neutrally buoyant. Remain neutrally buoyant. Get off the bottom. Control your ascent. Stop floating upwards.

Don’t use the inflator as an elevator.

What do all these common saying have to do with objects, including yourself floating or sinking in water?

To answer the question let us first get some terminology and concepts out of the way. The terminologies will be used throughout the article. Having an understanding to their meaning will aid in applying that knowledge to the How and Why questions.

Expectations and presumptions to remain consistent and not become redundant.

The article will presume Sea Water vs. Fresh Water unless otherwise noted. There is a difference in how forces act upon an object in both types of water. An example of Fresh Water will be provided later as a comparison to Sea Water.We will not consider and factor in the height of the object …