Pretty much the same here. After setting everything up, swimming to the spot etc etc, it's good to settle down for a few minutes. I usually do some negative hanging in reasonable depths (10 m sounds about right). Before any performance dives (that I count as recreational
I usually "test" my state by doing an easy static or two. It really helps alot. In the water you are constantly moving, swimming, cold, spotting...You think you're relaxed, but often that's not the case. It's really revealing when you start to do what you thing is an easy static and think you're going to die after 1 minute! But do a couple of those, and suddenly you're in "dive mode" again and the big dive feels like a walk in the park...But if you don't prefer surface statics, then some hangs at shallow depths, possibly on exhale...
I prefer not to go into the water on full stomach, but it's really imporant to have eaten something. Usually 1-2 hours to digest before diving will do, but you'll want to eat something light and easy to digest. A huge stake an hour before would not go well
Usually I eat normal on dive days, and 1-2 hours before entering the water perhaps a banana or something...
