THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX

[StefinSB]

The criticism does not come from the trim (I think everyone should trim the way he likes), but by the fact that there are some "evangelists" who think that the horizontal trim is the only correct one, which should be used always, and who do not simply use that trim when inappropriate, but they even tell ME that I am doing it wrong...

The only two people evangelizing in this thread are you and the crusader from Taiwan. You are using the term "unatural" do divers in horizontal trim. That of course raises the question of what trim is "natural" being in an environment that we are not made for.

 

[OTF]

I do not think:
"Sure, you can dive like that, just as long as you keep your head eight feet away from the bottom at all times."
is a viable set of instructions for most divers.

I'm not saying horizontal always. I'm saying horizontal if you are near the bottom. This mostly means you need the ability to do that and for it not to consume lots of effort on your part.

"viable set of instructions for most divers" gets to the root of this.

When you're first learning, the mantra is "don't swim with your hands" so that rank beginner divers learn to kick properly. But once you have progressed and know how to fin efficiently with a mastery of control (back kicks, helicpters, etc.) there should be no shame in OCCASIONAL hand-paddling. It's a fine way to avoid kicking other divers, move sideways away from a wall in surge, or just have fun. But that's a lot to explain to flailing beginners when "no hands" is more effective at building their skills and breaking bad habits. And the rule sticks because that's what the training manual says.

When you're first learning, the mantra is "never hold your breath". But once you have an understanding of why and how barotrauma happens, sometimes you can safely utilize breath holding underwater. I do it to photograph, sneak up on a fish without bubbles, or descend with lungs held empty. But again open water students are overwhelmed with new information in accelerated classes so instructors can't get into the intricacies. There's a lot of risk with breath holding so "never" is safer.

When you're first learning (or learning tech) the mantra is "always stay in trim at all times". This is good, as it's the best way to teach students to be in control. Every diver should be able to achieve perfect trim and buoyancy, and maintain it while performing tasks. But like the other examples it is okay put yourself in whatever position you want to be in, as long as you're not doing it out of inability to maintain proper trim. Personally I often choose to ascend somewhat vertically. I get in all kinds of silly contortions while photographing. If breaking trim is the faster, safer, or more energy efficient way to get a task done, it is the right way to get it done.

In art they say "learn the rules then break them". Breaking the rules isn't such a good idea in diving because here breaking the wrong rule can lead to swift death instead of just bad art. But what the quote really means is that if you have a full understanding and mastery a skill, it's okay to experiment with doing it differently. That's how innovation happens. Just don't do things the wrong way because you're unable to do them right.

 

[Blackcrusader]

The only two people evangelizing in this thread are you and the crusader from Taiwan. You are using the term "unnatural" do divers in horizontal trim. That of course raises the question of what trim is "natural" being in an environment that we are not made for.

What does it mean to be a natural diver? To devote yourself utterly to a set of diving habits? To seek a stillness of your mind so you can relax on a dive. To master the way of the water? There is some comfort diving in the emptiness of the sea, no past, no future.


My view is that natural trim is whatever I decide it to be for the circumstance I am in and there is no predisposition to always being horizontal. Horizontal is great for no current or into a horizontal current but if I want to be pushed by a horizontal current I go vertical and get into my sitting buddha position. Feels natural and comfortable for me. Sometimes I sit and hover looking up or down and around sometimes I am horizontal doing the same thing. Sometimes I might be at that 45 degree angle not moving about or going anywhere.

 

[Angelo Farina]

The only two people evangelizing in this thread are you and the crusader from Taiwan. You are using the term "unatural" do divers in horizontal trim. That of course raises the question of what trim is "natural" being in an environment that we are not made for.

Probably this is my linguistic bias kicking in (again). "unnatural" in Italian means "not fit for you", "unconfortable for you".
Sorry for my bad knowledge of English...

 

[The Chairman]

I dive mainly in open water well above the sand or away from a reef wall so I am not stirring up silt or sand or anything else.

Just to be clear, very few people ever believe they are the ones stirring up silt, even in open water.

You don't need to justify how you dive to me. That you enjoy aggravating others was all I needed to read and it doesn't impress me much. I've been around such divers before, and I've never enjoyed it. They are convinced that they are not a problem and see no need to improve or respect the space of others. I simply avoid them as much as I can.

 

[The Chairman]

That of course raises the question of what trim is "natural" being in an environment that we are not made for.

Indeed. But hey, if you can't do it, then complain about those who make it look easy!

 

[drbill]

For me good trim depends on what I am filming. I may be upside-down over a coral reef (to avoid damaging the coral with my fins). The important thing is whether one is stable with respect to buoyancy, not whether they are perfectly horizontal (in most cases).

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I get a kick out of watching the guys and gals with "perfect trim" in the water, as they are using DIR techniques developed for a specific type of diving, cave diving. It is now applied to diving on coral reefs too, as this is the least damaging way of diving for the coral reefs. So there is good reason to dive that way.

But I dive mostly in rivers and estuaries of the Pacific Northwest of the USA (Oregon, specifically). There really is nothing to damage with my fins. The "perfect trim" divers who try their techniques under a river rapids will be spun around by the crosswise current racing above me at times.

The "frog kick" is a very inefficient type of kick, as it does not propel a diver very well. It is meant to conserve air by minimizing motion, but in a river it will rapidly result in the diver being swept downstream.

Not kneeling on the bottom is again to protect both the diver and the small, delicate corals from damage. You don't want to kneel on an urchin, for instance. But if you are in a river, with a large rock protecting you from a very fast current, kneeling in the rock's eddy may be the best way of dealing with the situation.

I sometimes dive lakes, and in Oregon there is none clearer then Clear Lake on the McKenzie pass in the Cascade mountains. Here, the DIR techniques are very valuable, as the bottom is very easily stirred up, being volcanic ash left over from eruptions centuries ago. If other divers are to enjoy the clarity, the previous divers should stay off the bottom and use the "perfect trim" techniques to avoid stirring up the silt.

What am I saying? Well, we need all the different tools in our diving repertoire. Sometimes "perfect trim" is necessary, or an advantage. Sometimes, however, this concept can be a detriment. Divers need training to use the correct technique for the situation. If you are trying to swim hard to catch a boat, or the hoist of a helicopter, you may not want to try a frog kick on the surface. But if you are enjoying the natural beauty of a wonderful place like Clear Lake, a frog kick is very appropriate.

SeaRat

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

One of my favourite videos... aspirational.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I really like the Wreck Diving in Sidemount Configuration video above. But two things are very obvious to me. First, this diver is operating in zero current, and second that this diver has support above (a boat, most probably) to help him with the gear.

I cannot imagine this kind of diving in my Clackamas River. This video will show some of the conditions I dive in. This is a long video, as it shows two dives with the activity of the lampreys spawning. While other videos show the lampreys moving rocks, I've not yet seen one that shows the actual spawning event. Because of that, and the fact that I wanted biologists to see the entire sequence of events, this is rather long. So you may or may not want to watch the whole video.


SeaRat