THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX

[Jafo19D]

Did a few dives this weekend in Cartagena and I thought about what what one of you mentioned about in certain situations being able to appreciate more by NOT being perfectly horizontal. On some walls I changed my position to be more vertical than normal and man I really got a better view than if I had kept my perfect trim.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Isnt the goal to but neither ceiling nor floor in a cave (if there is enough space)? Remembering from my initial cave training the challenge I had was to bring my head up and look up. Where I dive one mostly looks down to find small stuff.

First, I am NOT cave trained. But pulling opinions out of my backside tells me that it is easier to avoid hitting one's knees on the bottom due to the head position when not in perfect trim than not hitting the ceiling with the feet when in perfect trim.

Those who are cave trained, please correct me.

 

[ToneNQ]

Agree its a hoax. To me, perfect trim is being able to hold suitable positions, rather than one position. Sometimes in a wreck that is vertical, getting up or down through a hatch. Sometimes its horizontal. If you have your gear well set up you should be able to adjust your position and hold it (with little effort) until its no longer suitable. Also agree completely that walls and coral bombies are also underappreciated in horizontal trim. But it does seem to be best to be able to maintain horizontal trim during decompression stops, certainly from what I have read.

In an aircraft, at least the few hours I have, you use the trim adjustment to fly straight and level, that does not mean the aircraft is straight or level, rather it has the correct attitude for sustaining flight without constant correction by the pilot. Diving, to me, is no different.

I've done a bit of crater lake diving, very steep-sloped sides, soft silt and reduced visibility. Holding good trim in that lake is head down to descend and head up to ascend, trying to do it horizontal gets you far enough from the bank that its easy to lose sight of the line.

 

[Blackcrusader]

Did a few dives this weekend in Cartagena and I thought about what what one of you mentioned about in certain situations being able to appreciate more by NOT being perfectly horizontal. On some walls I changed my position to be more vertical than normal and man I really got a better view than if I had kept my perfect trim.

Actually all you did was change your trim to be better for the view you wanted. So in fact you went from a trim that was not allowing you to see as well. In my humble opinion

If you do that and also give yourself a couple of meters more distance to the wall you get to see a lot more than being close to it.

 

[ginti]

First, I am NOT cave trained. But pulling opinions out of my backside tells me that it is easier to avoid hitting one's knees on the bottom due to the head position when not in perfect trim than not hitting the ceiling with the feet when in perfect trim.

Those who are cave trained, please correct me.

Not sure, when you are in backmount you have the doubles on top of you, and an easy trick is just to relax the legs a bit (e.g. knee angle higher than 90°) - you are not going to hit the ceiling if you do so. If you are in sidemount, assuming you are using it because you need, then you don't have space for being inclined.

Anyway, in a cave the trim depends on the cave itself. If you are passing through an 'inclined' tunnel, you must follow the natural inclination; head down if you are going deeper, head up if you are going shallower. This actually happened during a GUE course. Use the right tool for the right job, period.

 

[Blackcrusader]

If all you want to do is hang in the water column, far from reef structures/bottom, fine. But, if you are like me and want to look for micro life, then there is a REQUIREMENT that you be able to maintain good horizontal trim, keeping body and fins from doing damage.

Yeah so people keep telling me as if I am a new diver. So when I am not looking for anything in particular sometimes I like to head a bit away from the reef wall as I can see more than being right next to it. Here's two of my regular dive buddies, a DM in the white shorts and the other diver an instructor I often dive with. I always bring my camera but often get opportunity shots like the one in the video. We are heading back to the house reef exit along the reef wall. Myself and instructor posers in pure horizontal trim.

 

[Ayisha]

...an easy trick is just to relax the legs a bit (e.g. knee angle higher than 90°) - you are not going to hit the ceiling if you do so.

Sure, because the idea of being in horizontal trim is for the fins to be in the slipstream of the body. It's one of the first diagrams in a GUE Fundies course.

The fins hanging out above the position of the head in supposed horizontal trim is another of the misconceptions in this thread. If someone's fins are in danger of hitting things above or below the slipstream of the diver's body/head, then the diver is not in proper horizontal trim. The angle of the legs will be different for different divers based on their centre of gravity, the length of their legs, and their comfort. So if a divers fins are too high and out of the slipstream, yeah, just lower them.

 

[ginti]

Sure, because the idea of being in horizontal trim is for the fins to be in the slipstream of the body. It's one of the first diagrams in a GUE Fundies course.

The fins hanging out above the position of the head in supposed horizontal trim is another of the misconceptions in this thread. If someone's fins are in danger of hitting things above or below the slipstream of the diver's body/head, then the diver is not in proper horizontal trim. The angle of the legs will be different for different divers based on their centre of gravity, the length of their legs, and their comfort. So if a divers fins are too high and out of the slipstream, yeah, just lower them.

Your explanation is way better than mine

 

[Ayisha]

Your explanation is way better than mine

Haha, yours is great. I'm long-winded but eventually get the idea out.

I just thought that we might as well address that idea that keeps popping up about fins hitting things above. That's no better than silting/damaging things below and isn't the way it should be taught.

 

[seeker242]

Blackcrusader--

As long as it's safe, doesn't impair your buoyancy control or navigation, doesn't bring you into contact with stuff we oughtn't touch, doesn't silt up the dive site, and doesn't preclude meeting your responsibilities to other divers, the relative positions of your head, hips, and feet on your recreational dive are nobody's business but your own.

I won't be following your practice, but I also won't look down on you for finding this way of adding enjoyment to your dives.

Have fun. It is a recreational activity.

I'm DIR thru and thru and virtually always stay in trim and I fully agree with that.

However, that also means it's just plain wrong to say always staying in trim is somehow wrong. Flat out wrong.