ankle weights/floaty feet

[pengwe]

Hi all, I am a pretty new diver, and wasn't sure whether post this here or in the new divers section. I hope this is OK.

Since reading here about the importance of trim, and buoyancy control, I've been practising on my last few dives. I've found that if I stop moving in the water, my feet swing up, and I roll over on my back, so I end up J - shaped in the water. By moving most of the weight to the front of my weight belt, I don't turn turtle any more, but my feet still want to go up. I've read some posts here that say that ankle weights are unnecessary, it's a matter of developing the right skills. Can anyone describe what kind things I can do to make my feet stay down? I can force them down, especially when I'm swimming, but I would like to be able to hover, relaxed, in the water, if that's possible.

I usually dive with a 7mm twopiece wetsuit, a steel tank, and 15 lbs on a weight belt.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Jcsgt]

You might check to see if your fins are buoyant. Mine are, slightly, but like to go a bit head down, anyway, to look under things and photograph.

 

[Jake]

It's hard to say what's "unnecessary". Pick up some $20-30 ankle weights, use them for a while until you get other skills mastered, and then try dropping them. You'll probably wanna keep them anyway if you ever try a drysuit.

As Jcsgt mentions, you might also want to find neutral or negatively bouyant fins if yours are positively.

Good luck.

 

[Kwbyron]

I dive dry, and my feet are always a little floaty. Try shifting your belt down maybe once you are in the water? I would move mine up and down as I dove to get the trim I wanted. I dove with a 3mm last week and had the opposite problem, just used to having a little bouncy in my feet, I only made one dive, so I didn't try moving weights up to my cam straps.

 

[Diver0001]

Hi all, I am a pretty new diver, and wasn't sure whether post this here or in the new divers section. I hope this is OK.

Since reading here about the importance of trim, and buoyancy control, I've been practising on my last few dives. I've found that if I stop moving in the water, my feet swing up, and I roll over on my back, so I end up J - shaped in the water. By moving most of the weight to the front of my weight belt, I don't turn turtle any more, but my feet still want to go up. I've read some posts here that say that ankle weights are unnecessary, it's a matter of developing the right skills. Can anyone describe what kind things I can do to make my feet stay down? I can force them down, especially when I'm swimming, but I would like to be able to hover, relaxed, in the water, if that's possible.

I usually dive with a 7mm twopiece wetsuit, a steel tank, and 15 lbs on a weight belt.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Steel tanks move your center of gravity quite a bit forward/up. What you can do to eliminate your floaty feet without using ankle weights is to buy a separate cam band (tank band) and attach a 1 or 2 kg weight to the lower part of your tank on the outside. That will allow you to move some weight off your weightbelt and get it down to where it's tilting you back to horizontal again.

Using a cam-band for this is handy because you can move it up and down to get the exact right position. Do *not* use a weightbelt to attach weights to your tank like this. It will fall off.

I personally prefer this to using ankle weights because it makes finning feel lighter.

Try that first. The second thing to try is to hold your knees bent. That effectively shortens up your legs relative to your fulcrum point and reduces the upward force of your floaty feet.

R..

 

[skinnydogdives]

check out my avatar if this is how you feel in the water dont worry about it its probably the booties you wear mine are 5mm and my fins are slightly bouyant too it keeps your feet away from the delicate coral and reef when your watching things as soon as you start to swim again you will automatically come horizontal.

 

[trigfunctions]

I had the same problem until I ditched my thick, bouyant booties. Since then, no problems.

 

[Taxgeek]

Yup, my thick booties do that too.

Another (funny) problem I have with my 5 mil suit. My throat is kinda sensitive, so I cut the neck down to it's not like a turtleneck anymore, more like a crew neck t-shirt. Well, in some positions, my exhaled bubbles can get inside there. If I'm wearing booties, the bubbles can't get out my ankles, so they end up in the booties . . . and pretty soon it gets comical. Luckily I don't wear that wetsuit anymore so it's not a big deal.

 

[SNorman]

I had some trouble with some air pooling a bit in my ankles in a dry suit. I would usually try to get slightly head-up with my feet down long enough to move the bubble up to my chest and I'd be OK for a little while. It does kinda suck when you sit still and your feet start floating up.

 

[Ron Brandt]

check out my avatar if this is how you feel in the water dont worry about it its probably the booties you wear mine are 5mm and my fins are slightly bouyant too it keeps your feet away from the delicate coral and reef when your watching things as soon as you start to swim again you will automatically come horizontal.

The Kick in thae avatar is a great style.
I switched a guy's wife over to a rubber fin and her problem was gone. I sold her a pair of Promate/Saekodive 2037's. Not quite dir but a very good rubber sport diver fin.

Ron