Are my fins too heavy? (Cressi Frog)

[freedc]

I've got 36 dives on me and I noticed that my buoyancy is getting very good, but trim still blows. I'm starting to realize that my fins -- Cressi Frogs -- may be too heavy. I've never tried other fins except occasional resort rentals (I should have paid closer attention to the make/model). Is that normal, that heavy fins will ruin trim because your feet sink?

My choices are to keep working on back-arching contortions or just get lighter fins. Or maybe I need to distribute my lead weight differently. These fins feel like beasts, but I don't have a good point of reference. I only dive about 5 or 6 times/year so I don't have a lot of chances to test gear. Suggestions are welcome.

 

[ScubaBB]

Try to put your bottle a little higher.

 

[CT Sean]

how much weight are you carrying and where?

 

[keesmon]

I use jet fins in my tropical setup and I ha the same problem. I moved more weight to the rear trim pockets and that put me in a much better position in the water. Your fins are only one part of the equation, so if you have the option of moving weight up and you like your fins, there should not be a reason to replace them. If you cannot move your weight up, then you may need to get lighter fins.

 

[emoreira]

I also have those Cressi Frog fins. I've been using them since my OWD course, back in 2007.
They are heavy, but not much heavier than any other normal open heel fin.
I've been using also other open heel fins in the practice pool of the scuba school and there is not much difference.
I think that your problem is not the fins, but some lead distribution.

 

[freedc]

OP here. In cold freshwater (two-piece 7mm) I wear 18 lbs on my belt and that's it for weight. Scubapro BCD has some heft to it but I'm diving standard AL80s. I try to keep the bottle high as I can without knocking my head on it. I figured the fins are so far from the pivot point that even slight weight changes there should matter so I'm surprised that nobody thinks I should try lighter fins. I guess I'll look into trim weights that i can get higher up.

Steve

 

[Dirty-Dog]

This is an oft-discussed topic here, and a bit of reading with the assist of the search function may be very enlightening.

There are tons of factors involved here, and the common advice to 'move your tank up' is not necessarily going to help. The bouyancy of your tank changes throughout the dive, and moving it up may simply mean you're putting more lift closer to your head.

You meantion the length of your legs (fulcrums) as possibly being part of the issue. Very true. Are you leaving your legs extended while hovering? Try extending your arms (counter levers, in this case) and bending your knees to bring your feet closer to your center of balance.

You can also (as has been mentioned) move weight around. Shift some from your belt to the trim pockets of your BC, or to the tank band.

And of course, it never hurts to try different gear. I also tend to have heavy feet. My XS Scuba (Jet-clones) made that worse. Changing to TUSA Tri-EX fins made a huge difference.

And trim can come from suprising places. I'm still the slightest bit foot heavy. Until I get my camera... My Sanyo Xacti in its Epoque housing and Epoque wide angle lens is just enough negatively bouyant to allow me to have near-perfect trim without any effort. When I add a dive light (my primary is a UK Light Canon) I have to bend my arms just a tiny bit to bring that weight in closer to my center.

Another consideration is just plain old experience. With less than 50 dives under your weight belt, I'd be suprised if you weren't still adjusting.

 

[CT Sean]

OP here. In cold freshwater (two-piece 7mm) I wear 18 lbs on my belt and that's it for weight. Scubapro BCD has some heft to it but I'm diving standard AL80s. I try to keep the bottle high as I can without knocking my head on it. I figured the fins are so far from the pivot point that even slight weight changes there should matter so I'm surprised that nobody thinks I should try lighter fins. I guess I'll look into trim weights that i can get higher up.

Steve

I carry similar weight and I put 6 lbs of it in pockets on my upper tank strap to avoid being "feet down" - and that's with a bp/w that's about 5lb negative. I would expect a neutral to slightly buoyant BC plus extra neoprene around your torso would amplify the problem

 

[freedc]

Many thanks, Dirty Dog and others who posted here. I have indeed been reading up on trim adjustments throughout the board and find it all helpful. My main question was about whether Cressi Frogs are heavier than typical open heels, to decide whether I should try obtain some that may be less negative before trying the other things like moving weight up front.

Since moving weight is relatively easy, I guess I'll try that first. And of course, practice, practice, practice.

 

[Shftrdog]

The Cressi Frog fins are acctually not that heavy of a fin in comparison. How much weight are you useing, most divers are over weighted which makes them be in the upright posision. The other thing you could do is put your tank a bit higher