Balanced buoyancy advice please

[Carlos Danger]

Try using some full-foot fins, and ditch the wetsuit. This will force you to lower your total weighting, and should help shift your buoyancy profile in the right direction. May even extend your bottom time.

 

[JamesK]

Try using some full-foot fins, and ditch the wetsuit. This will force you to lower your total weighting, and should help shift your buoyancy profile in the right direction. May even extend your bottom time.

Serious? You are recommending ditching exposure protection to deal with a trim issue?

 

[DevonDiver]

Serious? You are recommending ditching exposure protection to deal with a trim issue?

Masks are quite buoyant heh? He should ditch that also.... lovely trim...

 

[fjpatrum]

I think this may be the link you are talking about: Deep-Sea Sherpa » Horizontal Trim 101 – Levers

Don has a lot of good stuff on his site.

Yes, that's the one I was thinking about and named incorrectly...

 

[dkktsunami]

After you've tried all the suggestions about moving weight, try a pair of OMS Slipstreams. I had the same problem and these fins are neutrally buoyant. They are also inexpensive, maybe $80 appx. with simple straps.

 

[Frosty]

Thanks a million guys. To clarify -the issue is possibly entirely in my head in that I'm not finning foot down and its a slow drop of the feet when i'm at rest

 

[dkktsunami]

Practice by lying face down on the floor, hands in front, legs bent at the knees, a position similar to that of a skydiver.

 

[Mayor]

Head back, butt tight, feet flat! It's just that easy...lol. I watched videos and read everything I could but taking a guef or intro to tec class made all the difference in the world.

 

[Thalassamania]

Get the weight out of the BC and onto a belt that can be shifted anterior on your body.

 

[101recon]

Well, how is your posture? The bottom line for balance is body position -- head up, body flat from shoulders to knees, knees bent to the degree required by the configuration. If you drop your knees, you will tilt feet down, almost no matter what you do with your weights.

Two issues effect this:

1) Total weighting.

2) Distribution of weighting.

Trim weights on shoulder straps?

Get the weight out of the BC and onto a belt that can be shifted anterior on your body.

This worked very well for me. It's only 8 oz but I was impressed at the difference it made. It's about 7 inches farther out from my balance point than my cam band weights so less weight has more effect. It's just fishing weights and cave line. I've found several advantages.
1. I didn't want to move any more weight up from my pouches because I was very close, and moving 2 lbs up was too much.
2. I also didn't want to add any more weight than necessary to fix a distribution problem. My smallest dive weights are 1 lb so at least 2 lbs must be moved or added for both sides to remain balanced.
3. For some strange reason fishing lead is cheaper than diving lead. It also comes in more sizes. You can make any size weight you need.
4. They can be pushed through the loops on my shoulder straps and be removed or changed with little effort but are secure once in place. This works great for between dive fine tuning.
5. My back ain't the best in the world after 30 yrs of pushing steel. So proper diving posture could become painful after multiple dives or a hard work week. For me, the benefit of being relaxed has paid off in other aspects of diving as well. Mainly air consumption.

The negatives would be funny looks and answering "What is that?". I guess a small line could get caught up but if it hits you on the collar bone that's going to get you any way. I've never had them catch on anything.