I may be echoing some earlier comments. If so, apologies for redundancy. But, your description of your issue sounds familiar.
Some thoughts:
1. I think that MichaelMc's post (#33) is a great resource.
2. As noted in another current thread (Horrible Divers Everywhere?), TOTAL weight is only one part of the process of optimizing weighting. The other part is DISTRIBUTION. Now, which comes first? I suggest that optimizing TOTAL weighting is the more logical first step, then optimizing DISTRIBUTION of that weight is the next step. But, they go hand-in-hand. The first without the second is not as functional as optimizing both. Yes, there are times when you will want to be in a position that is something other than horizontal. But, if your total weight AND weight distribution are both optimized, then you can move into almost any position underwater. So, don't accept optimal total weighting by itself as the 'be all, end all'. It is not.
3. You made a telling (about your weight distribution) comment: 'What I'm trying to figure out is why I'm rotating to the vertical when I stop moving in the water ... anytime I attempt to . . . '. If that is happening, you are NOT properly weighted - you may have the proper TOTAL amount, but your weight distribution is not optimal. You are correcting for that lack of optimal distribution by your finning. Don't feel bad, you are not alone - lots of divers do this, and then wonder the same thing - 'why do I move to a vertical orientation when I stop finning?' You need to move weight 'up', toward your head. Moving the cylinder is one approach. But, if you have moved the cylinder up so much that the regulator is touching the back of your head, you need to try something else. It might be something as simple as taking ~1.5 - 3 lbs off your waist, and putting a 1-2 of ankle weights around the valve on your cylinder.
4. Achieving good horizontal trim can be a challenge, because (at first) it may not feel right. I tell divers - if you feel like you are horizontal, you are probably slightly (e.g. 10 degrees +) 'head up'. If you feel like you are slightly 'head down', you are probably in good horizontal trim.
5. The 'proper breathing' question is a good one. Yes, don't hold you breath. My recommendation to students is, 'Breathe fully - deep - and breathe slowly. You will see a transient effect of the full inhalation breath, which is then offset by the full exhalation.
Some thoughts:
1. I think that MichaelMc's post (#33) is a great resource.
2. As noted in another current thread (Horrible Divers Everywhere?), TOTAL weight is only one part of the process of optimizing weighting. The other part is DISTRIBUTION. Now, which comes first? I suggest that optimizing TOTAL weighting is the more logical first step, then optimizing DISTRIBUTION of that weight is the next step. But, they go hand-in-hand. The first without the second is not as functional as optimizing both. Yes, there are times when you will want to be in a position that is something other than horizontal. But, if your total weight AND weight distribution are both optimized, then you can move into almost any position underwater. So, don't accept optimal total weighting by itself as the 'be all, end all'. It is not.
3. You made a telling (about your weight distribution) comment: 'What I'm trying to figure out is why I'm rotating to the vertical when I stop moving in the water ... anytime I attempt to . . . '. If that is happening, you are NOT properly weighted - you may have the proper TOTAL amount, but your weight distribution is not optimal. You are correcting for that lack of optimal distribution by your finning. Don't feel bad, you are not alone - lots of divers do this, and then wonder the same thing - 'why do I move to a vertical orientation when I stop finning?' You need to move weight 'up', toward your head. Moving the cylinder is one approach. But, if you have moved the cylinder up so much that the regulator is touching the back of your head, you need to try something else. It might be something as simple as taking ~1.5 - 3 lbs off your waist, and putting a 1-2 of ankle weights around the valve on your cylinder.
4. Achieving good horizontal trim can be a challenge, because (at first) it may not feel right. I tell divers - if you feel like you are horizontal, you are probably slightly (e.g. 10 degrees +) 'head up'. If you feel like you are slightly 'head down', you are probably in good horizontal trim.
5. The 'proper breathing' question is a good one. Yes, don't hold you breath. My recommendation to students is, 'Breathe fully - deep - and breathe slowly. You will see a transient effect of the full inhalation breath, which is then offset by the full exhalation.
