Feet/legs sink-Buoyancy skills-proper weighting

[Granny Scuba]

My feet/legs sink.
At least I think they are sinking.

I did the drill where you enter the water with 500 psi, empty BC, and use as little weight as possible to descend. If you cant descend then you dont have enough weight, so you keep slowly adding weight in small increments until you can descend.

I couldnt sink with 6lbs, so I thought 8lbs was correct. But when I got to 15 feet I had to put a little air in my BC and (sorta kinda almost) was able to establish something that might come near to resembling neutral bouyancy.

One problem is that I have to kick to keep my feet and legs horizontal with my torso. If I dont kick then I cant stay horizontal.

Is this a weighting issue? a trim issue? I wear 5 mil boots

Could the fact that my feet and ankles are tiny in comparsion to my huge bottom and thighs be a contributing factor?

My husband can float at 15 feet without moving a muscle. He is as flat and still as if was laying on the ground. I want to be able to do this.

Thank you!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

This is a trim issue which can be solved by moving weight around on yourself/your rig.

Each person is different. Just start shifting weight in small increments around your rig. You are probably carrying all of your lead right near your hips. Move some of that weight to trim pockets higher on the BCD, weight pockets on your upper tank camband, or place a small weight on the tank valve.

I'll refrain from discussing how certain parts of your anatomy might be affecting your trim.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Your too heavy and need to drop a few pounds! When you see people diving in a legs down position they are too heavy! Head down too light! Level just right!

 

[TSandM]

I'm sorry, but I disagree with Papa Bear. It is quite possible to be properly weighted and still out of balance, and it is quite possible to be overweighted and perfectly balanced.

HERE are a couple of articles about weight and trim that might be helpful. Physics is inexorable, and if your weight is in the wrong place, there is no way you can remain horizontal and motionless. But note that part of your "weight" is your body posture, so it's critical to sorting this out that you get your body flat (no flexion at the hip joint) and your head up as well.

 

[Texasdivechick]

I have had the exact same problem and STILL after 140 dives have to work at getting my knees level with my shoulders in a horizontal position. I am very "bottom" heavy and wear 5 ml booties as well. What is working for me so far is to remember to keep my knees bent at 90 degrees, frog kick, and to move all of my weight off my waist and onto the trim pockets on my tank band. Yes, I am aware that this is all non-ditchable weight (4-8lbs, depending on wetsuit/ fresh vs. salt) but my trim is getting better. I'm sure I will get flamed for this but I would rather be trimmed out then have to worry about ditching 4 lbs of weight. I also arch my back slightly and practice, practice, practice on getting horizontal. My dive buddies and I have worked out hand signals to inquire if I'm dropping my knees or if I'm level. I ask once or twice throughout the dive and correct it if necessary. Also, I find that moving my arms out, hands clasped in front of me, acts as ballast. I don't always have to do this but it does help when I find that I'm slipping out of trim. It's not a skill that will develop overnight. I am still working on trying out different configurations that will make it easier, like using a steel tank, using a steel backplate, etc.. just to try to move all of the weight off my lower half and towards my head. I also use neutrally buoyant fins, though I'm not sure how much of a difference this makes. I tried different tank positions and discovered that moving the tank up about 1.5 inches helped, though now my head hits the tank valve occasionally. All of these experiments have taken place over the past 2 years and in a variety of conditions. Like I said, it doesn't happen overnight. I frequently go to a shallow rock quarry for the sole purpose of working on skills on a platform and trying out different gear to see what is working and what needs to change. Try to get neutrally buoyant without kicking and from there work on getting horizontal. For many people finding true, comfortable, and effortless neutral buoyancy doesn't happen until around 50 dives (it's marked in my log book for dive number 53- I was so excited that day- but until then it was always a lot of work to stay neutral). Don't give up!
Now I am able to remain motionless in a horizontal position for an infinite amount of time unless there is current or if I'm working on skills such as mask removal, then I have a tendency to revert back to a semi head up/feet down position. I'm still amazed that some of my dive buddies can do safety stops in current while perfectly trim and it looks effortless. It is my goal to be able to maintain my neutral buoyancy, horizontal trim whether there is current, task loading, or whatever depth I happen to be at in the water column. It's a work in progress. There is a lot of good advice on the board here about getting trim. Good luck and keep practicing! It will happen one day and I hope you mark it in your log book as an achievement that your worked hard to earn.

 

[annasea]

One problem is that I have to kick to keep my feet and legs horizontal with my torso. If I dont kick then I cant stay horizontal.

I had this problem, too. I found by moving most or all weight to my upper camband, I no longer go head up when I stop kicking. My overall trim still needs work though...

<snip> just to try to move all of the weight off my lower half and towards my head. I also use neutrally buoyant fins, though I'm not sure how much of a difference this makes. Now I am able to remain motionless in a horizontal position for an infinite amount of time unless there is current or if I'm working on skills such as mask removal, then I have a tendency to revert back to a head up/feet down position.

As I suffer from the same thing--light head, heavy feet--I'm hoping neutrally or positively buoyant fins will make a HUGE difference! I currently dive Jets with spring straps and am anxious to try a different fin in hopes of correcting my trim. Thanks for posting this Tdc!

 

[Granny Scuba]

Thank you.
The link referenced = &#8220;too head heavy&#8221;, &#8220;floaty feet&#8221;, &#8220;can&#8217;t stay trim&#8221;.

What is " too head heavy"

Is floaty feet more common that sinky legs?

I am not sure that I understand the idea about redistrubion of weight How could re-arranging the weight on my BC help me keep my feet up.

The diagram showing the legs bent upward at the knees and the back arched is very informative I will try to mimic this and keep my head up.

 

[Granny Scuba]

I had this problem, too. I found by moving most or all weight to my upper camband, I no longer go head up when I stop kicking. My overall trim still needs work though...As I suffer from the same thing--light head, heavy feet--I'm hoping neutrally or positively buoyant fins will make a HUGE difference! I currently dive Jets with spring straps and am anxious to try a different fin in hopes of correcting my trim. Thanks for posting this Tdc!

Is going head up the same as sinky legs? Or does going head up cause sinky legs?.
what exactly is "going head up"?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

"too head heavy" = head down/feet up (the opposite of what you are experiencing)
"going head up" = head up/feet down (consistent with what you are experiencing)

I'd say that sinky legs are probably more common than floaty feet.

Picture yourself in profile. Your center of gravity acts like the fulcrum of a teeter-totter (see-saw). With a teeter-totter, if you put more weight on one side, that side will go down, whereas the other side will go up. Basically, you need to move more weight from your hips up towards your head...in order to balance out your teeter-totter.

Hope this helps...

 

[annasea]

Is going head up the same as sinky legs? Or does going head up cause sinky legs?.
what exactly is "going head up"?

Basically, I believe my weight distribution is/was wrong which is what causes my top to be light and my bottom (feet) to drop.

What would happen is my trim would be OK as long as I kicked, but the minute I stopped, I would feel my head (top) rising and if I stayed motionless long enough, I would wind up in an almost vertical position--especially my torso and head. If I straightened my legs out (I like the frog kick so my knees are always bent), I'm sure I would wind up in a standing position.

The first thing I did to combat this was to push all/most of the weight as close to my head as possible. I dive a BP/W so it's easier to move the weight around. My trim has improved so I no longer rise up when I stop kicking, but it's far from horizontal.

As mentioned above, my next step is to ditch the negatively buoyant Jet fins and try a lighter fin. I'm hoping this will solve my trim issues. raying: