Fin movement?

[rainman_02]

CD --

You just gotta dive. I've had my butt kicked so many tims in the classes I've been working toward Tech 1 level training with...take the butt kicking and learn and constantly work to get better...by fun diving! Taking a fun dive where you can just enjoy being underwater and picking one thing to work on is how I've gotten better over the last year.

For example: Arching the back / keeping the head pinned against the manifold. I work on this every dive and it's slowly becoming the "normal" body position for me. Fine tuning trim. It just takes time and more importantly the watchful eye of an instructor to make suggestions on where to move your rig's weighting to get really dialed in. And then it still takes a little tweaking.

Add in little practice sessions to your fun dives. Have a teammate simulate out of gas (discuss that it's going to happen prior to descending and then do the drill like it's a real part of your fun dive). Run line. It might even help out when somebody else silts out your dive site (not that I've *ever* been guilty of that...oh wait, I have). Add a valve drill to your 20' stop on every fun dive...especially if it's in blue water. Shoot a bag every dive, even by the anchor.

But most importantly: HAVE FUN DIVING! And the skills will come with time.

 

[PerroneFord]

I took Fundies in Jan '06. I had about 25 dives when I took it. I looked like I had a 3 dives. I did absolutely nothing right. Well, they did like my frog kick. A year later and I am helping mentor other divers. It comes with time. My advice:

1. Get out of the pool and go dive.

2. If you're going to practice, limit it to 45m to 1 hour.

3. Stop worrying about being motionless. Unless you plan on penetrating wrecks in a couple weeks, let it go.

4. You are absolutely LOSING the entire DIR concept in the "numbers' and in some crazy notion that you need to follow what someone wrote in some book or worse what you see on the internet. Buy a 7ft hose. It will NOT increase drag, and it will make your life infinitely simpler. Everyone I know tucks the hose into the waistband when they aren't using the can light. Buy a 24" SPG hose. 22" is too short for singles anyway. I have a 22" on my doubles and it's a "bit" short still but it works. If it makes you feel any better about the "motionless" thing, JJ wasn't motionless when I dove with him.

Relax dude.

 

[Carribeandiver]

Thanks PF, your words of encouragement are appreciated. One thing though. You took Fundies in Jan '06? Had only 25 dives at that time? Surely one or both of those numbers are typos, right?
I have a 7 foot hose, used it in the Fundies class. Switched to the 5 but that is too short. I am now like the 3 bears in Goldie Locks. This hose is too short, this hose is too long.....
I now have a whole closet full of hoses.

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

I could hover about 2-3 feet off the floor and didnt have "much" of a buoyancy problem but, using a single tank, kept fighting the roll and trying to stay stable in the water column.

Is your harness adjusted properly? It sounds like it might be a little loose still. A good-fitting harness will significantly reduce the roll you experience with a single tank setup.

My 5 foot hose is too short as it is very tight under my right arm so I am going to get a 6 foot hose. The 7 footer is too long and I hate tucking it in my waist strap as that feels out of place and contrary to the reduce drag, minimalistic ideals I am trying to achieve.

Personally, I would go back to the 7 foot hose and try to work with that for a while before deciding to go to something shorter. As with any new change in your gear config, you need to allow a period of adjustment to where everything is. In your case, you changed the whole config in one single 24 hour period, so I imagine things like a 7 foot hose will take a while for you to get used to. I'd dive it for 15-20 dives and then see how you feel after that before making a change.

My HP hose for the SPG is too short, I cant unhook it unless I struggle for 15 minutes and then I cant hook it back. Plus it is pulled tight just to reach the D ring. I am going to get a 24" hose for the SPG even if that is considered too long by GUE, maybe my trunk is long or something but the 22" hose is just too short.

As TSandM pointed out, the shorter HP hose does take some getting used to, and it does help to bring it over the top of your left arm, rather than pulling it from underneath. The hose needs to be just long enough to reach from the first stage to the hip D-ring - your torso length actually doesn't make that much difference here, as "stage to D-ring" distance is pretty close to a constant for all body sizes, assuming that the tank is positioned properly in the straps. It's also possible that your D-ring is a little too far forward. I have mine positioned so that when I fold it completely backwards, it just touches the backplate. I believe that's a little further back than what GUE recommends (which is mid-line of the torso), but it has never caused me any trouble.

If your tank and D-ring are positioned properly and the HP hose reaches (even if only "just"), then it is the right length, and there is no need to get a longer one.

I realize this will take time, patience and practice but it would be nice to at least see some progress.

"Patience and practice" are the keys - not everything will come to you all at once. It's also common for people to "plateau" for a bit before making progress (same thing happens with exercising). You just have to know that you will eventually get better, and find a way to work past it. Just take things slow, and don't worry about the "totality" of what lies ahead of you. Take "baby steps" - work on one skill at a time if you have to (for example, clipping/unclipping your SPG). After a while you will reach a point where you can do it without even thinking about it. Eventually, you will be able to do everything without thinking about it.

Thanks for the tips and encouragement, it is appreciated. The teamwork philosophy, willingness to help and incredible skills of the GUE DIR divers is what makes me stick with it. I may never get there, but coming close will still be a great accomplishment.

You're quite welcome, and thanks for not giving up, especially after such a difficult start. In spite of what people say about DIR divers, I have found them to be some of the most helpful and forthcoming when it comes to assistance and encouragement on gear and skills. This all comes from the "team mentality" and wanting to make the team stronger by helping to raise the skill levels of the individual divers. Please do not hesitate to tap into that by asking questions - we are always willing to provide answers.