First dive in 20 years with BCD and weight belt

[MB NZ]

I'm on holiday, went diving yesterday just because I could. It's the first time in a very long while that I've used rental gear and the first dive in 20 years that I've used a jacket BCD and a weight belt.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with a jacket BCD, they are just not my preference. During the first dive, getting good trim took a big effort. Kit was already setup. Camband was too high on the cylinder and as is often the case with aluminium cylinders, I find them base heavy (opposite with steel). The effect was to pull me upright in the water. I've always said you can trim anything with enough effort and I did put the effort in. Arched my back to the point that it was quite sore after a short dive! I usually dive with a BPW which is nicely balanced to the point that I don't have to think about trim, it just happens.

On subsequent dives, unable to move weight higher up the rig, I resorted to moving the camband down the cylinder to the point that the first stage was touching the top of my head. By the last dive of the day, it felt about right in terms of trim.

So what's the point of this ramble? Do new divers think about trim? Are they taught about making minor adjustments to kit to get it right? Do dive operators think about it? My opinion is that trim is very important and has a significant impact on buoyancy control and gas consumption. Poor trim contributes to inexperienced divers having a less than wonderful time underwater.

 

[Brett Hatch]

Yeah, the obvious solution here is to put all new divers in a backplate, and take this great course called GUE Fundamentals.



Just kidding. Yeah, I didn't learn about trim in my OW course, or my AOW course for that matter. I picked it up through other divers, and got quite a few tips here on ScubaBoard. My AOW course did put some emphasis on buoyancy control, which is difficult to achieve without decent trim, but the concept of trim was not introduced to me through the course.

There are a number of threads on ScubaBoard regarding teaching students good trim and good buoyancy from the very start. Some advocates for this also advocate for a backplate instead of a jacket. Both are kind of a perennial topic here on SB. I'm not an instructor, and I have not learned using that method, so I won't opine as to whether it works better or worse. But it passes the smell test to me, at least.

After getting some experience as a diver, I really do appreciate the difference between having good trim, and having junky trim. Whenever I dive with new equipment, or in different exposure gear, I'll spend half a dive or so doing trial and error, moving lead around to different locations until I find it easy to get into and maintain good trim. If I were smarter, maybe I would jot down my findings, rather than my current strategy of simply remembering what I did last time under similar circumstances.

Cheers

 

[dmaziuk]

My wife started with clip-on "bullet" weights on chest D-rings and now had DGX trim pouches riveted to her shoulder straps. (I tried to convince her they work just as well on the camband but she wouldn't bulge.) So, yeah... trim pockets. Always bring a couple.

 

[grantmac]

Taking some weight off the belt and throw it on the cam band really helps.
But a jacket will never be great.

 

[LI-er]

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with a jacket BCD,

Of course there's nothing inherently wrong with a jacket BCD, which is why (in my estimate) over 90% of divers use them and they are probably close to 100% of what is offered with a rental gear package. Why would you feel the need to state that you don't think there's anything wrong with a jacket BCD?

 

[DiveProKoko]

So what's the point of this ramble? Do new divers think about trim? Are they taught about making minor adjustments to kit to get it right? Do dive operators think about it? My opinion is that trim is very important and has a significant impact on buoyancy control and gas consumption. Poor trim contributes to inexperienced divers having a less than wonderful time underwater.

Our OW course is broken up into 6 class/pool nights. I start them in a "diver position" (best they can) on night one and by night three after learning basic skills, we're discussing trim and working on it during their "free time" in the pool at the end of each class thereafter to work on skills. But to answer your question ....it's in the curriculum, but it depends on the instructor how much they are taught on it.

 

[wlecyt40]

My BCD of choice is the Aqualung Rogue. I use aluminum 100's and my trim is usually spot on. My heavier weight is low on my waist and in front. I have light trim pocket weight which is located on the BCD's back plate and high up. The only time I ever had trouble with trim was using steel 122's in Truk. I figured it out but took two or three dives.

 

[brsnow]

If you spent 20 years with a jacket weight belt, you might have felt awkward in a BP/w.

 

[MB NZ]

Why would you feel the need to state that you don't think there's anything wrong with a jacket BCD?

Because I dive with a BPW, there might be an assumption by the more sensitive members of the community that I have a problem with a jacket BCD.

 

[MacDuyver]

So what's the point of this ramble? (1) Do new divers think about trim? (2) Are they taught about making minor adjustments to kit to get it right? (3) Do dive operators think about it? (4)My opinion is that trim is very important and has a significant impact on buoyancy control and gas consumption. Poor trim contributes to inexperienced divers having a less than wonderful time underwater.

1. No. No they don’t. Like at all.
2. Possibly, instructor dependent.
3. See #2
4. Massively important. Flat and happy is the way to dive. I had no idea i had issues till a dive guide showed me a video. Your average holiday/vacay diver doesn’t really spend enough time in the water to know they should be concerned about their trim though.

I’m actually on holiday right now and this is exactly why I packed my BPW.