Getting Horizontal Trim

[thehotcorner]

I think you're better off redistributing weight to get your trim squared away instead of continuing to move the tank up. If you use a BP/W you can just thread some lead weights on the shoulder straps w/ some weight keepers. That's how I do it in single tank. I'm leg heavy, so I have 2lbs on each shoulder threaded through the harness. This trims me out nicely. If you dive a BCD you can use trim pockets around the shoulder straps. XS Scuba makes some.

Had thought about just adding weight pockets to the tank bands but threading them on the shoulder straps is a much better idea. Just added 1 lb on each shoulder, don't even feel them when I put the harness on. Will see how it works out tomorrow. Thanks.

Update: Trimmed out nicely. Even got to check myself out in the mirrors while swimming through the bathroom on the Kittiwake wreck.

 

[Locus]

I think you're better off redistributing weight to get your trim squared away instead of continuing to move the tank up. If you use a BP/W you can just thread some lead weights on the shoulder straps w/ some weight keepers. That's how I do it in single tank. I'm leg heavy, so I have 2lbs on each shoulder threaded through the harness. This trims me out nicely. If you dive a BCD you can use trim pockets around the shoulder straps. XS Scuba makes some.

Could I see a picture of how you have these? This might help me a lot as I'm still working out my weighting with my bpw and have yet to have a really comfortable dive with it. On my last dive I was very foot-heavy and my first stage was hitting me in the back of the head, so I need to move the tank down but this will exacerbate the foot problem. Maybe it would solve it if I moved a few lbs from my belt to my shoulders?

I am using a 6lbs ss bp with 8lbs integrated weight plates, 15lbs on a belt, 2lbs on each ankle, and an lp95. (The obvious first solution would be to take off the ankle weights, but the last time I dove without them I was completely inverted for my entire safety stop.)

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Lol, I just pulled them off to hook up my doubles.

Here's a picture, just need to use your imagination to visualize the strap going through the weight and keeper.

 

[Locus]

Thanks. What type of weights are those? I've only got the fatter bullet-style ones. I have curved ones too but they would be too heavy.

 

[Doc Harry]

I put 6 pounds in my upper cam band pockets and 2 pounds on my weight belt. That tips me very slightly head down, which is good for my photography - and the reef.

I don't like hitting my head on the first stage, so moving the tank isn't a smart option.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

They are just regular hard lead weights.

 

[DevonDiver]

Lol, I just pulled them off to hook up my doubles.

Here's a picture, just need to use your imagination to visualize the strap going through the weight and keeper.

Here's another method; especially useful for allowing in-water re-adjustment to fine tune the trim...

Simple Method for Adding Weight to a Sidemount Diving Harness

And some further resources on more general trim development:

Trim & Position | 5of9 | Scuba Buoyancy Masterclass

10 Tips to Attain a Better Horizontal Hover | Scuba Diving Techniques

 

[victorzamora]

Andy, that's a really cool method....I hadn't seen that before. The trick I've seen was to use two tri-slides for a travel-friendly shoulder weight. You take a piece of 2" webbing about 8 inches long and thread it through your tri-slides, placed about 4" apart on your shoulder, above your d-ring. The 8" piece goes in your "accessories" box. When you need to add weight, you thread a weight to the webbing, and thread the ends of the webbing onto the tri-slides on your shoulder. The double-thickness keeps them in place more securely. To travel, you remove the weight but keep the webbing, and replace the weight when you get there. Does that make sense, or do I just sound like a crazy person?

---------- Post added November 6th, 2013 at 10:04 AM ----------

Could I see a picture of how you have these? This might help me a lot as I'm still working out my weighting with my bpw and have yet to have a really comfortable dive with it. On my last dive I was very foot-heavy and my first stage was hitting me in the back of the head, so I need to move the tank down but this will exacerbate the foot problem. Maybe it would solve it if I moved a few lbs from my belt to my shoulders?

I am using a 6lbs ss bp with 8lbs integrated weight plates, 15lbs on a belt, 2lbs on each ankle, and an lp95. (The obvious first solution would be to take off the ankle weights, but the last time I dove without them I was completely inverted for my entire safety stop.)

Wait, what? You're consistently foot-heavy yet you still dive with 2# on each ankle?? Your trim shouldn't be THAT sensitive, 4# going from foot-heavy to completely inverted? That sounds like diver error. Are you diving a drysuit? Bubble-control could be at fault there, not the weights. What fins are you diving? Switching to Hollis F1's or Jet Fins might be in-between no weight and 4# of lead.

Also, are you sure you need that much weight?? You must be diving cold water in a drysuit with a LOT of undergarments on!! Even in a drysuit, I can dive a single steel with practically no lead on. With a SSBP, I would require no steel.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I've seen the bungie used for dialing in on the right amount of trim weight, but I'd be uncomfortable using it as a permanent method. Not saying you're advocating it for that, just putting it out there.

With respect to weighting, diving a full 7mm with a 7mm hooded jacket and LP104, I still need 30 lbs to sink and stay sunk off the coast of SoCal. I'm 6'3", 210lbs. It's a lot of wetsuit.

 

[Locus]

Wait, what? You're consistently foot-heavy yet you still dive with 2# on each ankle?? Your trim shouldn't be THAT sensitive, 4# going from foot-heavy to completely inverted? That sounds like diver error. Are you diving a drysuit? Bubble-control could be at fault there, not the weights. What fins are you diving? Switching to Hollis F1's or Jet Fins might be in-between no weight and 4# of lead.

Also, are you sure you need that much weight?? You must be diving cold water in a drysuit with a LOT of undergarments on!! Even in a drysuit, I can dive a single steel with practically no lead on. With a SSBP, I would require no steel.

I should have elaborated. The time I had the inversion problem was my first dive with a new bpw. In addition to not having ankle weights, I was underweighted overall, making me buoyant at my safety stop. Having difficulty staying down, I grabbed onto a rock, which anchored me to the bottom at the hand, tipping my feet straight above me, and that's how I spent my safety stop. There was definitely error on my part here, which I do not intend to repeat. In my successive dive, I added five lbs to my belt and put my ankle weights back on. This was the foot-heavy dive I referred to before.

Likely what I'll do next time is move my tank down and take the ankle weights from my ankles to my valve.

I dive a bilam dry suit with a high-loft thinsulate undersuit, a few thin base layers (soon to be upgraded to wool), and cressi spacefrog fins. I feel like the weight I'm using now is appropriate, but I'd rather err on the heavy side until I have more experience. Once I have a good handle on trim, etc I'll try taking a bit of weight off. That being said, I know a few highly experienced divers locally who use a comparable amount of lead or more.