Help with trim - Heavy legs

[scuba_moron]

Hello

I need advice on achieving prefect trim. I have long, dense legs, and short torso. I can only hold a good trim for so long before my knees begins to drop.

I am currently diving cold water using a single XP100 steel tank, 7mm suit, 5 lbs plate, and 2 1/2 lbs of lead attached to spine/cutout of my plate - no canister light attached. There is really nothing more I can do move weight forward.

Will a dry suit help to make those legs more buoyant?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[ScubaSteve]

My first question is are your legs extended or do you fin with your knees bent? Each will affect your position in the water differently.

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[jeckyll]

What type of fins are you using. Turtles / Jets are negative by over 2 lbs and may not help your trim in this situation (despite what they may enable you to do in terms of your kicks). If you're stretching out your legs this would make the issue more severe of course.

Also, are you interested in the DIR answer to this problem, or was this just the 'best location' to get help with a trim problem

 

[scuba_moron]

My first question is are your legs extended or do you fin with your knees bent? Each will affect your position in the water differently.

Posted via Mobile Device

My legs are not extended all the way out in that it would take me out of position. Yes, the tip of my fins will drop slightly along with my knees when I begin to tired.

 

[scuba_moron]

What type of fins are you using. Turtles / Jets are negative by over 2 lbs and may not help your trim in this situation (despite what they may enable you to do in terms of your kicks). If you're stretching out your legs this would make the issue more severe of course.

Also, are you interested in the DIR answer to this problem, or was this just the 'best location' to get help with a trim problem

I'm using paddle fins - Mares Avanti Quattro. I forgo Jets because they're more negative.

So what's the DIR answer? I think I'm setting myself up for this one.

 

[Scooby2153]

Buy a dry suit!!!

 

[masterof0]

How is a drysuit going to help? even if you trap air in the feet, as soon as he moves to a heads-up position, the air will migrate to the head negating the lift on the feet.

 

[TSandM]

I'm a little confused . . . are your legs heavy, or are the muscles you use to hold proper trim position weak? If you can get into good position and balance but simply can't hold it because you fatigue, the answer is some gym work and a lot of diving. Moving weight around, changing fins or buying a drysuit are answers to a problem where you can't achieve balance -- but you are going to have to stay in trim position even after you change those things.

 

[Gombessa]

How much weight is on your weightbelt? Most people need much more than 7.5lb with a 7mm wetsuit.

Things that you can try:

Use a weighted STA.
Use cam band trim weights instead of a channel weight.
Wear your weight belt as high up on your torso as possible.
If your plate has multiple sets of center holes, use the higher ones.
If your wing has multiple sets of holes,use the lower ones.
Adjust your harness to place your plate higher on your back.
Hold your feet closer to your butt.
Hold your arms back closer to your chest.

Importantly, make sure that you're actually foot-heavy - get into a horizontal position and freeze - don't fin or scull. See if you tilt onto your feet or onto your head. If you put yourself in a 15-20 degree head-down position, where do you tip? More than half the time, people who complain about their legs getting tired or being too foot-heavy are actually head-heavy, and need to force themselves into a foot-down position to compensate. That makes getting your legs up pretty hard.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Try diving with your legs bent at the knee and and kicking by moving your ankle. I am not describing it correctly but this will bring the center of gravity into you and hopefully offset it enough so you can remain horizontal.