Hover problems

[BreatheDeep]

Hi there i have a problem which i hope someone can help me with.
I practiced in a pool tonight and found that my hovering has gone to pot.
I could get neutral but could not stay upright in the water.
When i maintained neutrality i started to tilt to the left(pivoting around my centre) until i found myself horizontal on my side.
Last time i did this in OW i got it licked,no tilt fairly motionless up/down.
This time i just could not stay upright.
I have no idea what was different this time,my only different feeling was the bc was slightly looser than previously.
Any suggestions or insights?
Cheers Andy

 

[Hank658]

Hello Andy and welcome to the Board!

Good plan on continuing to work on your skills. With diving, the only way to get better is practice, and even better if you can practice with others such as DM's Instructors or other advanced divers. Not to put anyone on a pedestal, but those who either have advanced certifications, or those who have been diving for a hundred years, would have a good bag of tricks to share with you regarding nailing down you skills.
That being said, a couple of thoughts and questions come to mind when reading your post:
You mention that the BC felt looser. Same BC? If not, you will find that different BCs will inflate with air distributed slightly differently, which can affect your trim.
Weights- were you using the same amount, and in the same spots? Moving weight around will also affect your trim. If one BC has trim pockets near the tank and another BC does not that movement of weight away from the back can throw you off.
Something else to think about- you mention being upright. I know some agencies show/teach this way of achieving neutral buoyancy but if you look at most divers, whether in photos or in your own dives, you will see that most are hovering in a horizontal position, chest down. This is a more natural position for hovering over a reef or wreck, allowing you to get a better look at what's on the reef or wreck. This skill will be invaluable if you want to take photos. Hovering motionless over a reef with a camera, waiting for the little critter to smile for you.

Hope this helps a bit. If any of this needs a bit more explanation, please let me know.

Safe diving,

Hank

 

[BreatheDeep]

Hi Hank thanks for the welcome.
In answer to your questions,It was a totally different bc.All the bc's i have used had no integrated weights.I was diving with 10lbs this time in pool water,positioned just above my hips.All my other dives i have worn 12-14lbs in the same places(pool and sea).
I tried to hover horizontally and found myself rolling over to the left,it doesnt seem to be a problem achieving neutral bouyancy,just staying in the starting position.
It is viable to position weights unevenly left to right to overcome this?

 

[24940]

Were you diving a back inflate BC?

 

[BreatheDeep]

No i was diving a jacket style bc.
By a back inflate do you mean wing style?

 

[Hank658]

OK, so weights on a belt, I'm guessing?

Why did you drop down in the weight you were using? Different exposure suit or just trying to shave down the amount of weight you carry?

You mentioned the BC feeling looser. A loose BC can allow the tank to slip a bit to your left or right, not keeping it centered on your back. Even that small movement can be enough to roll you around.

I would suggest trying to get the BC fit down nice and snug. Less BC slop will keep the tank where it's supposed to be.
You should not need to weight yourself unevenly. Keep the weights even on both sides, and keep them in the same place on your body: that means if the center of the weight on your right side is directly over your hipbone ensure that the left side weight is in the same spot.
You might also want to experiment with different types of BCs. Jackets, back inflates, and back plate/wing all behave a little different from each other.

H.

Hi Hank thanks for the welcome.
In answer to your questions,It was a totally different bc.All the bc's i have used had no integrated weights.I was diving with 10lbs this time in pool water,positioned just above my hips.All my other dives i have worn 12-14lbs in the same places(pool and sea).
I tried to hover horizontally and found myself rolling over to the left,it doesnt seem to be a problem achieving neutral bouyancy,just staying in the starting position.
It is viable to position weights unevenly left to right to overcome this?

 

[bfisher]

Hi Hank thanks for the welcome.
In answer to your questions,It was a totally different bc.All the bc's i have used had no integrated weights.I was diving with 10lbs this time in pool water,positioned just above my hips.All my other dives i have worn 12-14lbs in the same places(pool and sea).
I tried to hover horizontally and found myself rolling over to the left,it doesnt seem to be a problem achieving neutral bouyancy,just staying in the starting position.
It is viable to position weights unevenly left to right to overcome this?

You bring up a good point about using different weight on each side. I never gave it much thought, but now that I think about it it makes sense. The inflator hose is on one side which makes that side heavier. Anything in the left side pocket? I don't know if the inflator and it's hose weigh a pound but possibly shifting one pound to the right side might help.

Also, you said the BC was a little loose? This may have left it shift so the tank was off-center to the left. This will definitely give you a tilt. That one I know about.

 

[BreatheDeep]

Many thanks Hank.
I am going to go to the LDS tommorrow and see what is available in bc's.
I have been doing some reading here and it seems like i will get nowhere with problem until i have a constant,in the bc i am using,and then experiment placing the weight in different places.
I dropped down in weight on the suggestion of the DM i buddied up with.I must say it did leave me slightly too positive at the end of the dive.
I think,from the suggestions here and in other threads,i will buy a bc and experiment to get my weighting spot on.
I feel using rentals is just going to infuriate me with a different dive experience every time.

 

[RonFrank]

The inflator should not throw you off balance. I would suggest that the weight be distributed evenly. I wear my weight more towards the back when I dive a BP/W, and distribute the weight evenly when diving my Stiletto putting some in the back pockets next to the tank, and the remainder in the two front pockets.

You are not having hovering issues, you are having trim issues. I generally attain trim in a horz position rather than vertical. However one should be able to do either.

Try moving the weights around and see if it helps.

 

[BreatheDeep]

All the pockets in the bc were empty but the more i think about it,the more convinced i am the bc was at fault.
I remember pulling the bc down quite a few times to clear my head from the first stage and the feeling of the bc floating off when vertical in the water.
I had to fight hard to keep myself from listing to the left when swimming along horizontally.
Could water in one side of the bc be enough to throw me this far off balance?
Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread.