Hovering and weight issues

[loo-loo63]

I am in the middle of my DM course and can do all the skills but am struggling with the hover. I can do it flat, but as soon as I try to do it in an upright position, my tank takes me over backways. I can't move weight around as I am negatively buoyant in a full 3mm wetsuit without any weight. In fact I need a new BCD as I can't float at present on the surface with my current BCD full of air without finning! not quite sure what my body is made of - lead maybe!

Anyone have any suggestions?

I know I can pass my course by using the flat position, but I would like to be able to do it upright too!

 

[markfm]

I tend to either cross my legs, hold the fin tips, else curl up into a "cannonball", arms tucked under my bent knees.

If you're practicing this shallow you may get into the problem with differential pressure, the air expanding more if your head/shoulders are above the point where you were neutral when horizontal.

 

[loo-loo63]

Am practising in the pool at about 12ft. The Instructor just makes it look easy, but as soon as my feet lift - I tip over backways.

I have done it horizontal in open water as in a free ascent safety stop, but really want to be able to do it upright, in particular as I want to contiue to instructor and it would be easier for assisting and demo if I can do this.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Vertical hover?

 

[mislav]

I am negatively buoyant in a full 3mm wetsuit without any weight.

Wow! Really?

Regarding your question - if you can get a hold of Alu tanks instead of Steel tanks, this might help a lot with both being too heavy and balance. Otherwise, what Mark said.

 

[spectrum]

Some body/gear configurations just will not balance. What are you using for a cylinder? Swapping that may be a balance point unless you consider it to be cheating.

Pete

 

[Joe-Diver]

As soon as your feet lift.....maybe some light ankle weights to trim you out?

 

[SparticleBrane]

^ Equipment solution to a technique issue.

 

[Meng_Tze]

A solution nevertheless.

 

[Steve R]

Vertical hover?

A common neutral buoyancy position/orientation found in some agency classes. I know my Padi class used it quite extensively in our OW classes, showed it in books and the video as well, as the way I understand they would have you do it. As it was relayed to me, I really didn't know there was any other way to do it for many years.

It was also used and demonstrated in my DM and IDC/IE classes, which given the candidates were from a variety of stores in and around our province, it seems to me it has become the defacto standard at large.

Glad I could be of service to you my friend


:no

For the OP, I too had the same problem with my verticle hover. My solution was to stop doing it that way.

Mind you if you're truly negatively buoyant with a full BC, I think you sholdn't be wasting any time on getting vertically trimmed with that set-up, as it's wrong from the get-go and the exercise is pointless.