How do you teach new divers to stay horizontal?

[The Chairman]

I described my method here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/new-divers-those-considering-diving/247173-proper-fit-bc.html

 

[SkipperJohn]

All this talk of getting horizontal... one of the tasks on my CW dive was to do that "float vertical eye level". Now, hovering is a skill I have not mastered. So it took me time & with each breath I would bob. This made getting the eye level thing a little tricky. Tricky = minutes. And there was nothing I could do to keep my feet below me for the amount of time it would take to get my eyes level with the surface. My feet wanted to get behind me or... if I fought it enough they would begin to float up in front of me.
It ended up being my most difficult task but staying horizontal was a snap (for my first and only dive to date!)

 

[The Chairman]

Well, the best way to deal with this is to get weighted and trimmed correctly first. Once weighted, staying horizontal is a snap.

 

[Bob Vincent]

Introduce them to the game "how little weight can you dive with". The winner is the person who can subtract the most from the weight they're diving now and still complete a dive.

That's a great idea with junior divers!

 

[Ana]

If the diver is not dragging equipment or limbs why horizontal?

 

[spectrum]

If the diver is not dragging equipment or limbs why horizontal?

Most likely you are traveling horizontally and a prone posture punches a smaller hole in the water and leads to the most efficient propulsion. Any other posture with generate a vertical force as you move forward and you will waste energy & air counteracting it.

Pete

 

[RJP]

...why horizontal?

Ask these guys...

 

[Ana]

Ask these guys...

I'm not sure I understand

 

[Tigerman]

I'm not sure I understand

Staying horizontal gives you less drag, which lowers your energy and air consumption..

 

[Ana]

Most likely you are traveling horizontally and a prone posture punches a smaller hole in the water and leads to the most efficient propulsion. Any other posture with generate a vertical force as you move forward and you will waste energy & air counteracting it.

Pete

who's talking about traveling horizontal? who's talking about traveling?

the original post...

I was diving with 4 new divers (2-jr ow) and kept trying to get them to stay horizontal, with their fins out of the sand. Inevitably, they turned head up when not swimming to "talk" underwater or just to rest.

How do I break them of this habit? On the debriefing, they said it just felt normal. I've tried to adjust their tank higher on their back, and they were diving weight integrated (too heavy, IMO) rental BC's.

Comments on BP/W are not necessary.