Question How to remain still

[ttc008]

I'm AOW with 40 dives. I use 1kg weight. I notice during my previous dives that when the DM points out interesting things to see tfor us they can remain very still, not kicking, entire body 30 degree upside down.

I try to get my body into the same position but find it impossible. It feels like if I don't kick, my feet will begin to drop and my body will eventually be in a vertical position, and if I kick, I will surely start to move forward or in other directions.

I did ask a DM once and he said I'll get there with more dives. I don't doubt that. But I still want to understand from a theoretical perspective what I need to do for my body to be in that still position and how I can practice that on future dives.

Thanks!

 

[Tigerpaw]

It's basically being properly weighted. If you're properly weighted your trim will be good and it will require very little to no movement. AND the more you dive the better you will be with your buoyancy. If possible have someone take video of you so you can actually see your positioning. Stay patient, your buoyancy, trim and other aspects of good diving will come. Good luck.

 

[TooCold]

Sounds like your trim needs adjustment. This can be moving lead, position of tank, using heavier/lighter fins, etc. to (more or less) align your centres of mass and buoyancy. Try searching for "trim" and/or "buoyancy", for example, this thread. The example is the problem of being head-down, not feet-down, but the principle is the same:
Fixing diver trim and weight placement
As a new diver the skills can improve with practice, but not if you're handicapped by your equipment configuration (which IMO your DMs or intructors) ought to have helped you with). Your goal is to adjust amount and position of weight so that you maintain your depth and horizontal trim while remaining motionless. Once you have that basic equipment configuraiton sorted pretty much everything else gets better/easier, including your air consumption.

 

[lowwall]

I try to get my body into the same position but find it impossible. It feels like if I don't kick, my feet will begin to drop and my body will eventually be in a vertical position, and if I kick, I will surely start to move forward or in other directions.

Thanks!

You are experiencing a trim issue. Divers mostly think of weighting in terms of the amount needed to achieve neutral bouyancy. But it's also important how that bouyancy is distributed across the body.

Think of a canoe. If your put your entire load towards the back, the bow will be riding high and the stern will be very low in the water. This causes a bunch of problems, so the prudent canoist distributes the load more evenly, both forward and aft and right and left.

Divers can also change their center of balance. The quick fix is to move lead around. If the feet are too low, get some lead off the weight belt or lower pocket and move it to a tank band or upper pocket.

If that won't do it, you need to take a closer look at all your gear. The normal reason for being feet heavy is using a standard BCD and carrying a lot of weight around your waist whether it's on a belt or in integrated pockets. But you mentioned you are only using 1 kg of lead, so that's not going to be a large contributor.

Are your fins very negative? The further a weight is from your desired center of mass, the greater the effect it will have, so heavy fins have an outsize influence.

 

[ttc008]

The normal reason for being feet heavy is using a standard BCD and carrying a lot of weight around your waist whether it's on a belt or in integrated pockets. But you mentioned you are only using 1 kg of lead, so that's not going to be a large contributor.

Thanks I will start to look at what adjustments to make to improve the trim. I don't have my own equipment and only ever rent from the diveshop that I dive with. So yes almost all the times I got a standard BCD, a weight belt and whatever fins they have. I also have a small build, 5'5/165cm and 130 ibs/60kg, maybe that explains the 1kg lead. If the belt is too tight around my wait it makes me uncomfortable, if it's not tight enough it tends to move towards my hip which might not be ideal either.

How should I approach this if everytime I'm going to a new place and a new diveshop ? Maybe try some small changes each time and eventually own my own equipment?

 

[happy-diver]

Maybe put it in the upper compartment of the jacket?

A most very excellent idea

 

[lowwall]

If you are renting equipment, you are pretty much limited to moving your lead weights around. I'd put the 1kg on your tank band and see if that helps. It won't be ditchable, but as it's only a kilo you should be able to swim it up easily even if your BCD fails.

I still have the question about your fins though. Most modern fins are pretty close to neutral and won't make much difference, but if for some reason they are giving you heavy rubber tech fins such as ScubaPro Jetfins you should ask for something lighter or start your equipment purchasing with fins.

If it's not the fins, consider a backplate and wing (BP/W) setup when you do decide to get your own gear. It seems like an aluminum plate will get you right on the weight you want and it's centered higher than a fabric BCD so should get you very close in trim as well.

 

[Badger7]

Don't discount tank position either. While aluminum tanks don't contribute much to negative bouyancy, the valve and first stage do. Next time, maybe try mounting the tank a couple inches higher on your BCD than you typically would, and see how that feels trim-wise.

The reason people tell you that trim "comes with time" is that body position also contributes. If you relax your upper body, put a little tension in your lower back, raise your head up, and extend your legs in line with your body, but bend the knees just a little less than 90 degrees as a "natural diving position" (its not, it won't feel natural at first, but eventually it can be second nature), that brings your center of gravity forward and helps prevent that slipping back to a vertical position - BUT - it won't fix a bad trim configuration, it will just help you dive slightly more efficiently given whatever configuration you're working with.

Finally, make sure the trim issues are what you think they are. Sometimes a person is actually head-heavy, not foot-heavy, but can find a sense of balance in a close to 45 degree trim. If you're just having a fun dive somewhere with someone you know, or can get back in a pool sometime, ask them to help nudge you into a horizontal trim. Make sure you adjust your BC first so you are totally neutral and don't need to fin to maintain bouyancy, this is much easier at 15' than 5' deep. They make you flat, you just stop moving entirely in as natural a position as you can muster. See whether you actually start tipping forward or backward, you might be surprised.

 

[kdlv]

Confidently stating that you dive with 1kg, means you frequently (if not always) dive the same conditions with similar gear.
I guarantee you that your DM is making very subtle fin movements or balancing with hands position when tilting his body down out of trim.

Also why bother putting a weight belt for 1kg, just attach it to the tank. I assume you dive with Alu tank. If that is the case, and towards an emtpy tank, you are still not struggling on the safety stop, you can even ditch the 1kg.

You always dive the same sea/ocean area? No wetsuit?

When I was proactively working on my trim, I was staying in shallow water on the beach, with just UV shirt shorts, and a steel 12l tank. This setup allows me to go in w/o weights. Then I was holding a stone and observing how moving it closer to the body or away affected my trim. Also position of hands makes a difference.

So... give it a try if you can go in without any weight, grab a stone or 1kg lead on a shallow dive, carry it with you and start experimenting. This will give you an indication where to position weights. Swimming pool will also work, ask your dive center to invite you when they are conducting trainings and just pick a corner of the pool and use the time.

Diving different rental fins everytime is also not optimal. Some are neutral, some are positive and this is a variable you cannot easily control while you are still not comfortable with your trim. Find yourself a model you like and is comfortable for you suits your diving conditions and start practicing with them.

 

[ttc008]

You always dive the same sea/ocean area? No wetsuit?

Yes I've only dived in SEA warm water condition. I used to use more weight (I think I was given 4kg during my OW course). On one trip in 2023 I was chatting with an instructor/dm on the boat and he said I could probably use only 2 or even 1kg, give it a try, and that leads to where I am now. Thanks for your advice.