Improving position in water

[RLarsen]

I'm looking for advice on how I can improve my position in the water. On my last dive I had a intermittent problem with feet/fins floating up above me. I've been trying to fine tune my weight and have been reducing it. On my second-to-last dive, because of greatly reduced weight, my buoyancy and movement in the water was great. For my last dive ( practicing in a pool ) I switched from a 7mm to a 3mm full suit ( with 7 mm boots )and reduced my weight from 18 to 16 lbs. I used 6lbs per side for a total of 12lbs in my rear inflate Chute lll BC, and 4 lbs in the rear non-dump pockets. I'd like to prevent the problem, improve my position in the water, and avoid ankle weights. Will adjusting the trim weights help. Please advise.
Rex

 

[Diver0001]

There are a few things to consider:

- how much weight do you need?

- where does it need to be?

- which body position to assume?

I won't talk about how much. It sounds like you know that part

The "where" is more interesting. You can move weight lower down on your body to move your feet down. You might, for example take 2-4 pounds of weight and put it on the tank. To do this you need to put the weight on a cam band to attach it to the tank. Putting it low on the tank will push your hips down. Sliding it up a little higher will reduce the effect etc. The weight becomes unditchable but the technique works like a charm.

You can get a similar, but not so pronounced, effect by moving some weight out of the integrated pockets on the bcd onto a weightbelt.

It's good to try avoiding ankle weights if you can. It increases the work you need to put into swimming which is what you don't want. You could, however, swap out your rubber fin straps for metal "spring" straps to get a slight ankle effect (150-200 grams or so) without the heavy feeling you get from ankle weights. This will also improve the robustness of your fin straps.

The last bit is about body position. If your legs are moving up (positive) then bend your knees. This effectively shortens your legs and reduces the torque they're applying to the bottom 1/2 of your body. If that's not enough all by itself then you can push your hips down even more by holling your back (ie. chest out -- opposite of arching). This will move your hips down again when your legs start to float without the need for finning or flapping around.

the rest of what you need is to just experiement with ideas like these. Get a buddy to watch you in the water and give you suggestions.

good luck.

R..

 

[simbrooks]

For my last dive ( practicing in a pool ) I switched from a 7mm to a 3mm full suit ( with 7 mm boots )and reduced my weight from 18 to 16 lbs. I used 6lbs per side for a total of 12lbs in my rear inflate Chute lll BC, and 4 lbs in the rear non-dump pockets.

Diver0001 covered the basics of where to put weight, you have a centre of gravity and buoyancy, you have various articles of equipment or body parts located various distances from these centres - move your weight around to compensate and give more or less lever arm to these weights. Now i will question if 16# was a bit much for a 3mm suit, also that only dropping 2# from a 7mm to a 3mm is not what you might expect - probably nearer 4-8# drop between the two suits.

When you say your feet were going up, was this a perception or did someone diving with you in the pool notice this? When you first get into a horizontal trim position it does sometimes feel very foot light and head heavy, but in reality it isnt, try to see by getting close to the bottom and descend down to see where you touch first (chest, buckle or knees) to work that out - a slight arch of the back will help keep your feet up without being too high and the rest of your body down, the bent knees and arm placement also help adjust that trim particularly as your tank empties.

 

[Wildcard]

I assume your back weights are near the top of your BC? I was having the same problem getting trimed right untill I droped 4 more pounds out of those pockets. 2lbs in each and four in the dump pockest with a full length 3mil suit. Working much better but Im still thinking of adding pockets or straps near the hips and moving them down there, the back weights that is. The quick way to try this is with a weight belt. Put 6 or so on it and 8 in your dump pockets and see what happens. Good luck!

 

[RLarsen]

I can't thank you enough for your advice.
When I first experimented with reducing a lot of weight I was thrilled with the improvement in Buoyancy. Everything got so much better and so I thought I'd try removing a little more weight. The one variable that changed was the lighter gauge wetsuit I was trying for the first time. In a couple days I leave for Cozumel and my first time doing a week of big-time diving. I've visited the pool a few times to practice everything and become even more comfortable with my gear. The thing that concerns me the most is doing quality safety stops with good buoyancy control. What I've been told and experienced is that neutral buoyancy at shallow depths is the most difficult. Aluminum tanks with less air seem to add to the challenge. I know nothing beats experience so I hope a week full of diving will help me to take my skills to the next level. I'll use your advice to improve my position in the water and hopefully fine tune weighting to increase my confidence in well-controlled safety stops.
Thanks,
Rex

 

[theskull]

Good suggestions so far. 2 more.

1. Use frog kick instead of flutter--gives you more control of where your feet go.

2. Be preapared to use 4-6 lbs. more in salt water than in the pool. If you put this extra weight in the integrated pouces or a weight belt rather than in the trim pockets, it will tilt your hips down a little.

Have fun!

theskull

 

[simbrooks]

I can't thank you enough for your advice.
When I first experimented with reducing a lot of weight I was thrilled with the improvement in Buoyancy. Everything got so much better and so I thought I'd try removing a little more weight. The one variable that changed was the lighter gauge wetsuit I was trying for the first time. In a couple days I leave for Cozumel and my first time doing a week of big-time diving. I've visited the pool a few times to practice everything and become even more comfortable with my gear. The thing that concerns me the most is doing quality safety stops with good buoyancy control. What I've been told and experienced is that neutral buoyancy at shallow depths is the most difficult. Aluminum tanks with less air seem to add to the challenge. I know nothing beats experience so I hope a week full of diving will help me to take my skills to the next level. I'll use your advice to improve my position in the water and hopefully fine tune weighting to increase my confidence in well-controlled safety stops.
Thanks,
Rex

I still suggest you take the 3mm out in the pool and get that weight dialed in (forget trim and weight placement for a moment), what is the total amount of weight you need to float at eye level with a normal breath and a near empty tank? It sounds too high for the 3mm. Then move onto weight placement. Good buoyancy control starts with correct weighting and moves on from there and your control and ability to hold stops, stay horizontal etc on your dives in Coz (man am i jealous!) will improve from that point onwards.