LP95 tanks trimming swinging them forward. Tips?

[Oneeye2sky]

I'm looking for a tip that might salvage my tank purchase for sidemount before ditching the 95s for smaller lighter tanks. I took my pool session yesterday for SM class and trimmed well with tanks in place and could manage one tank forward and swim horizontally w some effort. However had a nearly umpossible time swinging both tanks forward and swimming without taking a major header inversion immediately. They are pretty heavy XS Scuba LP95s (basically worthingtons?). I'm 6'2" and 216 lbs and have decent core, but issue is obviously trim w weight forward. Any tips for pulling this maneuver off? I had to basically bicycle pedal finning just to maintain horizontal for more than a second before becoming an inverted feet up buoy..lol. Frogging wasn't even remotely possible w/immediate header.. Any tips appreciated!

 

[Aquavelvet]

Those LP 95s are not well suited to swinging forward in sidemount. It's a simple matter of physics. Try some Faber LP 85s instead. They will be much easier to handle in general.

Most divers who use the heavy steel tanks are just leaving them clipped at their sides. The best tanks for swinging forward are the old LP steel 72s, Alu 80s and Alu 72s. These tanks all become positively buoyant after being partially drained.


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[tbone1004]

why are the 85's much better for swinging forward? The nature of them being fabers helps, but they're still very long tanks. When you swing any big tanks forward they're going to cause you to nosedive, not sure why you chose 95's as they aren't particularly popular tanks in sidemount, but it is highly unlikely you'll be required to push both forward so if you like them on your sides I wouldn't worry about it

 

[Oneeye2sky]

Thanks! I will keep them until I get some hours under my belt and see how I find them in normal use. I bought steel 95s because I liked the volume and I am a primarily drysuit cold water diver in the Great Lakes diving single tanks until now and like heavy property as a result. I am learning sidemount in prep to go to FLA & take some cave classes in next year. (BMdoubles don't appeal to my back.). Thanks again!

 

[Aquavelvet]

Given the popularity of LP 108s for sidemount diving in Florida, it's obvious that swinging one's tanks forward is not a common practice. The Faber LP 85s are just close enough to neutral that they work Ok that way. They're no longer than Alu 80s, which are the standard for sidemount only passages in Mexico and Thailand.


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[rjack321]

If the cave is that small you aren't swimming, you are bumping and banging along through that hole. So its not as dire as your pool session suggested. You probably won't be diving anything necessitating swinging tanks forward for years if ever anyway.

 

[karstdvr]

. You probably won't be diving anything necessitating swinging tanks forward for years if ever anyway.

I think if you polled a lot of sidemounters-OW or cave, swinging tanks forward is a skill rarely used. I have been diving sidemount regularly for 10 years, and started 15 years ago and never had a need. It makes for a great picture for an advertisement or magazine. My favorite tank is a LP95, and when I enter a situation that is tight, and a profile change is needed, then I remove the tank and push it in front of me. A comment was made to use LP 85s for what you desire to do, and since they have great buoyancy characteristics compared to LP95s, this might be a solution.