Perfecting Trim

[inquis]

We automatically compensate, so you simply must test rather than guess:

1. Get horizontal (use a buddy to signal when you're there) with lower legs bent about 60 deg, knees-hips-shoulders aligned.
2. STOP kicking and flapping your hands. Just freeze. The heavy end WILL rotate down.

The point of the ~60 deg leg bend is to let you tip head down (by increasing the bend up to 90 deg) or head up (by extending legs slightly to about 45 deg. (The "lever arm" is longer on the extension side, so less of an angle change is required.)

If the rotation is rapid, shift mass toward the light end. If it is slow, you may be able to compensate with your legs/arms. This will naturally happen as you dive more as well. FWIW, the cylinder is fair game for shifting mass, but make sure you can reach the valve while diving. (Checklists are well and good, but a backup plan is never a bad idea.)

Ideally, first test & shift mass with your tank at reserve level and an empty wing at the safety stop. (If you have to inflate your wing to not sink, then you're overweighted.) Then re-test with full tanks, but shift the wing toward the heavy end rather than moving mass. (Most wings have several holes for positioning. If yours doesn't, you might play with the shoulder strap length if lower is the direction you need to go, with the caveat that will move mass as well, so iterate these adjustments.)

A good instructor can make this a quick process. Doing it on your own may take a bit. Either way, being able to rotate at will AND stay there is wonderful. Odds are it will also reduce your air consumption.

 

[llTritaTutto]

e-on-one with a good instructor or a class like GUE fundamentals should sort you out both in terms of technique and equipment setup.

If you feel head heavy, you might be, even if your trim is positive - it's quite normal to counteract the feeling of tipping forward by bending and dropping the knees resulting in a head up posture. Whether you actually are head heavy, or just feel like it is hard to say, but some one-on-one with a good instructor or a class like GUE fundamentals should sort you out both in terms of technique and equipment setup.

Do you know if i can put weights onto the aluminium backplate itself?

 

[llTritaTutto]

We automatically compensate, so you simply must test rather than guess:

1. Get horizontal (use a buddy to signal when you're there) with lower legs bent about 60 deg, knees-hips-shoulders aligned.
2. STOP kicking and flapping your hands. Just freeze. The heavy end WILL rotate down.

The point of the ~60 deg leg bend is to let you tip head down (by increasing the bend up to 90 deg) or head up (by extending legs slightly to about 45 deg. (The "lever arm" is longer on the extension side, so less of an angle change is required.)

If the rotation is rapid, shift mass toward the light end. If it is slow, you may be able to compensate with your legs/arms. This will naturally happen as you dive more as well. FWIW, the cylinder is fair game for shifting mass, but make sure you can reach the valve while diving. (Checklists are well and good, but a backup plan is never a bad idea.)

Ideally, first test & shift mass with your tank at reserve level and an empty wing at the safety stop. (If you have to inflate your wing to not sink, then you're overweighted.) Then re-test with full tanks, but shift the wing toward the heavy end rather than moving mass. (Most wings have several holes for positioning. If yours doesn't, you might play with the shoulder strap length if lower is the direction you need to go, with the caveat that will move mass as well, so iterate these adjustments.)

A good instructor can make this a quick process. Doing it on your own may take a bit. Either way, being able to rotate at will AND stay there is wonderful. Odds are it will also reduce your air consumption.

Heya, its definitely the head thats heavy. I tried before just 2 weeks ago and I ended up floating up by my feet and I needed to compensate so i have a slight seahorse pose. I think I may shift weight down towards the 2nd cam band since both are at the top cam band now.

Just wanna be as flat as possible. Do you know if the weights can be attached to the aluminium backplate?

 

[rjack321]

Here’s a pretty good video on trim.
These guys put out some great content.

This is great but boy seeing that dangly SPG drives me crazy

 

[happy-diver]

Is it possible to be comfortable diving fighting the stretch of the neoprene holding your arms in front of you

My arms hang here, perfectly streamlined

as I always get to where I'm going when I'm supposed to and finish the dive with plenty of air if I want

 

[inquis]

Do you know if the weights can be attached to the aluminium backplate?

Using the lower cam band would help, of course. That's an easy trial. A weight belt is the typical approach, but you can also put trim pockets on the harness waist belt . Yes, you can attach directly to the plate: zip ties or bolt a couple strips of 2" webbing and trim pockets. Another common solution is negatively buoyant fins (e.g., Jets or F1s) -- I use F1s for drysuit, neutral Eddys for wetsuit.

 

[Ez E]

Is it possible to be comfortable diving fighting the stretch of the neoprene holding your arms in front of you

View attachment 879533

My arms hang here, perfectly streamlined

View attachment 879534

as I always get to where I'm going when I'm supposed to and finish the dive with plenty of air if I want

I cant even get comfortable with your statement of “being comfortable” with that in the background.