Please help me~~ rotating upside down under water; Might Apollo Bio Fins help?

[Melicertes]

"Just to clarify, I did not have _any_ of these problems when I used to rent everything."

Have you considered simply borrowing or renting fins again and just not use yours for a dive or two to see if that resolves the issue for you? Only swap out the fins and keep the rest of your gear exactly the same. If not, then do the same with your new booties, etc. Perhaps I missed it in the posts if you already tried that or if someone else already suggested it.

I am not one who likes adding more gear and gadgets to solve what might just be a simple issue, but some people do like to use ankle weights and a few of them might even need them for realz ;o) TSandM's advice to not just rush out and buy more or new gear is definitely smart advice.

Try to figure out what it's causing it first and then adjust either your gear or your habits (or both if necessary).

 

[pork]

Were your earlier dives in a pool without a wetsuit? I'm another one who agrees with the ankle weights. Easy fix. Try before you buy. Consider how high or low you have your bc attached to the air tank. Than could be s source of your problem as well.

my successful earlier dives (about 12 out of 25'ish in total) were in the ocean with a wetsuit. I'm not counting swimming pool sessions as dives... tank is already attached to the lowest possible position. but my new BCD, which is supposedly designed for ladies is shorter than those rental BCDs, causing the weights to be placed higher than the center of my body, which creates the rotating torque.

We could fix the BCD problem if we distribute some of the weights to the tank, though not an optimal solution for one reason or another... (but even with this fix i still have the problem of feet pulling upward)

---------- Post added December 2nd, 2012 at 02:59 AM ----------

^Great advice as always.

One thing I would like to comment on is the fact that you say you get tired. Have you tried frog kicking? It is a much more relaxing kick. Frog kicks work much better with a Jet type fin in other words a paddle fin not a split fin.

this is good to know (as a downside of split fins), thanks!

 

[Bonairetrip]

Let me start with a few observations. First, wearing more negatively buoyant fins (say, -2 per fin) would effectively be little different from wearing neutral fins with a two pound ankle weights. If one solution is OK, they both should be. Second, I own a pair of bios -- nice fin but I don't think of them as especially negative.

Please keep working to resolve the problem -- something isn't in trim and there is nothing as frustrating as fighting your gear. Nor anything as enjoyable when the gear becomes an extension of you.

I also think TSandM is correct -- there is something else going on with your gear configuration and/or body position. Sharing a video would help. Alternatively, you could work an instructor in the pool. My guess is that you have a weight placement or body posture issue. If I mount extra weights to my tank I would make sure they were secure (I would likely use a cam strap over a weight belt -- but you deserve credit for creativity!)

Finally, I am sensing that are actually a few different issues going on. a) I might suggest some pool time with mask, fins and snorkel. That will help build your legs and increase your comfort in the water. b) I might suggest varying your kick. Try slow and steady. Try medium speed. Try frog. I find that some kicks feel better with some types of fins. What works well when submerged may not work as well at the surface. Try the kicks both ways. (BTW, your fins have a reputation as being good for cruising but can be a bit hard on the legs when you try to pour on the power) c) Ask someone too critique your technique in the pool. Better yet, have them also video it. d) See if you can borrow or rent some different fins. The same with a pair of ankle weights.

Do you feel comfortable going back to the shop where you purchased your gear? Or taking a buoyancy specialty class? My guess is the solution will come from a combo of moving weight around, adjusting posture and slowing your kick. But, without visual observation it is impossible to say....

 

[f28pilot]

I have the opposite problem and tend to naturally go head up while diving. I've found that keeping my floaty arms out in font of me (like keeping my camera out there for video) makes the problem worse and keeping my arms back by my sides puts me about neutral. The thicker the wetsuit the more pronounced the tendency is. Maybe you could try extending your arms in front of you if you are not already and solve the problem by moving lift instead of weight.

The good news is you have to dive more to try any solution!

Good luck,
Steve

 

[Randy g]

Slide your Bc higher onto the tank, if possible. It will move weight back and put more weight on the lower axis of the body.

I learned that after watching myself on video and had a problem with my upper body rotating downward after a frog kick stroke. I learned the solution after reading one of Gary Gentiles books

 

[reo]

Hi Pork,

It sounds like your problem could be the short BC. Try moving some weight from the BC to a weight belt or weight harness. Lots of divers up here in the Seattle area put weights in both their BCs and on a belt or weight harness.

Once I tried putting all my weight in the BC and had the same problem--my feet going up.

Moving some weight from My BC to my DUI weight harness fixed the problem.

Ron

 

[RTee]

If this problem started appearing witht he introduction of the new BCD, I would start concentrating on that particular aspect. I will respectfully disagree with the ankle weights recommendations as I see it only as a band-aid solution compensating for a discrepancy that has not been fixed. Not knowing which particular BCD you are referring to, my advise would be to go through the owner's documentation (manual, manugacturer website) and look for possible adjustment to lower it to your waistline. Another thing you could try, if your model is weight integrated is to leave the pockets empty and dive using solely a weight belt and see if that improves the situation. If it does, you either have the choice of just using a weight belt or...try different BCDs until you find one that keeps you horizontal and stable in the water and then buy it.

 

[Nemrod]

You should not rest with your legs outstretched, keep your knees in line with your body, cross your arms under you or in front of you, bend the knees to allow the feet and fins to come up behind you like this (my wife is pointing out a ray to me, thus her arms are not crossed):

or:

And there goes the ray, late on the trigger:

Not like this resting, unless, you are kicking (which in this case, she actually is), if you rest with your legs out, some people sink, some float up:

N

 

[TSandM]

pork, you might find THIS thread interesting reading -- sounds like a similar problem with the same or a similar BC.

 

[faze]

Hi Pork

I agree with the others who have focused in on the BCD.

My other half has a Pearl i3 BCD and when she first started using it we did have a problem with her weighting, not feet floating issues but real problem with buoyancy and trim - threw everything out.

We spent a couple of dives exclusively working on her buoyancy and settled on a single 1kg weight on the tank strap with nothing in the BCD and no other weight. It is a bit of a pain as she has to take an extra 2KG in the pocket to get down the line which she either drops at the bottom of the line to pick up on return or, if a drift, then guess who gets an extra couple of kilo's to dive with!!!

She loves the BCD and finds it very, very comfortable but I've just chatted this throuogh with her and she says it does take a lot of getting used to.

Hope that helps