Problems dumping drysuit in trim

[TSandM]

There ARE advantages to being close to horizontal on an ascent, including that some minor movement of the feet doesn't impact your depth. (It's just plain easier to stay on depth if you are flat.). In addition, in a dry suit, getting too far out of trim can cause some serious buoyancy issues -- either the suit is venting constantly, or you can't vent it at all, depending on which direction you went.

Wetsuit? Have at it; do your ascent in any orientation you want (but don't kick if your feet are below you, unless you want to rise.). Dry suit? Much better to stay close to flat.

 

[PfcAJ]

Being horizontal also provides more resistance to movement up or down due to the increased surface area being presented in those direction. Plus, moving toward (or away) from your buddy is easier since your flippers are already pointed in the appropriate direction.

 

[boulderjohn]

TSandM, that very highly educated, superb diver and teacher, who is, by all reports, a true scuba goddess, wrote:
Although I do not have the reputation, knowledge, experience, etc. of TSandM, I must comment -- Bull pucky.

First of all, was she sitting next to you when you wrote that, and did she hit you?

In my earliest technical training, being perfectly horizontal throughout ascent was hammered into all of us taking the classes. I would say that staying in that position during a prolonged deco stop and learning to maneuver the fins so that you could maintain your positioning regarding your teammates was the hardest part of that training. For many of those stops, we were looking at an ascent line that went up a vertical stone wall. Maintaining that position, facing a wall for a long time with your head a few feet from it in perfect horizontal trim was a real learning experience.

Then I switched agencies and did mostly drifting ascents in the open ocean. I saw that most of the divers I was with, including tech instructors, did not hold perfect horizontal trim all the time. In fact, they rarely did. They had their legs down a little, which had a wonderful effect--they could easily keep an eye on each other, communicate, see the ascent line, etc. by swiveling their heads and bodies comfortably, even when their bodies were turning gently in the current. I was, of course, still trying to hold that perfect trim, well aware that what I was doing was much harder than what they were doing. I was not sure, though, why I was doing it.

A while ago I joined an advanced trimix class as a tagalong diver. The students looked to be in great shape for every part of the dives. Ascending from 300 feet and hitting every stop on the nose as planned was no problem for them at all. The only thing that was keeping them from completing their certification was their ability to hold perfect trim while facing each other motionlessly during the entire 20 minutes or so of the final stop. They looked pretty darned good to me, but the instructor was not satisfied. That was wet suit diving, BTW.

 

[Stoo]

Part of the problem is that you are diving underweighted. Add 2lbs, put more gas in your suit and dive comfortably without trying out every last molecule of suit gas every 10ft of ascent.

Add fin keepers to avoid the loose boot feeling when you have that little bit of extra gas in your suit. 2lbs is about 1L of suit gas.

I agree with this... it does sound like you are just a titch under-weighted. It's inevitable that drysuit undies will trap some air, or restrict it's movement in the suit.

As mentioned, straightening your legs for a moment will free up in air stuck in your boots... fin retainers, ankle straps, even ankle weights can help with that.