Problems trimming out

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Pegger

Contributor
Messages
142
Reaction score
1
Location
Waterloo Ontario, Canada
# of dives
200 - 499
I just been in the pool a couple of times with my new equipment and I'm looking for suggestions as to problems with my trim and my ability to reach the valves.
My new equipment is double Faber Lp 95's and a 60 lb Haylcon wing. I had most of my equipment (dry suit, undergarments) on, to try and find my weight requirements and trim.
The first pool session took 4 lbs to sink me and I was feet light. The second session I moved the tanks down as far as i could on the bands, wore a canister light and a 6 lb argon bottle and didn't need any weight to sink me but my feet were still light. I tried a pair of 2 lb ankle weights and everything was much better. My preference is not to use ankle weights.
Dropping my tanks lower on the bands also had me not being able to reach the valves. I'm working on my flexibility!
Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated!!

Steve
 
Before I added weight, I'd switch tanks to LP85's or LP108's. They are longer and place more weight over your feet. Unfortunately, not all tanks work with all people.

Are you diving wet or dry? What fins are you using. The Hollis F1 fins provide a lot of ballast on your feet. Unfortunately, the Halcyon wing only has one set of bolt holes, so you can't move the wing up a notch or two.

95's don't work for me either without adding weight. And if I'm forced to add weight, I might as well dive bigger tanks.
 
I had that problem with my double LP72s.

To compensate, I added a 4 lb "dingleberry" and Hollis F1 fins.
 
What type of suit + undergarment are you wearing?
What type of backplate?
What fins?

If you are using this setup in the Great Lakes "no lead" is either minus any substantive undergarment or rediculously underweighted.
 
Using LP95s with a 60 lb wing, and a dry suit with undergarments for 70 degree water (i.e. Florida caves), I needed seven pounds hung off the bottom bolt to balance the tanks.

Too many people evaluate their weighting with full or partially full tanks, but it's empty tanks you need to weight for.

The instructor in my Florida cave class immediately removed the 7 lbs I had carefully tested that I needed, insisting that I didn't need the weight. The class was pretty miserable.
 
Using LP95s with a 60 lb wing, and a dry suit with undergarments for 70 degree water (i.e. Florida caves), I needed seven pounds hung off the bottom bolt to balance the tanks.

Too many people evaluate their weighting with full or partially full tanks, but it's empty tanks you need to weight for.

The instructor in my Florida cave class immediately removed the 7 lbs I had carefully tested that I needed, insisting that I didn't need the weight. The class was pretty miserable.

What suit and what undergarments. I'm inclined to agree with your instructor. LP95's and a steel plate are way way heavy.
 
Using LP95s with a 60 lb wing, and a dry suit with undergarments for 70 degree water (i.e. Florida caves), I needed seven pounds hung off the bottom bolt to balance the tanks.

Too many people evaluate their weighting with full or partially full tanks, but it's empty tanks you need to weight for.

The instructor in my Florida cave class immediately removed the 7 lbs I had carefully tested that I needed, insisting that I didn't need the weight. The class was pretty miserable.

It seems Bob Sherwood is one of the few who has experience with proper weighting. It shouldn't be that difficult for so many other instructors, but that seems the case...
 
It's not difficult at all. But VERY rare to need to add weight in FL diving. I'd guess that Bob Sherwood sheds more weight of new students than adds weight.

I'd be interested in knowing what suit TSandM was wearing and what garments. I used to have an 8mm Northern Diver Drysuit that would float with doubles, steel bp and lead. But most people aren't wearing that in FL.

It's possible to need 7lbs, but not if she's in a TLS350 and a 200 gram undergarment, unless she's 5 foot two, five hundred and two. With a bunch of built in fluffiness.
 
Fusion dry suit, 200g Thinsulate undergarment, aluminum plate, 5'4" and 120. I got in the pool with the tanks at 500 psi and carefully determined how much weight I needed (7 lbs) and where it had to be (below the bottom bolt). I'm not new at this . . .
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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