THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX
- Thread starter Blackcrusader
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Perfect example of choosing the right trim for the purpose of the moment in the dive. In this case, the purpose was to get that great shot with that lighting. I was with Natalie Gibb in Mexico when she got almost the same effect swimming up like that into a shaft of light coming from a small hole in the cave ceiling.
MichaelMc
Working toward Cenotes
But kicking up the bottom and destroying sea life or destroying the vis for others does mean bad diver.
Unless you have fins away from the bottom when near the bottom, avoiding the above is difficult. Unless you limit your dives to barren heavy sand or your very own barren mud bottom to silt out as you please.
(In a recreational setting.)
It is the attitude rather than technique.
In my early day of diving I stayed away from the bottom and sea life!
MichaelMc
Working toward Cenotes
I do not think:
"Sure, you can dive like that, just as long as you keep your head eight feet away from the bottom at all times."
is a viable set of instructions for most divers.
I'm not saying horizontal always. I'm saying horizontal, so fins are up, if you are near the bottom. This mostly means you need the ability to do that and for it not to consume lots of effort on your part.
I have seen divers with a lot of dives paid no notice to anything other than what they want to do and see.
Horizontal trim is no big deal and pretty easy to achieve.
It is the attitude eg bad and good driver! No difference in diving.
OP
Blackcrusader
Contributor
I dive mainly in open water well above the sand or away from a reef wall so I am not stirring up silt or sand or anything else. When I do need to take photo or video inches off the sand then yes I can do that in the trim required with my feet up away from the bottom and with my super gentle movements of my fins controlling my position. When I am finished I simply use my lungs to add some air and very slowly drift up up and away from the bottom.. Same thing when at reef walls or above the reef or over coral platforms. Often I just stop and hover and don't move so I can catch sight of the slightest critter movement and maybe get a video or photo. Some people think I go far too slowly on dives but they are the ones that miss seeing some of the loveliest critters in the water.
Go pro was never any good for macro. Doing macro photography you need to hone those skills even more. Unlike other divers I don't carry a pointy stick that they use to balance themselves to take a photo or hold onto corals or stir up silt. Even when following this tiny dragon sea moth I can video without bumping into anything as I look around before I start filming to see where there are any corals or outcrops or other things that need to be avoided Close up video does show up any movement though. Macro Photos don't show that and being able to zoom in without needing to get too close is nice. You just need to have good buoyancy trim and fin control. Not hard to achieve when you have a good instructor and lots of time in pool training and doing that again in the ocean.
OP
Blackcrusader
Contributor
You can see I use one hand to spin myself to face the person taking a video of me on page 1.
As I have my legs crossed it is just easier to use my hand for a very small thrust adjustment . Hands along with feet can both be used on a dive if required. If diving in horizontal position with my arms stretched out in front on me I use my hands as hydroplanes to adjust my pitch to ascend or descend, much like the hydroplanes on a submarine.
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