THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX

[OTF]

One of my favourite videos... aspirational.

I can't believe I'm gonna be the internet ahole to say this, but is that guy really that impressive? His knees are dropping pretty low. But I don't know, I'm not a sidemount diver.

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

I can't believe I'm gonna be the internet ahole to say this, but is that guy really that impressive? His knees are dropping pretty low. But I don't know, I'm not a sidemount diver.

I don’t know you have one better?

 

[Ayisha]

Something that gets misunderstood is that it's not about always being in horizontal trim. Practicing the skills gives someone the opportunity to fine tune their buoyancy and trim IF they want to. If you try to reduce your impact in an environment that is sensitive to damage, silting, etc., everyone who comes after you will appreciate it.

If you can maintain your position in the water effortlessly when task loaded, then when the $#!+ hits the fan, an uncontrolled ascent/descent/siltout doesn't have to be part of the equation. It's about having tools.

Someone revived the beloved late TS&M's post about diving with JJ. If you follow Bob Sherwood on FB, one of the senior instructor trainers of GUE, even just in the last few days, there are videos of him doing barrel rolls, laying face up, blowing bubble rings, etc. I've posted a picture in the past when I have gone for a ride while holding Bob's valves, and written about how I routinely break the seal on my mask laughing so much u/w. During a course, of course he is seemingly effortlessly and unbelievably perfect, but when fun diving, it's just that.

Here is just one of the many videos posted in the last few days. Hope it's visible. What it also shows is that everyone can co-exist u/w:

Log In or Sign Up to View

 

[CycleCat]

As a new diver I have probably the least experience of anyone commenting on this thread. But it seems to me the importance of always being horizontal is less important than the ability to get there when needed. If you can't get horizontal then your trim is wrong and needs work. But correct trim will allow you to be horizontal, vertical, or anywhere in between.

 

[Allison Finch]

I often get into discourse with people who see my videos and go oh so you changed from horizontal and are not in perfect trim. My reply is that whatever position I am comfortable in is perfect trim for me. I hate that restricted view and get a sore neck from being in the "perfect trim" position so many think I should have. Sometimes I get in that vertical position in a nice drift to let my body act as a sail and be pushed along siting there not moving my fins. I can sit there watching those in horizontal trim finning along and wasting air as I pass them by on my magic water carpet. Often at the end of a dive on a safety stop I like to hang in the water watching things on the reef or just passing the time with songs in my head.

I thought I would start a new thread and took this from another thread
First dive at 40 meters - Newbies recreational

BOULDERJOHN wrote

"I got certified quite a while ago and logged quite a few dives as an AOW diver before rapidly going from Rescue Diver to DM, after which I assisted in classes for a couple years before becoming an instructor. After being an OW instructor for a couple of years, I thought I was pretty much at the top of the game. Then I started tech instruction in the DIR mode. I realized that I was pretty much a beginner again, and I worked hard on my new skills.

I began to apply those tech skills to recreational diving, and I saw my fellow recreational divers in a new light. I remember one drift dive in Cozumel in which I was in the approved DIR position, flatly horizontal, my knees bent 90° with feet up and head tilted back as far as possible as I drifted. One of the other divers had assumed a (to me) strange position, almost a sitting hover, as we drifted past the coral wall. For some reason watching him annoyed me. He was clearly doing things wrong, because I was Doing It Right. Looking back at it, though, I realized he was totally comfortable in that position, and by moving his head wherever he wanted, he could easily see all the sights as we went by. As for me, my range of view was extremely limited by my body position, and I had to use my new helicopter turn skills to keep my body in position in the current to see even that narrow range. But I was doing it right, by golly, so he was doing it wrong.

Today I am a (non-DIR) trimix instructor and a cave diver. I have decent tech skills, but they rarely come into play on recreational dives. I realize now that I had a false sense of superiority during that middle period of my diving."

If all you want to do is hang in the water column, far from reef structures/bottom, fine.

But, if you are like me and want to look for micro life, then there is a REQUIREMENT that you be able to maintain good horizontal trim, keeping body and fins from doing damage.

 

[Heka]

I don’t know you have one better?

I think that Tomasz Michura has a lot of impressive videos that shows great body, trim & bouyancy control in sidemount setup.
https://www.youtube.com/user/tmichura/videos

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

When I am taking photos (camera just below head level), looking for small subjects, as I'm as close to the bottom I can be without silting it up. That means horizontal.

When I'm in the water column, deploying a DSMB for the dive boat to know where I am, I'm definitely not horizontal.

I think people mistake the emphasis on being able to be in trim as must always be in trim. Maybe educators who teach trim need to do a better job of teaching when it is appropriate, and when it doesn't matter (or for those who necks get sore, something to only do when necessary).

IIRC, Steve Bogaerts taught to not be in perfect trim in caves, basically have the head at the same level as the feet, so that divers' feet dont possible hit the ceiling.

 

[Angelo Farina]

IIRC, Steve Bogaerts taught to not be in perfect trim in caves, basically have the head at the same level as the feet, so that divers' feet dont possible hit the ceiling.

Which is exactly as I was taught to trim when diving the caves at Capo Caccia, Sardinia, where the ceiling is covered by delicate red coral. Hitting the ceiling, here, makes much more damage than hitting the floor...

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Which is exactly as I was taught to trim when diving the caves at Capo Caccia, Sardinia, where the ceiling is covered by delicate red coral. Hitting the ceiling, here, makes much more damage than hitting the floor...
View attachment 634045

That is why it is so important we must explain why things are done a certain way at certain times.

 

[StefinSB]

When I am taking photos (camera just below head level), looking for small subjects, as I'm as close to the bottom I can be without silting it up. That means horizontal.

When I'm in the water column, deploying a DSMB for the dive boat to know where I am, I'm definitely not horizontal.

I think people mistake the emphasis on being able to be in trim as must always be in trim. Maybe educators who teach trim need to do a better job of teaching when it is appropriate, and when it doesn't matter (or for those who necks get sore, something to only do when necessary).

IIRC, Steve Bogaerts taught to not be in perfect trim in caves, basically have the head at the same level as the feet, so that divers' feet dont possible hit the ceiling.

Isnt the goal to but neither ceiling nor floor in a cave (if there is enough space)? Remembering from my initial cave training the challenge I had was to bring my head up and look up. Where I dive one mostly looks down to find small stuff.