THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX

[AJ]

I/What I can see and have seen are, just out of class, fundies students being anal retentive to other divers about how 100% horizontal trim is SOOOOOOO important because it makes you a leed (elite) diver

I know the feeling, did that when I came right out of Fundies training Then I started Sidemount diving and threw out all the rules. Sidemount means truly 3d freedom to me. Vertical head down, looking at something on the bottom...no problem. Vertical straight up..no problem. Up side down..fun

What I learned from Fundies however is control over my buoyancy. That's invaluable, not the "right trim position".

 

[Lorenzoid]

Well said, @beester . I would add a suggestion that, from the perspective of a discussion in the Basic Scuba forum, divers should still strive for being able to maintain horizontal trim. It's all about control. Once a diver is more advanced, they can and should let themselves enjoy messing around with it. If one is GUE T2/C2 or such, they are in control of exactly what they're doing at all times, even if it is doing barrel rolls for the joy of it (recalling Lynn's "My day with Jarrod" story).

 

[Coztick]

I think the obsession over the ability to hold perfect trim stems from the fact that, until a diver can do so effortlessly, they have no business advancing their training.
If buoyancy and trim control are still considered a task, you are not prepared to enter an overhead environment or get within arms reach of anything but a buddy.
GUE rec. pass? Congrats! Keep practicing or just go have fun.
GUE tech pass? Your skills are at a level that shouldn't threaten your life if you proceed with advanced training.
It's not about being horizontal at all times or holding a stop depth within a foot or shooting a dsmb in 0 vis. or being a good buddy.
It is about the ability to do all of those things accurately at the same time without added stress. Yours or your buddies life may depend on it.
Equipment failures or silt outs or entanglements happen. If you're prepared, no big deal, if not...
Diving can be fun and exciting at any level but it should never be a white knuckled, adrenaline rush. If it is, you're in over your head.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

That is the old way of training... 1 month in the pool without even mask or fins, Then snorkelling and fin-swimming another month, and freediving a third month. Then CC rebreather (ARO) for two months, and finally an OC air system for one month.
As said, this method was effective, but almost impossible to propose just now, even in club-based training (no-profit organizations).

I spend around 30 minutes with this before I put my students in scuba. But I teach small classes (2)

 

[lermontov]

I have a buddy that actually stands on the trapeze bars when doing a long deco and leans again the ropes like hes leaning against a lamppost - i tried it it's actually quite comfortable and you can look around really easily

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I have a buddy that actually stands on the trapeze bars when doing a long deco and leans again the ropes like hes leaning against a lamppost - i tried it it's actually quite comfortable and you can look around really easily

I remember a FB "friend" criticizing Mark Powell for holding onto the rope during deco and not being in perfect trim when Mark was at the dive center he was working at in Italy. STFW? This is the same guy that thinks the guys at the same dive center know better about diving deep on air than Dr. Simon Mitchell as they do it every day, but Dr. Mitchell is just an "occassional diver."

I. Just. Can't.

 

[Storker]

A balanced rig may or may not include ditchable weight.

Thank you for that. As an avid ditchable-weight-proponent, I sometimes get a mite annoyed at those who preach "no ditchable weight, no matter the circumstances" (only a slight amount of hyperbole here). And since I have the impression that self-professed DIRers seem to be over-represented in that crowd, I think it's nice to see a self-professed DIRer claiming the opposite.

The right tool for the right job.

 

[lermontov]

I remember a FB "friend" criticizing Mark Powell for holding onto the rope during deco and not being in perfect trim when Mark was at the dive center he was working at in Italy. STFW? This is the same guy that thinks the guys at the same dive center know better about diving deep on air than Dr. Simon Mitchell as they do it every day, but Dr. Mitchell is just an "occassional diver."

I. Just. Can't.

Go on break the mould - if you havent seen this classic comedy about the formality of ballroom dancing its hilarious

 

[60plus]

I do not think perfect trim is a hoax, I think it is the case that you should not be criticized for not using perfect (horizontal) trim when its inappropriate or unnecessary. having good trim in most situations means you are more streamlined and move with less effort, conserving gas and minimizing IPO and DCI promoting factors. Feet too low bad trim often caused by negative buoyancy causing the person to waste energy continually swimming uphill, often disturbing the bottom or catching the lower edges of holes in wrecks. I have seen this sort of diver burn gas twice as fast as a diver with good trim. Feet too high is often associated with excess positive buoyancy meaning the diver has to expend extra effort continually swimming downhill, they then breathe too hard, inhale to much and start an uncontrolled ascent whist desperately pulling their ineffective shoulder dump.

 

[PfcAJ]

I remember a FB "friend" criticizing Mark Powell for holding onto the rope during deco and not being in perfect trim when Mark was at the dive center he was working at in Italy. STFW? This is the same guy that thinks the guys at the same dive center know better about diving deep on air than Dr. Simon Mitchell as they do it every day, but Dr. Mitchell is just an "occassional diver."

I. Just. Can't.

Long deco? Any deco?

Gimmie dat rope pls.