THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX

[Bierstadt]

I wouldn't presume to offer to remove the speck in another diver's eye while ignoring the plank in my own. I don't care about someone else's trim preference per say. But the diver flutter kicking forward 3 feet over the silty bottom, chest up and eyes ignorant to the mighty silt-screen he leaves in his wake... that irritates me to no end.

Also spg's and octos dangling 3 feet underneath someone.

And tech divers with their deco cylinders pointed straight down while the cylinder butt points straight up. Not empty, mind you, just sideways the entire dive.

There's fluid choice by an experienced diver (which can be annoying when you are straining your neck and back to be perfectly horizontal, I will admit), and then there is flat-out wrong. Maybe I ought to chill out a bit too, though. Except if the silt-screen diver is wearing split fins. That should count as deliberate silting!

 

[Blackcrusader]

I wouldn't presume to offer to remove the speck in another diver's eye while ignoring the plank in my own. I don't care about someone else's trim preference per say. But the diver flutter kicking forward 3 feet over the silty bottom, chest up and eyes ignorant to the mighty silt-screen he leaves in his wake... that irritates me to no end.

No different when to when I have my camera on a tripod filming damsel fish hiding in a small coral platform and a diver sees the camera and swims into view and kicks up a sandstorm as they hurry to get away. Then they claim oh sorry didn't see your camera there. Right.....

 

[ginti]

There are some misconceptions about the horizontal trim. In most situations I can think of, it has advantages in terms of both stability and propulsion, and so what? If you don't need it, don't like it and you don't create problems, just feel free to have the trim you want.

By the way, I have seen well known and very experienced GUE instructors do things that are completely not-"DIR", same style of what Jhon described in his post; obviously not while teaching. The key takeaway of a good course is not to be the whole time horizontal. It's to learn skills that you should use when you need them. And to have fun... so dive as you want man

I'm happy there are DIY divers. I am fine with Mormons as well. But when they want to start preaching to me about how I should be doing things then maybe not lol.

Really sorry to hear that some people told you how you should dive. It's your hobby, your life, and as long as you do not create problems (to you, to others or to the environment) - you should feel free to do whatever you want. You always need an appropriate reason to do certain things, and "fun" is almost always the best reason to do things when diving (at least in the recreational realm), so use the trim that makes you feel better.

By the way, may I ask you how did these people approach you to "instruct" you how to dive? Do you know if they were experienced divers or just fanatics fresh of an entry-level course?

P.S. Here on SB I once read a story of a guy who still had to take fundies and, during a trip, was giving a lot of suggestions to two divers who were GUE tec2 (or something similar)... well, this story says a lot...

 

[ginti]

I saw a DIR diver do a horizontal ascent into the steel hull of a boat with a draft about 8m depth that was funny.

Wait, let me understand... are you saying that they shouldn't be doing that?

 

[David Novo]

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."

As I already mentioned on a different thread with you, there is no scuba police: you can do whatever you want.
However, "dive and let dive" does not only imply that others should not criticize the way you choose to position yourself in the water.
It also means that you should do your best to avoid damaging your surroundings, as well as visibility, so that others can dive.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Wait, let me understand... are you saying that they shouldn't be doing that?

Well, I think we can agree banging into the hull wasn't part of my, uh, the plan.



Just kidding, it wasn't me.

 

[ginti]

Well, I think we can agree banging into the hull wasn't part of my, uh, the plan.



Just kidding, it wasn't me.

Ahahahah I think misunderstood the original post

Ok, now it's clear, yes they shouldn't be doing that

EDIT: obviously English isn't my mother language

 

[_Ralph]

Never had a sore neck from doing long (2-3hr) dives in trim.....

Having said that, if I’m looking at pretty fish/coral in the Caribbean, I’m usually inverted (it’s classified)... especially with a camera in my hands....

If I’m on a drift dive... or any dive, why do I need to be a GTD? (Grand Theft Diver)? ie. get somewhere as fast as you can? Half of the joy of being on a drift dive is doing nothing and let whatever you see come to you...

_R

 

[Manatee Diver]

Having said that, if I’m looking at pretty fish/coral in the Caribbean, I’m usually inverted (it’s classified)... especially with a camera in my hands....

Were you also communicating with the fish?

https://www.instagram.com/flipping_off_fish/?hl=en

 

[Open Ocean Diver]

I thought good trim/form made you a better diver same as in skiing. I’m intrigued by the trim side mount divers achieve. They seem to glide effortlessly in perfect trim like a fish.