Bob Sherwood
Contributor
Someone beat me to the actual standards, but 30 degrees trim and 5' buoyancy from target depth is the tri-ox standard.
There are numerous reasons why one would want to keep trim in open water diving. Many have been listed here, and many are not mentioned.
The primary tools for fighting against rapid ascent are sacrificed when we sacrifice trim. By design, the opv dumps gas faster than the inflator adds it, and it dumps gas faster than the corrugated hose. Our propulsion tools are primary when sudden and necessary changes are needed, but when they are below us, they are not nearly as effective, and in fact can add to worsen the situation.
Also re this discussion ;( a student during class) trim is one of the things needed to be demonstrated to the instructor to meet the standard required for certification of this course. Trim is a tool, and should be used as such. A diver can and should be able to make any decision they feel necessary for them to maintain control in the water. It is unreasonable to think that divers will never break trim, or be out of trim, especially in prolonged exposures. HOWEVER, to meet the standards; divers enrolled in a course that has clearly establish parameters have accepted that they need to demonstrate the ability to put themselves in appropriate trim and maintain it as long as is necessary.
This means approximately 5-7 minutes for the ascent in this class. (open water portion) and Whatever amount of time spent on descent and bottom. During this time it does not mean that students need to maintain 0 degrees of trim, but should be aware, communicate and correct trim issues within the allowed standards. (trim issues are mostly due to task loading and lack of communication amongst the team)
Outside of class. we can always make a conscious decision to sacrifice trim for whatever reason we feel necessary as long as we understand the consequences of it and are willing to accept them.
I agree that in many cases where people struggle in this area, they often need to take a break from the hard training and just go diving. Rejuvenate the passion for our underwater world, and then go back to training again. Many decide that they have improved overall and the degree of finesse that they have is enough for them, or that they want more of it. I believe we need training AND experience dives to reach our full potential. Best, Bob
Addressing the below comment:
In T1 AG told me he didn't give a damn about our midwater trim as long as we held our stops under all the duress.
Im sure that this has been taken out of context. And Im willing to guess that what was meant was that it is more important to maintain team and stops than to have perfect trim. I agree. Best, Bob
There are numerous reasons why one would want to keep trim in open water diving. Many have been listed here, and many are not mentioned.
The primary tools for fighting against rapid ascent are sacrificed when we sacrifice trim. By design, the opv dumps gas faster than the inflator adds it, and it dumps gas faster than the corrugated hose. Our propulsion tools are primary when sudden and necessary changes are needed, but when they are below us, they are not nearly as effective, and in fact can add to worsen the situation.
Also re this discussion ;( a student during class) trim is one of the things needed to be demonstrated to the instructor to meet the standard required for certification of this course. Trim is a tool, and should be used as such. A diver can and should be able to make any decision they feel necessary for them to maintain control in the water. It is unreasonable to think that divers will never break trim, or be out of trim, especially in prolonged exposures. HOWEVER, to meet the standards; divers enrolled in a course that has clearly establish parameters have accepted that they need to demonstrate the ability to put themselves in appropriate trim and maintain it as long as is necessary.
This means approximately 5-7 minutes for the ascent in this class. (open water portion) and Whatever amount of time spent on descent and bottom. During this time it does not mean that students need to maintain 0 degrees of trim, but should be aware, communicate and correct trim issues within the allowed standards. (trim issues are mostly due to task loading and lack of communication amongst the team)
Outside of class. we can always make a conscious decision to sacrifice trim for whatever reason we feel necessary as long as we understand the consequences of it and are willing to accept them.
I agree that in many cases where people struggle in this area, they often need to take a break from the hard training and just go diving. Rejuvenate the passion for our underwater world, and then go back to training again. Many decide that they have improved overall and the degree of finesse that they have is enough for them, or that they want more of it. I believe we need training AND experience dives to reach our full potential. Best, Bob
Addressing the below comment:
In T1 AG told me he didn't give a damn about our midwater trim as long as we held our stops under all the duress.
Im sure that this has been taken out of context. And Im willing to guess that what was meant was that it is more important to maintain team and stops than to have perfect trim. I agree. Best, Bob
