Trim Question

[quonniediver]

I am a new diver with 15 or so dives. What is the best way to determine where the different weights should be. I have a SeaQuest Pro QD + which has ditchable weight pockets and a nonditchable weight pocket in the back. I have been using 6 lbs total in the ditchable pockets and about 18 lbs on a weight belt. I dive a steel tank and a 7 mil farmer john. Is it just experimentation until I figure out the best distribution or does anyone have any guidance? Sometimes my legs feel a little too bouyant. I know I need to improve my form and would appreciate any advice. :06:

 

[Scubakevdm]

If you just stop, and hover in the water without moving any part of your body, what happens? If you pop a wheelie, move weight into the trim pockets on the back of the BC. If you fall forward, move weight to the ditchable pockets.
Also, be sure you are weighted correctly to begin with.
Its probably easiest to find someone who knows alot and cares alot about diving to jump in with you and help you out with this. One would have hoped that this person would have been your instructor, however it seems that this may not be the case.

 

[CAPX28]

I would don full scuba gear and get in the water... Fully submerged with belly down and arms down in a v ( as if putting both hands on a belt buckle ) and be totaly still...let your body tilt or rotate as it wants.

If you tilt forward you need to move some weight back if you tilt back move wight forward and the same for left to right roll.

It also helps to use the same gear inthe same place everytime ( like your light clipped to your right shoulder ring ,or what ever your setup )

PS if you ar tilting forward or back you can also try moving thetank up or down a bit.

Just hte way i do it ( dont know if its the PROPER way or not but works for me)

 

[Michael Schlink]

Scubakevdm, I think you mistyped, maybe or I may reading it wrong
Use the trim pockets to get some of the weight off your hips and allow you to stay more horizontal
Be sure that the amount of ditchable weight is enough to make you buoyant if you ditch it.
Try to first determine your total weight load or how much weight you actually need to be comfortably nuetral at the end of your dive with about 500psi
Then split the weight in half, so if your using 24lbs then 12lbs on each side
Then you want to have enough in your trim pocket to help you stay horizontal without your hips dropping
So maybe try 4lbs in each trim pocket and then 8 in each ditchable pocket. Move the amount of weight as needed so that you can "hang" horizointal without your hips sinking.
Make your dive and at the beginning and at the end of the dive do a nice little hover and see how it feels and then before your next dive make smal adjustments to dial it in-M

 

[Scubakevdm]

Scubakevdm, I think you mistyped, maybe or I may reading it wrong

Thank you, I fixed it. It was an accident... poor guy would have been doing flips across the reef.

 

[ScubaFreak]

Buoyant legs?

Invest in a pair of ankle weights- they fixed the job for me! as soon as i did that I could hover like the most dedicated little buddah! (with a steel tank too!!)

SF

 

[OE2X]

Buoyant legs?

Invest in a pair of ankle weights- they fixed the job for me! as soon as i did that I could hover like the most dedicated little buddah! (with a steel tank too!!)

SF

You should be able to get away from using ankle weights with proper weighting on your torso. Another technique is to place your BCD mounting band closer to your valve if you are feet light. This puts more weight towards your hips thus lowering your feet.

A disadvantage of using ankle weights is in the form of added leg and ankle fatigue.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Where you place weights is only part of it your body position will also effect your trim. By arching your back, raising/lowering your head and streightening or bending your knees you will also effect trim.

Also remember that as you use gas and your tank becomes lighter or as depth increases and wet suit buoyancy decreases your balance will change some.

Once the balance of your equipment is close you can start to work on body position. As your technique improves you may end up making further changes in your equipment.

 

[cmcarver]

When I certified last year the first day in the pool I was foot up. The second day I put ankle weights on and was fine. One month later I went on a house boat trip to an area lake and took my AOW. During that trip I droped 8lb of weight including the ankle weights. I still occasionally end up light in the feet but on my next dive I adjust the position of my tank on the BCD and don't have a problem. I still dive 2-3lb heavy but do that for a comfort thing so I know I can stay under doing shallow swims durning the safty stops. Next spring I plan to drop those lbs but until I get more experiance I don't want to for safty's sake. I don't see those pounds as a problem since I know they are there and unneeded as opposed to knowing they are there and thinking I have to have them.

 

[H2Andy]

i would resist ankle weights for wetsuit divng at all costs. they create additional problems.

first, try to shed as much weight as you can. the less weight you lug around,
the less juggling you'll have to do. your goal should be being negatively bouyant
by two or three pounds at the end of the dive, at the surface, with a near-empty
tank (yes, i meant what i wrote. if you are neutral at 15 feet at the end of the dive,
you won't be able to control your ascent through that critical last 15 feet).
(i like being negatively bouyant rather than neutral at the surface because i don't like to "fight" a too-light configuration. as it is, i use 0, 2, or 4 lbs of weight, depending on my set-up)

once you got your weight down, i would get horizontal on the water colum and hold still. see which way you tilt. whichever way you tilt (back, forward, left, right, or left-back, right-forward, etc) is where you have too much weight.

shift your weight around accordingly. also, you can move your tank up or down (by
moving your BC up or down on the tank).

also, don't worry about this. you are going through one of the great processes of
diving -- getting your weight and trim right. you will get it right!