Trim Questions

[xiSkiGuy]

What trim (or orientation in the water) do you have/recommend? More Vertical, slightly head up, horizontal, slightly head down?

Why?

How did you achieve this trim?

 

[pete340]

What trim (or orientation in the water) do you have/recommend? More Vertical, slightly head up, horizontal, slightly head down?

Horizontal.

Why?

Better control. When you stop finning you stay in the same orientation. Makes it much easier to stay off the coral.

How did you achieve this trim?

Backplate, and a few pounds of weights at the top of the tank. And practice.

 

[Walter]

Depends on your task. If you are swimming along, horizontal is best. Rotate your body to your desired position. There's no need to shift weights around.

 

[Mo2vation]

Depends on your task. If you are swimming along, horizontal is best. Rotate your body to your desired position. There's no need to shift weights around.

I always try to achieve a horizontal trim. Took lots of practice, but I'm pretty comfortable and muscle memory has kicked in now so I usually nail it every time.

That said, Walter said it best: Depends on the task. When I was in Belize, we did lots of wall diving. Horizontal is good, but shoulder up (horizonal with a roll) was much better. I could see more, it was more comfortable on the neck and body, I was in better position to shoot photographs, I could get a lot closer to stuff, etc.

Horizontal is preferred, but its task dependent. Modify as necessary.

And never, ever lawndart into the bottom on your descent. I hate that... :10:

---
Ken

 

[CIBDiving]

What trim (or orientation in the water) do you have/recommend? More Vertical, slightly head up, horizontal, slightly head down?

Why?

How did you achieve this trim?

This going to start something! but.... who cares?

you want 'neutral' trim. When you stop swimming ( or otherwise changeing your orientation ) you stay in the that same orientation until you deliberatly change it.

Example: if you were swimming downwards at a 45 deg angle on your rightside and you stop swimming, you should come to a stop at a 45 deg down angle and on your right side, you should remain that way until You decide to change.

Attempt this by getting the weight as close to evenly distributed around the 'center of bouyancy' as possible. it is impossible achive this perfectly - even getting close takes a lot of work, but the results are worth it. Because variables such as air in the bottle / BC make perfection 'impossible' error should be made towards the horizontal .

 

[xiSkiGuy]

I always try to achieve a horizontal trim. Took lots of practice, but I'm pretty comfortable and muscle memory has kicked in now so I usually nail it every time.

That said, Walter said it best: Depends on the task. When I was in Belize, we did lots of wall diving. Horizontal is good, but shoulder up (horizonal with a roll) was much better. I could see more, it was more comfortable on the neck and body, I was in better position to shoot photographs, I could get a lot closer to stuff, etc.

Horizontal is preferred, but its task dependent. Modify as necessary.

And never, ever lawndart into the bottom on your descent. I hate that... :10:

---
Ken

Thanks for the input.
I certainly understand changing your trim based on different situations such as wall dives, etc. That said, what position do you generally find yourself in when you quit fining? Without changing your weight configuration can you stay horizontal?

 

[pants!]

Thanks for the input.
I certainly understand changing your trim based on different situations such as wall dives, etc. That said, what position do you generally find yourself in when you quit fining? Without changing your weight configuration can you stay horizontal?

Horizontal, and yes. I mostly use the frog kick, which (when done correctly) involves a single powerful kick followed by a long 'glide'. So I spend probably 1/2 of my time not really moving any body parts, so I have to hold my body in a way that when I'm motionless I don't start tilting one way or the other. Also, by being horizontal when swimming straight, I need to expend a lot less energy because my drag is significantly decreased.

You might be surprised at how much you can control your body position while motionless simply by altering where you keep your head and feet.

 

[xiSkiGuy]

Attempt this by getting the weight as close to evenly distributed around the 'center of bouyancy' as possible. it is impossible achive this perfectly - even getting close takes a lot of work, but the results are worth it. Because variables such as air in the bottle / BC make perfection 'impossible' error should be made towards the horizontal .

Thanks for furthering the discussion. What configuration of equipment/weights did you personally use to achieve this?

 

[xiSkiGuy]

Horizontal, and yes. I mostly use the frog kick, which (when done correctly) involves a single powerful kick followed by a long 'glide'. So I spend probably 1/2 of my time not really moving any body parts, so I have to hold my body in a way that when I'm motionless I don't start tilting one way or the other. Also, by being horizontal when swimming straight, I need to expend a lot less energy because my drag is significantly decreased.

You might be surprised at how much you can control your body position while motionless simply by altering where you keep your head and feet.

pants!, did you have to set your weights up in a particular way to pull this off or can you do this with any weight configuration?

 

[CIBDiving]

Thanks for furthering the discussion. What configuration of equipment/weights did you personally use to achieve this?

please remember I dive in cold water with a drisuit.

BP/W with a STA gives me ~ 9 lbs on my back. I adjusted the main side weight pockets around to be just a little forward of my center line, and they hold 13 lbs each. A crotch strap keeps the waist belt where it belongs ( I need a longer plate, the one I have is too short for a 6' 5" person - I can't get the waist belt comfortably low. )
I always try to dive the same tanks ( and in the same place on the bands) because changing them changes trim. I'm diving a new drisuit and don't have it perfect yet, if I wear the Fleece jump suit I need 2 lbs of ankle weights on each foot. if I dive in levi's I can get rid of the ankle weights ( yeah I just put a fleece pullover on over a tee shirt in summer - can't do that in winter up here). I also adjusted top to bottom placement of the wing.

You can really adjust trim in a drisuit by bending your knees - those feet are on a lever, pull them in you move head up, extend them and you move head down.