Trying to compensate for feet down trim when wearing no exposure protection and little weight

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Can you elaborate? Preferably before tomorrow morning at 7 am.
It's 7:22 am here, so I failed you. You're not moving weight with an AL80 in the water: you're moving a "bubble". The back end is significantly lighter in the water. It's also a bubble on a pivot. Move the BC all the way up to benefit at all from the bubble effect. No, it's not much, but it's a bit.
 
There is nothing you can adjust on your gear that will make you legs trim perfectly horizontal. They are meat and bone with no air pockets... Your torso is meat and bones with air pockets (ie lungs) wrapped in neoprene and is where your BCD is located, making you a kind of air taco.

The idea that a diver can sit for fifteen minutes perfectly trim midwater and can maintain that is absolute BS. Your legs are sinky and your chest is floaty. If you die of an instant brain seizure you will either end up on the surface or on the bottom. In a shorty tropical rig the legs will be pointing down. Like a bird in the sky you remain trim in the water through subtle movements of fins, arms and body. Those that do it well will make it look effortless.

I apologize if I have undermined any instructors that are trying to maintain the shamanic mythos that if you buy one more class you will be able to magically levitate in midwater with the stone cold stillness of death.

Try bent at the knees and flicking your ankles every now and again to maintain orientation.
 
. . . I can't move 2 lbs up because no 1 lb weights are available. . . . .

We who are obsessed with being horizontal on tropical dive trips sometimes bring our own pair of 1 lb. weights. I know this doesn't help you on this particular trip.
 
You stated in the OP that you have access to 2 lb weights, so you could place 2 lbs in a shoulder trim pocket and place 2 2-lb weights where you have your 6 lbs now. Otherwise, 2 2-lb weights above on each side and 1 2-lb weight below. All configurations are equal to 6 lbs.

You correct the 2 lb imbalance with body position

I dived today with a 2 lb weight on the tank band and 2- 2 lb weights on the hips. It was better but still feet down. I added 1 lb to the tank band. With that configuration it was slightly better but I found if I leaned a bit one way or the other I'd tend to list to that side and stay there. We're talking only slightly- but more annoying than the feet down position I was trying to correct in the first place.

I think I'm going to try 2+2+2+2 between upper and lower pockets to keep everything balanced since 3 lbs on the strap wasn't enough anyway.

As @CT-Rich said, I am probably chasing my tail on this one but heck it's giving me something to do while I'm watching the pretty fish go by.

Move the BC all the way up to benefit at all from the bubble effect

I'll try this too.
 
I thought you were wearing 6 lbs total. If you've moved your AL80 down with no help, put 3 pounds on each side of the tank on the upper cam band. If you're using 8 lbs total, do the same with 4 pounds on each side. If still no help and you're using a wing and have any air in it (shouldn't have in the tropics) move the wing down to the lowest set of holes.
 
I thought you were wearing 6 lbs total. If you've moved your AL80 down with no help, put 3 pounds on each side of the tank on the upper cam band.

I was using 6 lbs tota which is all I need but in an attempt to improve feet up trim I've added to lbs and I'm now up to 8 lbs.

If I was to consider trying your suggestion, then why not just put them in the shoulder weight pockets, they're almost exactly the same height, if not slightly higher than the cam band. I don't use a wing, it's a rear inflate BCD.
 
why not just put them in the shoulder weight pockets, they're almost exactly the same height, if not slightly higher than the cam band.

Yes, that should work.
 
The idea that a diver can sit for fifteen minutes perfectly trim midwater and can maintain that is absolute BS. .

what are you willing to bet? I can record it to win..heck, lets do 20 mins, and record with multiple cameras so you know no cheating
 
The idea that a diver can sit for fifteen minutes perfectly trim midwater and can maintain that is absolute BS. Your legs are sinky and your chest is floaty
To hang horizontal and stable, first put a bunch of floating stuff on your back, legs, and arms. Then a belt with a ton of lead in front at just the right height between your belly and chest. You will float like a very bottom heavy, top light long air ship with the gondola set at just the right spot along its length, with its trim thrusters turned off. It's just physics.

If the belt half up your chest is not that convenient, put some weight on the front part of your shoulders and some in a normal weight belt, to the front. Split the weight as needed to get horizontal trim. Then just hang there, perfectly stable. Just do not flail your arms and legs needlessly. Turning to the side will be a pain, as you will be very keel/belly heavy. But you will be stable in horizontal trim.

Making it diveable just means not tending it so far toward being massively belly heavy.

Biasing your lead HEAVY to the front is NOT a good idea for a new diver as it tries hard to keep you horizontal even on the surface. Where you may well want to breath surface air, not lay face down. Nor in that extreme is it what I'd recommend for any diver. But I think the point that it keeps you stable and horizontal is clear.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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