Weight of Fins

[HomerNau]

How important is the wheight of the fins?
For me to stay horizontal when I want to stop and view something, I need to stay moving my fins to keep me horizontal. As soon as I stop, my feet go down and it ends up on the reef or ground.

Please help

Thanks

 

[rwardjr]

me too...

 

[Kilili]

Fins aren't THAT heavy underwater. The more common problem is the opposite, legs buoyant from dive suit or body mass. Maybe it's just poor distribution of your weights. Try transferring some higher up, like on tank strap or collar.

You should be able to hover horizontally, regardless of fins, if properly balanced.

 

[Hatul]

I'm leg heavy too. So I position my steel tank a little higher and put a 1lb weight in the top band pocked (XS Scuba quick attach). The problem is if I try to adjust my weight too much towards the head it's harder to swim on back in heavy swells, as it puts my head lower. A larger wing would help with this problem.

Adam

 

[Walter]

How important is the wheight of the fins?

It's not important at all. Simply lean forward and you will easily overcome this problem.

 

[SteveAD]

bending your legs to shorten their lever is a pretty easy solution

 

[tbone1004]

And you should be diving with your thighs parallel to the horizon and your lower legs vertical...

body horizontal, legs back and up

That pic is with jet fins, so a couple of pounds negative on my feet. No problems at all. The important thing is keeping your head down and upper body down, otherwise the tank will push you vertical.
I have videos with good trim on our university server, but they're password protected. You can check youtube, I'm sure there are videos out there, but the big thing is to keep your upper body horizontal. If you trim out fine there and keep your legs up, then you should have no problem hovering motionless.

If you do have to move, backscull very slowly. A lot of the times you'll tend to creep forward, so back sculling slightly keeps you stable

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

How important is the wheight of the fins?
For me to stay horizontal when I want to stop and view something, I need to stay moving my fins to keep me horizontal. As soon as I stop, my feet go down and it ends up on the reef or ground.

Please help

Thanks

There is more to this equation than fins.

What is your full set up when and where you dive?

Filling out your profile gives us more info to work with. If you are in a tropical shortie using a BC with no trim pockets, negatively buoyant fins could be part of the cause of your leg sink. A positively buoyant fin could be the answer.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

And you should be diving with your thighs parallel to the horizon and your lower legs vertical...

body horizontal, legs back and up

That pic is with jet fins, so a couple of pounds negative on my feet. No problems at all. The important thing is keeping your head down and upper body down, otherwise the tank will push you vertical.

The body position you describe (I see no pic) is what I would call a dry suit, cave or muck diver position. For the vast majority of divers in the world there is no need to have a vertical lower leg.

For a reef diver, a body position similar to the top profile of a formula 1 race car is what I teach; Your face the lowest point, straight to slightly arched back, knees only bending due to the reactive force of the water on the fins.

When in this body position, the bubble in the BC bladder is right above the waist, where the center of gravity and most of the weights are.

Why would a "tank" push you vertical?

 

[Marek K]

It's not important at all. Simply lean forward and you will easily overcome this problem.

:mooner: