What factor gives you greatest stability...?

[BKP]

Let me qualify this...

This isn't meant to be a bp/w vs. softpack vs. traditional bcd thread.
I've seen phrases such as: "trims out better..."; "more stable..."; "allows better buoyancy control...", etc., and I'm always looking to improve skills. If there's a bit of equipment that helps accomplish the above (or makes it more difficult), I'm interested in hearing what has contributed the most.

Is it trim weights? If so, where did you locate them. Was it tightening up on the shoulder straps? Raising or lowering your rig on the tank(s)? Change in approach?

What helped... what hurt?

 

[spectrum]

For me the breakthrough moment was on dive #7 when at the advice of a mentor I moved 6 pounds from my belt to my trim pockets. That simple change catapulted my stability and to trim to where I was hoping to be by the end of the season. From there it all fell into place.

I was (am) diving a Sherwood Avid BC that had good fit and kept the steel cylinder down close to my back.

I have also always rigged my weight belt so those weights are down as low when prone as practical to lower the center of gravity.

Pete

 

[Gary D.]

Gray Matter.

Gary D.

 

[D_B]

I thought I would sell my steel HP100 when I first got it (18 OW Dives) I could not get it trimmed out and was totally disappointed in what had happened to my previously good trim ... A mentor helped me and all is well now ... ended up putting all weights in weight pouches (Knighthawk integrated BC) and removed 4 more pounds I was overweight from the already removed 7 pounds for the tank .. having the weight low and not in trim pouches on back raised the center of buoyancy (lowering center of gravity) with that much heavier tank up above .. being stable in all (almost) axis is sooo cool

 

[Teamcasa]

Practice.

 

[TSandM]

I think getting the correct amount of weight, and distributing it so that you can remain horizontal without finning, is the beginning of being really stable and happy underwater. In cold water, where we carry SO much weight because of the exposure protection, getting it in the right place to balance is critical. A BP/W helps a lot of people, simply by moving five pounds up onto their back, and by decreasing the total amount of weight they have to carry (because it has no intrinsic buoyancy).

 

[Teamcasa]

Practice.

I apologize for the curt answer.

Have a buddy video tape you while diving. Also, have him/her carry some 1 or 2 pound clip weights to move around you as you dive. Review the tape and adjust. Once you have found the perfect weight placement. Then incorporate them into your gear setup.

Then practice.

 

[Noviz]

I'm kind of tall, and I though I was trimmed out nicely, until I borrowed a gigunda steel LP120. (It was a hot water heater in a previous life) and tried it out... it was a revelation. Trim was effortless... I've never felt so good in the water. Since then I put suspenders on the weightbelt and wear it by the hips, simulating the balance of that tank. (I have integrated pockets if I need to ditch some ballast, so I'm cool with the added difficulty of dropping the belt. Also, it keeps it from slipping when the suit compresses). The moral of the story it this.... every person and every configuration of gear trims differently. Play around, see what works for you.

 

[BKP]

I apologize for the curt answer.

Have a buddy video tape you while diving. Also, have him/her carry some 1 or 2 pound clip weights to move around you as you dive. Review the tape and adjust. Once you have found the perfect weight placement. Then incorporate them into your gear setup.

Then practice.

No problem, and I *do* understand practice cures 98% of most diving ills...

I have close to 450 dives in multiple scenarios (always switching between warm, cold, al, steel, skin/3mm/5mm), so constantly adjusting (and usually have to reference my computer log to see what I wore/weighted at a particular site prior to diving it again, just to save time). Sometimes I feel sloppier than others, even with the same equipment in the same location, so I thought I'd ask the best resource pool I know of, what makes the biggest difference for y'all...

 

[cool_hardware52]

Let me qualify this...

This isn't meant to be a bp/w vs. softpack vs. traditional bcd thread.
I've seen phrases such as: "trims out better..."; "more stable..."; "allows better buoyancy control...", etc., and I'm always looking to improve skills. If there's a bit of equipment that helps accomplish the above (or makes it more difficult), I'm interested in hearing what has contributed the most.

Is it trim weights? If so, where did you locate them. Was it tightening up on the shoulder straps? Raising or lowering your rig on the tank(s)? Change in approach?

What helped... what hurt?

There's no one thing. It's a process. Each of the things you list impact stability and the ease of maintaining trim.

Step one should be determining ideal minimum weighting. Getting "trimmed" and then changing your total ballast can force the diver to start over.

Step two is everything you list

Access to a large institutional pool is a great advantage. Pools have flat horizontal bottoms that provide a true horizontal reference. Make single small changes, i.e. don't change the tank position, harness adjustment and trim weights all at once. One thing at a time.

Tobin