Back inflate bcd tilting to the side

[LuckyLuke]

Hi guys,

i have an issue with my Apeks Exotec bcd. It seems, that it is tilting me to the side, when i am in a horizontal trim position. I have 1kg weights in my shoulder trim pockets, and the rest in the weight pockets around my waist. When I shift a bit to the opposite side, to let the air shift, it takes care of the problem, but i kinda have to repeat that all the time and constantly adjust in that way, which is annoying.

Is it possible i dont have the bcd set up right? To loose straps or something like that?

As I am planing to do some dives over the weekend to get it dialed in before my trip, any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Luka

 

[Outbound]

How much air do you have in your BCD? You might be overweighted and are compensating by having to put more air in your BCD, which is then creating a bubble that is shifting as you move around. You might also have too much weight in the trim pockets, which can also make you feel "rolly."

 

[LuckyLuke]

Thanks for your input. I think I am not overweighted, but you might be onto something regarding too much weight in the pockets.

How can I fix this? The 2 kg I have in the trim pockets are non dumpable, so I am a bit hesitant to put some more in.

Thanks,
Luka

Edit: I just checked a gopro video from a buddy, that happened to caught me going through an obstacle- end of the dive, about 6m deep, I hade some air in the left side of the bcd - enough for it to be really noticable on video. So too much weight? Loose a kilo and try again?

 

[Outbound]

Actually you'd want to try removing some of the weight in the trim pockets.

Most newer divers are overweighted. Then they add air to the BCD to compensate, which, especially when combined with poor trim, means the air goes up to the shoulder area and worsens the trim. So they compensate by putting more weight in the trim pockets, which makes them roll around too much. So, my advice would be to reduce the weight in your trim pockets and do a proper weight check. You might find that you were overweighted by that amount (or maybe even more). If you are too light, then move the weight to your waist. See if that helps you feel more stable.

Good luck! It can take a while to get your weighting and trim correct. But once you do you'll find diving much easier and more comfortable.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Thanks, but arent those shoulder trim pockets intended to prevent the front roll? They do the job, but underwater, it tends to roll me on the side.

So a step by step proces should be the way to go - empty the trim pockets and take 1 kilo (of 9 total) out, and see what that does?

In retrospect, I had trouble with back frog kick, as I was swimimg up... so possibly, the shoulder trim weight are the culprit?

My instructor said to much weight is not the problem, as you just put more air in the bcd, but obviously, that is not the best way

 

[billgraham]

It looks like a U-shaped wing with the inflator on on the left side. If you dip that shoulder, the gas should even out. You can reach back and feel each side of the wing and see if the left side is more inflated, and also if you've got a lot of gas in the wing at depth it makes the problem worse. I see that there's a pull dump on the bottom of the wing on both sides, so you can get used to finding the one with your left hand instead of using the shoulder dump on the right side.

 

[Outbound]

Thanks, but arent those shoulder trim pockets intended to prevent the front roll? They do the job, but underwater, it tends to roll me on the side.

So a step by step proces should be the way to go - empty the trim pockets and take 1 kilo (of 9 total) out, and see what that does?

In retrospect, I had trouble with back frog kick, as I was swimimg up... so possibly, the shoulder trim weight are the culprit?

My instructor said to much weight is not the problem, as you just put more air in the bcd, but obviously, that is not the best way

Trim weights are used to help a diver get horizontal in the water. However, putting too much weight in them - the exact amount will vary between divers and their gear configuration - can make you feel like you are about to roll over to one side or the other.

With all respect to your instructor, he/she is wrong. Yes, you can always add more air to your BCD to offset your weighting (up to a point), but that is far from ideal. Overweighting causes a host of issues: it consumes more air as you constantly inflate and deflate your BCD to maintain neutral buoyancy, it messes up your trim, it cases divers to inadvertently swim up at an angle because they have so much air behind their shoulders, it exacerbates hand skulling, etc. It is also just more weight to swim with and lug around topside.

So, do yourself a huge favor and work hard on getting your weighting correct. This is about proper weight distribution as much as it is about the proper amount of weight overall. Once you get it all set, you will use less air, your trim will get better, you will stop felling like you're rolling around underwater, and you will feel MUCH more comfortable in the water.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Ok, so trim pockets are kind of a last resort?

 

[tursiops]

Ok, so trim pockets are kind of a last resort?

No, not a last resort, rather, part of the solution.
Get your total weighting correct without using the trim pockets, and see if you are horizontal when relaxed. If not, you are probably feet down, head up. Take 1kg from each side pocket and put it into the trim pockets --- don't change the overall amount of weight you have, just move some of it to the trim pockets. See if that helps the horizontal trim. If it is not enough, move some more. But make sure you leave enough in your side/front pockets that you can dump it at the surfacekif needed to establish buoyancy.

 

[billgraham]

I think it's more that you're inflating on the left and dumping on the right. You can dump on the left side of the wing, looks like. Close your eyes and find it 25 times in a row before you start the dive next time and see if using that dump helps. You're always going to have to wriggle the gas around a little with a u-shaped wing design so as other people have mentioned, the less that's in there, the better. If you're diving in a wetsuit, you become less bouyant at depth so that could be another factor.