Hovering

[BarryNL]

I find that skill difficult myself, plus I don't see a need to master it anyway.

It's great for drift diving - just sit there cross legged in the current and let the world pass you by...

 

[Cudabait]

Your DM course teaches you to be able to demonstrate hoovering "neutral buoayancy". There is no required position (PADI). Mastering the concept of neutral buoyancy is what is important. Other than for demonstration purposes, I have yet to see my first diver swimming along in the lotus position. I must have missed Barry along the way.

Regards,

 

[ffdiver]

After talking to my instructor,no, its not required to do it in any said position but i just kinda wanted to master that one because i was having trouble with it. thats all.

 

[Soggy]

ffdiver: I'm glad you were able to accomplish your goal.

To quote an IDCS who worked with us during my IDC: "If you can hover in one position, you can hover in all positions - now, show me". He was, of course, right: dead-turtle or horizontal or lotus isn't a hovering/bouyancy issue, it's a trim/balance/equipment-issue.

I know lots of people who can hover in a 30-45 degree knees down position or 'standing' up, or other useless position, but can't get horizontal and stay there to save their lives and I know people who can get in trim and stay there in nearly any piece of gear.

Trim is less an equipment and weighting issue and primarily a technique and skill issue that revolves around moving your legs and arms toward and away from your body to shuffle your center of balance.

What the heck is dead-turtle?

Anyhow, to summarize:
cross legged position: absolutely no use in any diving scenario, impedes travel in all directions in an emergency, promotes bad diving habits.

horizontal: useful in all diving scenarios, best position to move in any direction, up/down, forward/backward, or side-to-side

Can we move on now?

 

[Green_Manelishi]

ffdiver: I'm glad you were able to accomplish your goal.

I know lots of people who can hover in a 30-45 degree knees down position or 'standing' up, or other useless position, but can't get horizontal and stay there to save their lives and I know people who can get in trim and stay there in nearly any piece of gear.

Trim is less an equipment and weighting issue and primarily a technique and skill issue that revolves around moving your legs and arms toward and away from your body to shuffle your center of balance.

What the heck is dead-turtle?

Anyhow, to summarize:
cross legged position: absolutely no use in any diving scenario, impedes travel in all directions in an emergency, promotes bad diving habits.

horizontal: useful in all diving scenarios, best position to move in any direction, up/down, forward/backward, or side-to-side

Can we move on now?

On your back? Bad position for a turtle

 

[MikeFerrara]

ffdiver: I'm glad you were able to accomplish your goal.




Trim is less an equipment and weighting issue and primarily a technique and skill issue that revolves around moving your legs and arms toward and away from your body to shuffle your center of balance.

This is true only within certain limits. Moving your arms, legs, head, shoulders and arching your back all move your centers but only so much. If your balance is off more than that you will not be able to compensate with body position.

So...it's both equipment and technique.

Take a cold water diver in a heavy wet suit. Put them, in a AL tank, BC and enough weight on their belt to get them down...oh, this is a lean guy like me who does not have a floaty butt. LOL. Take the diver down to where the suit has compressed and they are very over weight, air in the BC, a bunch of weight on their belt (butt) and they'll need arms that are negative and 20 ft long to balance things out. It might work for an ape but not for most humans...unless of course they have that floaty butt.

 

[lascuba]

I think it is harder for you because in a vertical position you have less space in the pool. You may feel a little out of control in that position so what you might want to do is find a mark on the pool wall and use that as a reference point to help keep your orientation in the water.

Let me know how it works.

Lori

 

[tedtim]

...I just cannot seem to stay still long enough to fold my legs and hover Indian style.

Neither could I, but that is because of restricted mobility to bend my knee to that angle due to surgery. I can bend my leg, but not to the point where I can reach down and grab the fin on one foot. The other leg is not a problem. There was no problem getting through the DM course doing it another way. As another poster has indicated, the cross leg positon is not the standard. It is one way of demonstrating the skill.

 

[tedtim]

Actually, ScubaSteve...(Try a spell check)

In the verticle or cross-legged position, that surface area is minimized therefore reducing the verticle resistance and making it more difficult to control your verticle movement, maintain your verticle position, while performing the skill.

:lol:

 

[alcina]

cross legged position: absolutely no use in any diving scenario,

Gee, and here I am having fun doing exactly this some days while drift diving...I even do it backwards on occasion.

And I use it now and then to hang about with my camera gear tucked up on my lap. Do I need to do it this way? No, but it's comfy.

Absolutes are hard to come by