Leg weights

[ivobj]

This advice is not limited to steel tanks only - will help even if diving AL tanks, as the net result is moving some of your weight closer to your midpoint.

Hi RJP, I agree with you that moving AL tanks would have same effect in the begining of the dive, but would it also help when approaching the end of the dive?

Reason I ask is just curiosity in case you tested that, I didn't suggested before to lower too much an AL tank because intuitively, as AL tanks are positive in the end of the dive, I imagined they would have opposite effect, giving you a floating coeficient higher near your waist, as you have lowered the tank mass in that direction, tending to raise your feet even more, now I got curious, I like to be able to reach the valve, but just for fun maybe I'll try to see what happens...

 

[Splitlip]

Highly unlikely that you need ankle weights considering you are diving wet.

Most, if not all people diving wetsuits have the opposite problem. I agree with others about adjusting your cylinder. I think you may be simply too heads down and I bet so are your legs.

And as others have said, a more negative fin could be considered i either case before ankle weights.

 

[almitywife]

Highly unlikely that you need ankle weights considering you are diving wet.......

i love blanket comments..... ive been waiting all day for Jeff to post that ankle weights are a quick fix for a equipment or skill problem

ive been diving with ankle weights for over 10yrs - i dont see why they bother other people so much

cheers

 

[Splitlip]

i love blanket comments..... ive been waiting all day for Jeff to post that ankle weights are a quick fix for a equipment or skill problem

ive been diving with ankle weights for over 10yrs - i dont see why they bother other people so much

cheers

Not intended to be a blanket comment, and they don't bother me. I am just trying to help.

I've been around the pond since 1973. I have never seen anyone get any benefit from using ankle weights with a wetsuit that could not be fixed in a simpler and perhaps better way.

Not to sound too much like Jeff, but actually he makes some good points in these regards.

 

[Teamcasa]

There is no one solution for every body type.
If moving around tanks and other ballast does not help then by all means, try the ankle weights. Funny, some folks boo hoo ankles weights yet recommend heavy fins.

 

[Jorgy]

For my own understanding and education........

What is the difference between using ankle weights or going to a heavier negatively buoyant fin? And why is the fin approach preferred?

Other than "extra gear" the ankle weights, you are still putting more mass at the end of your legs so from an effort perspective is it not the same?

Thanks.........M

 

[cmburch]

I used ankle weights, but it was to get some of the weight off my belt for hiking. I did not have trim problems with or without ankle weights. Since I switched to a steel tank and a 1 piece wetsuit, I have been able to get down to 24lbs of ballast, so I do not need them anymore. If they work for your needs then great.

 

[S. starfish]

You may not have floaty legs at all. There are a few minor things that you could be doing which are causing you center of gravity to shift forward slightly resulting your legs up position and the illusion of floaty feet. Without diving with you or having any pictures or video or in fact any idea of how you're diving it is a little hard to say what might be going but I'll give you a list of a few things you can experiment with the next time you're out.

On the technique side of things:
- Arching your back. Arching your back causes your center of gravity to move forward. Maybe you are arching it quite a bit and not noticing.

-Positioning of your legs. The position of your legs can make quite a difference. If you are going for horizontal trim and trying to look like the guys in the wkpp videos (flat with knees bent around 90º) it is possible that you are bringing your heels a bit too close to your tank (moving center of gravity forward), try extending your legs out from the knees to shift your center of gravity back. This technique works best if you are using a frog kick rather than a flutter. Dropping your knees will shift your center of gravity down your body towards your hips, but it is bad form.

On the equipment side of things:

-Fins. Do your fins float? Floaty fins can be a pain in the butt. Ankles weights can be a good way to compensate, but I'd try to learn without them, that way if you ever end up without them it doesn't really matter.

-Tank position as mentioned earlier.

-Distribution of weight/BCD fit. You mentioned that your weight is evenly distributed in your bcd. Great. Now how does your BCD ride on your body while your diving? Does it move up towards your head? It is possible that evenly distributing the weight along your bcd isn't what works best for your body composition, you might benefit from moving some weight onto a weightbelt.


As for needing more weight above 35ft, that is a physics issue and has absolutely nothing to do with your chromosomes. The deeper you dive the higher the ambient pressure and the more your wetsuit will compress. The more your wetsuit compresses the less it floats, requiring less weight to compensate for its buoyancy, so if you are conducting a dive around 100ft chances are you can get away with using less weight and just swimming against the buoyant force of your wetsuit in the shallower water. Not really the best idea though, you might want to check your weighting the next time you go out.

 

[Sas]

For my own understanding and education........

What is the difference between using ankle weights or going to a heavier negatively buoyant fin? And why is the fin approach preferred?

Other than "extra gear" the ankle weights, you are still putting more mass at the end of your legs so from an effort perspective is it not the same?

Thanks.........M

Ankle weights are an extra bit of gear that you have to remember. They can fall off. They can get caught in things. If I could avoid wearing ankle weights I would just for those reasons. I know some people put weights inside booties to get around some of these issues but generally weights are not a shape where that would be comfortable, and it also might make it harder to put your booties on.

 

[Jorgy]

Good point about dropping a weight, I didn't think of that...........

Thanks..............M