Help me streamline!!!

NCSU_Diver · Jun 26, 2005

I'm a lucky resident of Topsail Island, NC. Off our shores are some of the best wreck dives available to recreational divers. Becoming a dive buff a year or so ago introduced me to these wrecks. Now at college further inland, I've been diving in a local quarry. I notice though during my past 4 dives there that I have trouble getting my body horrizontal. Being a surfer and skateboarder for most of my life, my legs tend to be nice and strong, of course my 6'5" body comes complete with very long legs. For some reason when I dive, my legs have a tendancy to sink causing me to swim slightly slanted. I know this is not helping my air consumption and sometimes it bothers me underwater knowing I have this problem. I've spent the past two dives trying to find the cause of this. I don't wear weights on my ankles and typically use a weight belt and weights inside my integrated weight system in my BC. Do you have any suggestions to help solve the problem?

Also as a side question. I have heard being neutrally bouyant is when your elevation underwater changes when you breathe in and out (i.e. placing your fins on the bottom and being able to do "push ups" with just breathing) I have no problem getting to this point, but when doing my safety stop at 15 ft. it seems that my breathing likes to take me anywhere between 13 and 17 ft. I've spent probably my last 6 dives practicing this skill at the end of each dive. Anybody else experience this? Is this common? If not any way to solve it?

Scuba_Jenny · Jun 26, 2005

If your feet are drooping, you are overweighted. Try taking off a couple pounds at a time.
As far as your breathing, sounds like you are inhaling/exhaling too much too fast. Try to imitate the way you breathe on the surface while relaxed. Slow and rhythmic. RELAX!!!

Rick Inman · Jun 26, 2005

NCSU_Diver:
I'm a lucky resident of Topsail Island, NC. Off our shores are some of the best wreck dives available to recreational divers. Becoming a dive buff a year or so ago introduced me to these wrecks. Now at college further inland, I've been diving in a local quarry. I notice though during my past 4 dives there that I have trouble getting my body horrizontal. Being a surfer and skateboarder for most of my life, my legs tend to be nice and strong, of course my 6'5" body comes complete with very long legs. For some reason when I dive, my legs have a tendancy to sink causing me to swim slightly slanted. I know this is not helping my air consumption and sometimes it bothers me underwater knowing I have this problem. I've spent the past two dives trying to find the cause of this. I don't wear weights on my ankles and typically use a weight belt and weights inside my integrated weight system in my BC. Do you have any suggestions to help solve the problem?

Also as a side question. I have heard being neutrally bouyant is when your elevation underwater changes when you breathe in and out (i.e. placing your fins on the bottom and being able to do "push ups" with just breathing) I have no problem getting to this point, but when doing my safety stop at 15 ft. it seems that my breathing likes to take me anywhere between 13 and 17 ft. I've spent probably my last 6 dives practicing this skill at the end of each dive. Anybody else experience this? Is this common? If not any way to solve it?

Of course, Jenny is probably correct. You are most likely overweighted.

And staying between (as you say) 13 and 17 feet during your SS, which is 14 to 16 feet, doesn't bother me at all. A one foot drift each way is just fine.

SeanQ · Jun 27, 2005

Don't forget that the first 33ft feet have the greatest pressure change. (1 ATA - 2 ATA) Any changes you make to your bouyancy, such as breathing, will have the greatest effect in that zone.

You could also try repositioning the weight you are already carrying. Does your BC have trim pockets on the back? If not you could try moving some weight onto your tank strap. It doesn't take much weight to change your trim.

lackingcreativity · Jun 27, 2005

NCSU_Diver:
I'm a lucky resident of Topsail Island, NC. Off our shores are some of the best wreck dives available to recreational divers. Becoming a dive buff a year or so ago introduced me to these wrecks. Now at college further inland, I've been diving in a local quarry. I notice though during my past 4 dives there that I have trouble getting my body horrizontal. Being a surfer and skateboarder for most of my life, my legs tend to be nice and strong, of course my 6'5" body comes complete with very long legs. For some reason when I dive, my legs have a tendancy to sink causing me to swim slightly slanted. I know this is not helping my air consumption and sometimes it bothers me underwater knowing I have this problem. I've spent the past two dives trying to find the cause of this. I don't wear weights on my ankles and typically use a weight belt and weights inside my integrated weight system in my BC. Do you have any suggestions to help solve the problem?

Also as a side question. I have heard being neutrally bouyant is when your elevation underwater changes when you breathe in and out (i.e. placing your fins on the bottom and being able to do "push ups" with just breathing) I have no problem getting to this point, but when doing my safety stop at 15 ft. it seems that my breathing likes to take me anywhere between 13 and 17 ft. I've spent probably my last 6 dives practicing this skill at the end of each dive. Anybody else experience this? Is this common? If not any way to solve it?

If its jsut your legs you could try positivly buoyant fins. They won't help a bunch, but they will provide some lift.

O2BBubbleFree · Jun 27, 2005

NCSU_Diver:
I'm a lucky resident of Topsail Island, NC. Off our shores are some of the best wreck dives available to recreational divers.

Lucky Bum!

NCSU_Diver:
I notice though during my past 4 dives there that I have trouble getting my body horrizontal //clip// For some reason when I dive, my legs have a tendancy to sink causing me to swim slightly slanted. //snip//

Also as a side question. I have heard being neutrally bouyant is when your elevation underwater changes when you breathe in and out (i.e. placing your fins on the bottom and being able to do "push ups" with just breathing) I have no problem getting to this point, but when doing my safety stop at 15 ft. it seems that my breathing likes to take me anywhere between 13 and 17 ft. I've spent probably my last 6 dives practicing this skill at the end of each dive. Anybody else experience this? Is this common? If not any way to solve it?

Just a couple of notes. The breath-in-and-out-fin-tip-pushups thing is commonly called a fin-pivot test. Just thought you might want to know that, as its easier to type.

Thats a good way to establish neutral buoyancy at depth (assuming that your not planting your fins on some delicate creature, which I think would be rare in a quarry, but I digress). However, this just establishes that you have the proper amount of air in your BC for your cumulative weight. It doesnt indicate that you are carrying the proper amount of lead. Unless, of course, you are doing your fin-pivot test at 15 with less than 500 PSI in the tank. If you arent sure, there are many posts on this board that discuss proper weighting, and how to establish it. Make sure you are properly weighted before you make any trim adjustments.

Now, assuming that you are properly weighted, a trim adjustment that you might consider (in addition to those already mentioned) is to check the position of your tank. If its too low, it will make you foot-heavy. Can you mount your BC a little lower on the tank (effectively raising the tank) to move some of the tank weight a little closer to your head?

matt_unique · Jun 27, 2005

Scuba_Jenny:
If your feet are drooping, you are overweighted. Try taking off a couple pounds at a time.
As far as your breathing, sounds like you are inhaling/exhaling too much too fast. Try to imitate the way you breathe on the surface while relaxed. Slow and rhythmic. RELAX!!!

The amount of weight you are carrying has nothing to do with the position you retain when neutrally buoyant. The placement of the weight, body type (i.e. long legs/thin frame), and the placement of your gear affect your position underwater.

My legs sink regardless of how much lead I am carrying because I am tall and thin and my body tends to float that way. In a drysuit I can correct this in the way I manage the air in my suit. You can also adjust the position of your tank in your bc. If you slide the bc lower on the tank this can help a bit. You can also be creative with the placement of your lead.

In terms of the depth change during your safety stop..... You may want to try to focus on your depth gauge. You may find your buoyancy is not right on or you may be kicking a bit, etc. If you concentrate on your depth gauge you can get a sense of what you need to do to stay at your safety stop depth.

--Matt

digitale · Jun 27, 2005

If you're diving with a recreational bc, you might want to consider a backplate and wing. I find that my trim is easier to manage underwater with one.

Rick Inman · Jun 27, 2005

matt_unique:
The amount of weight you are carrying has nothing to do with the position you retain when neutrally buoyant.

My example:

As we know, an empty AL80 is heavier at the top than the bottom. If you drop it into the water, it will float valve down - not in perfect trim. Now, put just the right amount of weight at the base of the tank and it will float horizontally, with perfect trim.

Now, if you put too much weight at the bast of the tank, the position of the tank will change and the base will sink downward, out of trim.

Yes, if you then position this weight too far up the tank, you will go out of trim (valve heavy). But too much weight on one side of a scale causes one side to dip.

But I would not say that the amount of weight you are carrying has nothing to do with the position you retain when neutrally buoyant.

How much weight you have and where it is, effects the position you retain when neutral. Many times I've seen people over weighted swim feet down. Get them weighted properly (and make sure the weight is positioned properly) and the trim issue is fixed.

Both are correct.

.02

Bill51 · Jun 27, 2005

I have no problem staying horizontal with my wet suit bottoms and booties on, but with no neoprene below the waist I too have a problem with my feet sinking too much. The solution that works for me is to wrap a 1.5 # ankle weight around my tank valve and Im in perfect trim.

Help me streamline!!!

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