Ankle Weights!!!

All (esp UP and Mike F)....

I've been having some heated debates with a fellow Instructor and a newly certified PADI open water student about the use of ankle weights. The debate got so heated that I blurted out that they should come diving with me and I'd show them that ankle weights are unnecessary and that the term 'floaty feet' is a load of garbage.

Well needless to say they've decided to take me up on the offer to show me once and for all that 'floaty feet' do exist and therefore their requirement for ankle weights is a valid one!!

So now I'm faced with the task of trying a few things to remove the necessity of ankle weights (and more importantly prove that I'm right ).

Now I've a few ideas of my own that will help me acheive this but what I don't want is for my lack of experience in getting someone else's trim right to result in yet another student wasting money on ankle weights. So what process would you guys go through in order to get the trim right?

Thanks in advance - Dave.

PS// I don't want to teach them the flutter or frog-kick just yet so lets stick with a normal (PADI) finning action.

Try the gator wraps, Made by Halcyon, it keeps the air out of the ankles.

Oh yea and proper trim.

All,

FYI - the peope I'm talking about aren't using Dry Suits - I use a drysuit but have never found a need for either ankle weights or gator wraps.

What I need to know is how do I approach getting the trim right with a 'floaty feet' person? Do I start by moving the tank down a bit or ????

dlarbale once bubbled...
All (esp UP and Mike F)....
PS// I don't want to teach them the flutter or frog-kick just yet so lets stick with a normal (PADI) finning action.

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What exactly is a "normal (PADI) fin stroke?

In my experience, there are people who benefit from the use of ankle weights. Generally they are short and fat, can't wear a weight belt, and there is only a short range of adjustability for the tank position on their short torso. Never say never.

Neil

You went and stepped in it Dave... and now you have to get it off your shoe...

OK...

First of all realize that often it is the perception that the feet are floating too high rather than the actuality you need to deal with.

These folk probably fin pivoted their way in thinking that correct form is to swim through the water at a 45 degree angle.

The correct horizontal position with feet up (slightly for a modified flutter kick) will seem foreign to them... the will feel like their feet are too high.

You job will be to convince them that having their feet slightly higher than their head and torso is not a bad thing but a good thing.

I suggest that you do not start at the pool or ow divesite.... start on the floor in street clothes... and then put fins on them and let them try modified flutter kicks.

Sometimes Ankle weights are needed. I've just swapped drysuits to a new cold water membrane suit (Oceanic Aerdura), which has hard boots lined with 7mm neoprene. I've had to add ankle weight to counteract the positive bouyancy of these just to stay level

And before you moan about trim and bouyancy control, I should point out that I have over 2000 dives in a drysuit so I masterd trim a long time ago. I have tried managing without the ankle weight but cannot trim out without it. I do not need ankle weight on any other suit

Having said that, I do normally wear ankle weight. It means less weight on my weighjtbelt and makes wearing the drysuit in the water while not diving much easier and safer (ie launching RIB etc). Also means I can put extra air in when doing long ice dives for warmth (Which is far more effective than using argon)

Ankle weights are NOT bad (in fact quite the opposite). Excessive ankle weight (or any other weight) is

madmole once bubbled...
And before you moan about trim and bouyancy control, I should point out that I have over 2000 dives in a drysuit so I masterd trim a long time ago. I have tried managing without the ankle weight but cannot trim out without it.

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...doesn't sound like you've mastered it at all.


*Masters of trim* don't need training wheels.

Do the solid rubber fins favoured by those DIR chaps count as ankle weights

I'm not a techie and I abhorr DIR (I suppose that's about my right).

I wear ankle weights when wearing a drysuit (and only then) because if I didn't (checked) my feet would get out ot the boots.

And YES, I am part of the PADI family.

nickjb once bubbled...
Do the solid rubber fins favoured by those DIR chaps count as ankle weights

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Well there are floaty fins and sinky fins...