Horizontal trim

kyletaylor · Sep 2, 2013

Hi all I've been following this forum since the start of the year. Heaps of awesome info on here so thanks heaps for that! I started scuba diving at the start of the year after freediving/spearfishing for the past 6. Have just finished dive master and am just about to move on to instructor level. ( am doing a year long diploma course).
Recently I have been trying to get my horizontal trim in the water better as I find when I try hover I find my self fighting to stop my self going vertical. I'm just using a standard jacket style BCD but am diving in semi cold water so wearing 2 piece 7 mm with 13 kg of lead. I'm planning on getting a bp/w setup at the end of the year but if anyone has any ideas on how I can improve my trim in the mean time it would be awesome!
Cheers
Kyle

Davidccs · Sep 2, 2013

Where is your weight located? If its all in your weight belt then that's probably the root of your troubles, if its distributed in your BC then try using ankle weights?

I apologize in advance for being rude but for a dive master you should already be comfortable with your trim, maybe you are going through the paces too fast?

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 4

fisheater · Sep 2, 2013

Check out these articles. They should help.

Horizontal Trim 101 – Levers
Horizontal Trim 101 - Uses

fisheater · Sep 2, 2013

http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/training/horizontal-trim-101-levers/

http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/training/horizontal-trim-101-uses/

I double checked the URLs and they're both good and the articles there are are helpful. I have no idea how the titles come up as SPAM Viagra when I first posted them.

Be sure to remove the "[DOT]" with a real . before trying to use them.

Tessunderwater · Sep 2, 2013

Jacket style bcs tend to try and place you slightly off perfect horizontal trim. If your going head up, try picking up your knees. Also get in the pool with a mirror or video yourself so you can see exactly how you are positioned in the water.

kyletaylor · Sep 2, 2013

Davidccs:
Where is your weight located? If its all in your weight belt then that's probably the root of your troubles, if its distributed in your BC then try using ankle weights?

I apologize in advance for being rude but for a dive master you should already be comfortable with your trim, maybe you are going through the paces too fast?

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 4

Cheers for the replies. My trim is sweet when I'm swimming its just when I'm still. Was in the pool today and set the camera up so will look at that. My weight is on my waist. I was thinking this could be the issue

tphelps · Sep 2, 2013

It kinda depends on your configuration. If you are diving with a back plate then it might be easy to get some trim weights up towards your shoulders/neck. I have met some divers that put weight pouches on the shoulders of the BC, behind the dump valve and underneath the hose. You can also add a weight pocket on your BC strap so you have a little extra weight behind you. Other than that, think about what these guys are mentioning like getting your ankles up. When I was first learning how to get my trim right, I would watch lots of cave/tech training videos (because cave divers have to have the best trim). Give Youtube a whirl and you might be surprised what you find! Aloha!

DevonDiver · Sep 2, 2013

kyletaylor:
My trim is sweet when I'm swimming its just when I'm still.

Sorry if this sounds critical... but that's not trim. Most novice divers can compensate poor buoyancy/trim when using fins for propulsion. Trim is when you're at the proper horizontal attitude when static... without 'cheating' influence from your fins/forward motion.

kyletaylor:
My weight is on my waist. I was thinking this could be the issue

The air in the BCD pulls your upper torso up. The weight around your waist pulls the lower torso down. If you're over-weighted, that relationship becomes more exaggerated.

1) Get your weighting right. That means being able to hold a 5m hover with no air in your BCD when your cylinder is at (or just below) minimum reserve.

2) Test your trim when static (parachutist position - slight arch to back)

3) Re-distribute a small amount of weight to correct trim deviations (retain sufficient dumpable weight to ensure positive buoyancy if ditched).

4) Consider cylinder positioning.

5) Consider relative buoyancy characteristics of your equipment (i.e. heavy/negative fins etc) and how that applies to your trim.

Take a look at my article: Precision Trim and Position Control

Jim-SAR · Sep 2, 2013

fisheater:
http://www.deepseasherpa [DOT] com/blog/training/horizontal-trim-101-levers/

http://www.deepseasherpa [DOT] com/blog/training/horizontal-trim-101-uses/

I double checked the URLs and they're both good and the articles there are are helpful. I have no idea how the titles come up as SPAM Viagra when I first posted them.

Be sure to remove the "[DOT]" with a real . before trying to use them.

Thanks for the links. There's some good info there. I had reported them when I saw the Viagra titles. Those links might come in handy down the road, but they're not very useful for diving. ;-)

Here's my attempt at re-linking them:

http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/training/horizontal-trim-101-levers/

http://www.deepseasherpa.com/blog/training/horizontal-trim-101-uses/

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

tracydr · Sep 2, 2013

The best description of trim and how to fix it is in the book "the six skills". An excellent book for any diver.

Horizontal trim

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