Need help with horizontal trim

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SlvrDragon50

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Longwood, FL
# of dives
50 - 99
My setup:

SS BP + STA w/ AL80 tank, Halcyon 40# wing
No weight
4/3mm wetsuit w/ 5/3mm hood and hard soled boots
SP Jets

I'm having difficulty achieving that perfect horizontal trim you see in GUE videos and the like. I can get reasonably close to the trim, but I'm finding that my feet are still heavy and falling down so I'm at maybe 10 degrees from the horizontal? I can temporarily get horizontal every now and then, but I usually have to be kicking somewhere.

I've already tried moving my tank up so now my head touches the hoses if I put my head all the way back.

I don't really want to use a weight up top since I already don't need weight, but I'm not really sure what else I can do. Any suggestions? Or do I just need to keep diving and fine tune my buoyancy.
 
What kind of fins do you wear?
Brand and model?

Chug
Hates Voit Vikings and Scubapro Jets.
 
Try lighter fins or experiment w/weights ( pockets ) on top cam band......You said 'buoyancy' in your last sentence, did you mean 'trim' ?????......Buoyancy needs to be down-pat before 'trim' can be where you want it.......
 
I have the exact same problem in the same config with heavy fins like Jets. Simplest answer, lighter fins. Others will no doubt go on about changing equipment to fix a technique issue but that's what I do. I wear heavy fins with a drysuit.
 
Chugwhump:
What kind of fins do you wear?
Brand and model?

Chug
Hates Voit Vikings and Scubapro Jets.
Click to expand...
Scubapro Jets :p

What fins are lighter than the Jets? I thought most of the paddle fins are heavier than the Jets.

Hollis F1 - like a brick
Dive Rite EXP - my ankles are pretty weak, in PT for them, I don't think these will work for me with their stiffness
Turtles - you need drysuit boots for these right? because of the massive foot pocket? (I wear size 9 boots)

By buoyancy, I mean that I tend to have my BC underinflated every now and then. During safety stop, I can maintain depth pretty easily, but when I'm going up and down in the cavern, my buoyancy is mediocre.
 
Simple answer, if you're foot heavy then you either need to lighten the weighting below your waist or add weight above your waist.

lighter fins might help, UTD has a pair that's actually a bit positive in salt water.

Since you're not wearing any weight right now it would be counter productive to add weight above your waist, overweighting yourself in the process.

an alternative might be to change out your stainless plate for an aluminum plate and add a bit of weight up at the top of the backplate or on the shoulder straps to offset your heavy feet.

Play around a bit till you find the balance point that works best for you, the rewards are worth the effort.
 
SlvrDragon50:
My setup:

SS BP + STA w/ AL80 tank, Halcyon 40# wing
No weight
4/3mm wetsuit w/ 5/3mm hood and hard soled boots
SP Jets

I'm having difficulty achieving that perfect horizontal trim you see in GUE videos and the like. I can get reasonably close to the trim, but I'm finding that my feet are still heavy and falling down so I'm at maybe 10 degrees from the horizontal? I can temporarily get horizontal every now and then, but I usually have to be kicking somewhere.

I've already tried moving my tank up so now my head touches the hoses if I put my head all the way back.

I don't really want to use a weight up top since I already don't need weight, but I'm not really sure what else I can do. Any suggestions? Or do I just need to keep diving and fine tune my buoyancy.
Click to expand...

I put a 2 lb ankle weight around the tank neck.
 
Horizontal trim requires abdominal and lower back strength. Knees should be bent almost 90 degrees- failing that try extending your arms further in front to balance your leg weight.

DevonDiver has a good write-up on horizontal trim here:
10 Tips to Attain a Better Horizontal Hover | Scuba Diving Techniques
and here
Trim & Position | 5of9 | Scuba Buoyancy Masterclass

flutter-oneweb.jpg

The diver here (taken from Google images) will have some difficulty seeing straight ahead- but his legs are in good position. I would imagine he is not actually hovering, rather frog-kicking as his arms are positioned behind his center weight.

Jets are reasonably heavy- my XL's were the best part of 7lb. I prefer my Quattros TBH.
 
supergaijin:
Horizontal trim requires abdominal and lower back strength. Knees should be bent almost 90 degrees- failing that try extending your arms further in front to balance your leg weight.

DevonDiver has a good write-up on horizontal trim here:
10 Tips to Attain a Better Horizontal Hover | Scuba Diving Techniques

View attachment 177275

The diver here (taken from Google images) will have some difficulty seeing straight ahead- but his legs are in good position. I would imagine he is not actually hovering, rather frog-kicking as his arms are positioned behind his center weight.

Jets are reasonably heavy- my XL's were the best part of 7lb. I prefer my Quattros TBH.
Click to expand...
Yea, so during my cavern course, my instructor moved the tank up a ton, and I was actually able to achieve the trim in that picture. However, like you said, I had trouble seeing straight ahead. I felt like I had to stick my neck out constantly in order to avoid hitting my first stage.

So muscles, I discovered today that if I actively arch my back with lower back muscles, I could get closer to the horizontal trim, but I still had difficulty getting the 90* (or maybe I did, I just couldn't feel it, I'll hve to try and get pictures next time). Should I be actively using my muscles throughout the dive? It seemed pretty taxing for the brief minutes I did it. I am doing squats in the gym.

I will try sticking my arms further out next time.
 
I believe Jets are just over 3 pounds dry. Mares Quattros are just over 2 pounds. I know Mares Xstreams are positive in the water, but trying to do a back kick in them is difficult
 
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