Tips to doing that motionless hover

[Progen]

I can hover motionless fine for say 5 to 6 seconds. Maybe 10 - 15 if I really work at it but are there any tricks or tips to being able to maintain it for as long as the diver likes?

My trim's as horizontal as good as it can get. Weighting's fine too since I use no weights with my 1mm wetsuit in both fresh and seawater. It does require slight conscious effort and constant checking at the depth gauge when I'm sidemounting with 2 near empty (have tried to 40 bar) AL80s but other than that, no weights required. Glide fine without any depth changes so again that should prove that my trim and weighting's alright. Hardly touch the inflator button except when surfacing after a dive and going close to 20 metres and beyond.

 

[DevonDiver]

I can hover motionless fine for say 5 to 6 seconds. Maybe 10 - 15 if I really work at it but are there any tricks or tips to being able to maintain it for as long as the diver likes?

Relaxation.

My trim's as horizontal as good as it can get.

I've thought that a few times in the last 22 years. I was always wrong. Still improving.

 

[agilis]

Assuming other elements correct, breathing/breath control, subtle modifications of arm/shoulder position helps me. Easy in a pool, harder as currents become a factor.

 

[knotical]

In a nutshell, breath control. Your buoyancy is constantly changing as you breathe in and out. The trick is to not allow yourself to rise or fall so much that you have to correct with movement (no finning or sculling).
Let yourself relax into whatever body position or attitude you fall into, and you are comfortable in; from then on move only your lungs. If your position is horizontal, fine; if upside down, that's OK too (for now, play with trim later).
Find a nearby stationary visual reference point and focus on it. Change your breathing so your lungs are fuller (or emptier) for more of your breath cycle. As you start to rise (or fall) reverse the breathing pattern.
Using that breath control, practice moving up six inches or a foot, then down the same. Then minimize your vertical movement, again just by changing your breathing pattern.
This exercise is easier in deeper water. Practice until you can do it very near the water's surface.
And situational awareness. Practice being aware of whether you are moving up or down in the water column.
Oh, did I mention practice? In time it will become almost instinctive.

 

[Progen]

Originally Posted by Progen
My trim's as horizontal as good as it can get.


I've thought that a few times in the last 22 years. I was always wrong. Still improving.

For my grand experience level of 6 months I mean.

---------- Post added July 31st, 2013 at 06:00 PM ----------

... subtle modifications of arm/shoulder position helps me.

[video=youtube;qjiMup3VA_w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjiMup3VA_w[/video]

I noticed that in the DIR 0 trim video floating around on YouTube that the guy would occasionally change the angle of his fins but that's all. Ok, this is definitely the sour grapes syndrome in action but does wearing a drysuit make it easier?

 

[Rich Keller]

I can hover motionless fine for say 5 to 6 seconds. Maybe 10 - 15 if I really work at it but are there any tricks or tips to being able to maintain it for as long as the diver likes?

My trim's as horizontal as good as it can get. Weighting's fine too since I use no weights with my 1mm wetsuit in both fresh and seawater. It does require slight conscious effort and constant checking at the depth gauge when I'm sidemounting with 2 near empty (have tried to 40 bar) AL80s but other than that, no weights required. Glide fine without any depth changes so again that should prove that my trim and weighting's alright. Hardly touch the inflator button except when surfacing after a dive and going close to 20 metres and beyond.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. Why the need to hover motionless? Do you spend a lot of time motionless?

 

[Quero]

Keep in mind that a "motionless" hover really isn't absolutely, perfectly motionless. There is generally a very slight depth change (centimetres) due to breathing, and most of us do make small adjustments with our fins. You can see both of these things going on in the video you embedded if you watch carefully.

What degree of movement are you getting in your practice dives?

 

[supergaijin]

Even 'motionless' fish use their fins for trimming. Water is never completely still.

Feathering the fins and making a small frogkick helps. Your hips also make a large difference but the trick is not to get in to a pendulum action. Density of water makes movements slow, so a trim adjustment will take time to show results.

 

[SeaHawk12]

I don't know about a dry suit, but doubles certainly helps. They're more balanced, and as such keep the diver from pitching from one side or the other.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Why the need to hover motionless? Do you spend a lot of time motionless?

I cannot speak for the OP but can speak from my own experience. For me, it is about witnessing what is possible and wanting to do that. I recall enjoying all my dives as a new diver, still trying to learn and improve. Then in a deep pool one day during a long winter, I saw a guy to just what was in that video, only better. I was fascinated and thoroughly impressed. I wanted that kind of control in water. I am not there but have improved immensely over the ~400+ dives. I suspect I will never be done but I really love the feeling on a dive when something just snaps into place and you realize "HEY! I am hovering motionless.".

I will say one thing about that (the one that was embedded earlier) video. Buoyancy is far easier when you are that close to a reference point. Doing a stop mid water column with that sort of control takes much more experience. I think it is likely that most people will vary more in open water than 6"-12" off the bottom.