"More" technical position

[captainhook426]

I'm having problems being comfortable in a "technical" form. By that I'm meaning with feet at or above the same level as my head. I also feel very leg heavy so when I'm neutral, if I'm not moving around, my feet hang lower than the rest of my body. I keep thinking "add a little more weight, that'll help", but I know deep down that won't help. So I'm looking for some advice!

 

[DevonDiver]

First, adding weight is likely to exaggerate the problem - more unnecessary weight = more air in your BCD. Weight low on the torso, Air high on the torso.... more deviation from the horizontal. Seek to confirm your optimal weighting (reduce?) as the first step. You only need enough weight to maintain your safety stop with a near-empty tank and an empty BCD (see buoyancy article below for how to conduct proper weight checks).

Second, think about the distribution of positive/negative items on your body when you dive. Heavy fins + long lever (the legs) can drag the feet down. Thicker wetsuit booties and lighter (less negative) fins can reduce the problem. Use some of your weighting for optimized trim - move it off your weight belt and distribute to help hold you horizontal. There's many threads on that here.

Lastly, body positioning is important. Try holding your legs bent at 90 degrees from the knee (upwards) - that reduces the lever effect. Think about your hand/arm positioning - it has an effect also. Same for your head (a heavy thing!), is it help up, or looking downwards... that has an effect also. Keep your back slightly arched (similar to a parachute stable position) - if you let your hips bend, your knees will drop and your trim will revert to more vertical.

Explained in more detail:

Buoyancy Masterclass Series

10 Tips for a Better Horizontal Hover

 

[captainhook426]

After reading that, I realized my trim weight is on my bottom cam band. I'll move it and see where I'm at Tuesday evening. I also didn't realize I needed to arch my back. I'll start with those too changes, and see where I'm at.

 

[OtherHalf]

After reading that, I realized my trim weight is on my bottom cam band. I'll move it and see where I'm at Tuesday evening. I also didn't realize I needed to arch my back. I'll start with those too changes, and see where I'm at.

Practice position watching TV. Rolled up towel under the front of your shoulders, arms outstretched, knees bent, bottom of the feet parallel to the ground. It'll make the position seem more natural and build some muscle memory. Its how I keep my hips from dropping. When you're under keep your butt clinched to get the arch.

 

[Storker]

Practice position watching TV.

If I were to start doing that, my wife would stop believing I'd lost every single one of my marbles. She'd be dead certain...

 

[OtherHalf]

If I were to start doing that, my wife would stop believing I'd lost every single one of my marbles. She'd be dead certain...

Mine drew the line when I asked her to use the camera and record me doing my kicks so I could check my form.

 

[waterpirate]

LOL!
You guys are not even in the ballpark. The other half draws the line at filming valve drills, while laying flat on the floor in front of the boob tube.
Eric

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm having problems being comfortable in a "technical" form. By that I'm meaning with feet at or above the same level as my head. I also feel very leg heavy so when I'm neutral, if I'm not moving around, my feet hang lower than the rest of my body. I keep thinking "add a little more weight, that'll help", but I know deep down that won't help. So I'm looking for some advice!

A common problem with new divers. We're all conditioned to spend pretty much all of our waking time in the "vertical" position ... and when we begin learning horizontal positioning in the water it tends to feel like we're standing on our head. Some people have more of a problem with it than others, but I see it commonly. It is, by the way, one of the reasons why so many instructors train new divers on their knees (more comfortable orientation for the new diver), and why you see so many new divers maintaining at least some degree of verticality when they're swimming. Unfortunately, the side effect of that is a much higher level of effort than you need to put into diving and therefore higher air consumption (due to the extra exertion).

All joking around aside, these prior posts have the right idea ... you need to "reprogram" your brain to be used to functioning in the horizontal position. Some dry-land exercises can help with that.

As for the "leg heavy" sensation, adding weight won't solve that problem ... moving some of your weights higher on your body probably will.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[buddhasummer]

Yes, play with your distribution. For example I found I get better trim if I put one trim weight on upper cam band on left side and one on lower band on right side pushed hard against my plate. It usually takes a few dives to get it dialed in. I've just moved to a dry suit and am currently going through this process. It takes some time but well worth the effort. As others have said, unless you are having difficulty holding your safety stop adding more weight is unlikely to solve your problem, once correctly weighted moving it around will. Good luck.

 

[TSandM]

A couple more good references for reading: Trim: the nitty gritty | GUE Skills | Articles | DiveDIR and Horizontal Trim 101 ? Uses | Deep-Sea Sherpa

Be aware that the solutions for trim issues can be quite counterintuitive. If you are flexing at the hip joint, you will tend to go feet down, despite having your weights correctly distributed. If you have too much weight up high, you may adopt a "seahorse" position in the water as a counterbalance. To know what to do with your static weighting, you need to get your posture right first, and then get into that posture and stop moving, and see what happens. That's the only thing that will truly tell you where you need to move weight. Use a buddy to tell you when you have your body nice and flat and truly horizontal, because most of us find the right position feels rather head-down at first.