The only time I’m horizontal is when I want to move horizontally. And I can adjust my buoyancy to suit whatever position I want to be in. When I’m going up I want to see what’s over me, I sit on the deco stops so I have a 360• view of what’s going on around me. The only perfect trim is the one that suits you. It must be terrible on the “tek ” divers if the only trim they can get into is horizontal.
THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX
- Thread starter Blackcrusader
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The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
When I taught OW, I focused on teaching the frog-kick. Why? Most anyone can flutter kick, but very few seem to have mastered the frog, so why not now? Same with being trim and horizontal. Anyone can do a buddha pose, but few can skim just above silt and not disturb it. Those who can't or won't, get all bent out of shape watching those of us who can do this easily. They posit how incredibly hard it must be to be in trim all the time, which is a good indication that they don't know what they're talking about.
So rail about it all you want. Those of us who can, will save our air, not silt out the place and continue on in trim. We get it: you see our trim and so be hatin.
So rail about it all you want. Those of us who can, will save our air, not silt out the place and continue on in trim. We get it: you see our trim and so be hatin.
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The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Let me refine that...
I can't do the Buddha.
Correction: I won't do the Buddha.
Too many memories of knobber DiveMASTERs "showing off" their "skills". The only ones which count are the three core skills - buoyancy, trim and finning.
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
They call them trim nazis.
Assume the DIR position soldier!
The all touted perfect skydiver position, not exactly the most streamlined thing I’ve ever seen. Look closely from the side at somebody who swears they are in the DIR “perfect trim” position. What do you see?
I see the tank laying at an angle pointing uphill catching water (worse with a STA), I see their crossed hands in front and below their straight line catching water, I see their goofy feet sticking up catching water. From the side they look like a blob. From the front they are not exactly punching the smallest hole through the water. They are anything but perfectly flat!
That position is great for slowly moving through caves, wrecks, and for hovering above a silty bottom without disturbing it, agreed.
But there are a lot more circumstances in diving and the sky diver position isn’t always the end-all answer touted by the self appointed dive gods in all scenarios.
Fortunately, the trim nazis seems to be a scubaboard thing, at least from what I have experienced. We had one here but he moved away.
Wow! I’m so glad they don’t write the scuba laws.
Assume the DIR position soldier!
The all touted perfect skydiver position, not exactly the most streamlined thing I’ve ever seen. Look closely from the side at somebody who swears they are in the DIR “perfect trim” position. What do you see?
I see the tank laying at an angle pointing uphill catching water (worse with a STA), I see their crossed hands in front and below their straight line catching water, I see their goofy feet sticking up catching water. From the side they look like a blob. From the front they are not exactly punching the smallest hole through the water. They are anything but perfectly flat!
That position is great for slowly moving through caves, wrecks, and for hovering above a silty bottom without disturbing it, agreed.
But there are a lot more circumstances in diving and the sky diver position isn’t always the end-all answer touted by the self appointed dive gods in all scenarios.
Fortunately, the trim nazis seems to be a scubaboard thing, at least from what I have experienced. We had one here but he moved away.
Wow! I’m so glad they don’t write the scuba laws.
Flap flap flap in a nice head-up position with thrust all over the place kicking up everything in the dirt or around them, flapping arms around to turn, buoyancy rather dubious as the thrust pushes up and the cloud of muck trails behind. The frontal area of a bus with the thrust being wasted in all directions, guzzling gas like it's going out of fashion. Probably accompanied with endless danglies dragging along under them. And that's just the divemaster.
Alternatively being able to stop motionless to look closely at something, gently back-finning and helicopter turning to adjust any offset from the current. Moving inside the wreck and not kicking up any silt or dislodging slabs from above. Turning around to backreference by gently using one's fins. Maybe holding a camera, or digging into some crevice for a long-lost artefact. Even if not in a wreck, being able to hold a position on a wall, or just inches away from some fragile fauna without touching anything with ones hands.
All it takes is pool time and putting the effort in. Stay 15cm/6" from a pool tile for 5 mins; move up a foot and stop; down two feet and stop. It does help to have a mentor; but not one that blows bubble rings in the Buddha position.
Alternatively being able to stop motionless to look closely at something, gently back-finning and helicopter turning to adjust any offset from the current. Moving inside the wreck and not kicking up any silt or dislodging slabs from above. Turning around to backreference by gently using one's fins. Maybe holding a camera, or digging into some crevice for a long-lost artefact. Even if not in a wreck, being able to hold a position on a wall, or just inches away from some fragile fauna without touching anything with ones hands.
All it takes is pool time and putting the effort in. Stay 15cm/6" from a pool tile for 5 mins; move up a foot and stop; down two feet and stop. It does help to have a mentor; but not one that blows bubble rings in the Buddha position.
Ayisha
Contributor
I don't understand why you find that you have to strive to remain horizontal?
No matter what kind of BCD you have, if you are weighted correctly (not just overall but also balanced trim-wise), you just naturally lay horizontally and can go in any position you want effortlessly. It takes no effort whatsoever.
Often divers who struggle with buoyancy and trim have never really experienced what it feels like to be truly neutrally buoyant. Once they discover it, it's a eureka moment, and they finally "get it".
If a diver is struggling against their gear, their trim or their buoyancy, something is not quite right. There's a much easier, more natural way.
I don't know about others, but sometimes I just like to float in the water, enjoy being underwater, long, slow relaxing breathing. And I am horizontal, completely comfortable. Maybe not everyone has experienced that kind of zen. But I'm not always trim. Sometimes I'm completely vertical. Sometimes at an angle. Sometimes upside down. It all depends.
ginti
Contributor
He is speaking about conditions like strong currents. These conditions, according to him, are better suited for a non-horizontal position (it actually depends... if one is doing a deco stop in such conditions, it might be better to stay horizontal)
The funny thing is that such conditions, in my experience, are very rare, but they exist for sure. Here people speak about these conditions as if they are the norm.
The second funny thing is that, apparently, there exists scuba police that forces people to have a specific trim. I never met a diver who tried to convince others to dive horizontally, never.
But I have limited experience, maybe this is why...
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