Leaning back when hovering

[jw2013]

I wonder if anyone can offer me some advice?

I was in the pool yesterday, practising buoyancy and when trying to hover, raising my legs kept making me tip backward. I was putting this down to the buoyancy in my (5mm) wetsuit, making my legs float upward and tiping me back over. Would this be the case? Or am I missing something or doing something else wrong?

Thank in advance guys!!

 

[Agility]

If you were upright the weight of the tank could be toppling you over.
Leaning forward could prevent this.
the Buddha position is not the most important position during diving though

 

[RJP]

Just go with it. You don't need to hover in any particular position. Fighting your center of gravity just makes it frustrating. As mentioned above, you're never actually going to need to hold a Buddha position when actually diving.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Agree with all of the above. If you really want to improve "all position body trim, adjust weight placement a bit. However, only a slight adjustment forward on the weights should do it. I porefer to trim so I can be horizontal with no effrot. In that same configuration I also hover vertical and head down vertical without a problem. The less weight you have to carry the less positioning issues there are.
DivemasterDennis.

 

[jw2013]

Fantastic. Thank you. Next week we are 'playing' with different weights, swapping kit under water etc so I'll get a chance to try the weighting out.

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[TSandM]

If you think about it, you can only be truly stable while hovering if all your things that want to sink are precisely balanced by things that want to float. If you are wearing little or no exposure protection and very little weight, and diving a tank that cycles around neutral (like the AL80 does), you can set things up so you can be stable in multiple positions.

If you are diving with heavier exposure protection, negative tanks, and significant lead, it is almost impossible to set your gear up so that you can hover absolutely motionless in any position you choose. Most of us choose to optimize our distribution of weight so that we can hover motionlessly in a horizontal position, since that's where you spend most of your time when you're diving. I cannot hover in a vertical position in my normal gear without kicking.

 

[TMHeimer]

jw2013, You'll get it. I had trouble in the pool taking OW course just being comfortable at the surface with the shop equipment. Once you get your trim right you probably won't change it unless you gain or lose a lot of weight. Horizontal is the key. You can never be absolutely perfectly weighted and in trim as your tank always gets lighter with less gas. But I'm splitting hairs. The Peak Perf. Buoyancy Course helped me, but being properly weighted and trimmed is the big thing. Make sure you have enough weight to do a safety stop with a near empty tank without any effort. That may be more than people say you may need.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

Have you thought of buying a BP/W & taking a GUE class?

 

[jw2013]

Have you thought of buying a BP/W & taking a GUE class?

This is a new language. What does this mean?

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[ScubaInChicago]

This is a new language. What does this mean?

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A BP/W is short for a "Back Plate & Wing"... It helps to give a stable platform for tank mounting while aiding in horizontal trim and balancing. GUE stands for Global Underwater Explorers, a non-profit organization devoted to Education, Conservation, and Exploration of the underwater world Welcome | Global Underwater Explorers.

Here's a link to an article recently written about buoyancy control from Alert Diver.... Alert Diver | Mastering Neutral Buoyancy and Trim