THE "PERFECT ( being horizontal ) TRIM" HOAX

[Celt]

I don't think any real wreck diver (or cave diver for that matter) will argue that you need to be in perfect horizontal trim and have your left pinkie up your ******* to booth. Nope in trim just means in a position to avoid dropping visibility by silting up ****, avoid getting holes in your drysuit or damaging gear on any sharp ends and edges, etc. I think you would agree to this...

All those positions, all the different kicking techniques, they are just tools in my toolbox... and I take out whatever tool that suits the moment (and even then it depends on what kind of gear I'm using)... I might switch 10 times during a dive to a different kick, and I can be upside down or sideways if I'm trying to snake myself to the engine room. Is horizontal one of those tools... of course, and with my normal gear setup I can do hours of deco, almost falling asleep.

To be honest I don't get this back and forward arguiing at nausea about a very mood point... who cares?? The only reason I'm reacting in this topic is because inevitably someone is dragging DIR or GUE or UTD in the discussion, calling us TRIM NAZI's or whatever... yes during a course there is focus on horizontal trim, specifically on the entry course (fundamentals), because many people don't have the "horizontal trim" tool in their toolbox yet, just like it is (and should be) in every entry level technical course... but that's it...

32 pages of this pro and con nonsense...really!!

I fully agree with your post, I was originally replying to a poster who said, “Being horizontal is required for total control .“which I believe is not true. I’ve certainly not mentioned any agency as I know absolutely nothing about any of them.

 

[Coztick]

I fully agree with your post, I was originally replying to a poster who said, “in order to have complete control you must be horizontal” which I believe is not true.

I'm not inferring that a diver in a Budda pose or completely inverted is somehow out of control. I get that they are demonstrating control.
They are certainly not in a posture that would promote agility. Horizontal is the "ready" position.

 

[Ayisha]

@BLACKCRUSADER
Please note that only the first sentence that you quoted was mine. The rest of what was attributed to me was ginti's post.
If you could fix the quotes, it would be appreciated, thanks.

I don't understand why you find that you have to strive to remain 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...

Conditions such as fast drift dives or currents that move down or up or have the washing machine effect are not uncommon in Asia.
In fact there are many dives where the who point of the dive is doing a drift dive in 4 knots that takes you in lots of directions.
There are plenty of videos where people also use reef hooks for some dives. At one small island I dive at all you need to do is look at the tide charts and dive when the tides are coming in or out. You can get some ripping currents. Then again the same place is ideal diving when there is also little of no tides.

 

[Ayisha]

More like we've Seen The Light. Once you've sorted your core skills, the world is your lobster.

Probably the best thing anyone can do in diving is to sort those core skills. Everything is so much easier thereafter.

^^This^^

 

[Celt]

I'm not inferring that a diver in a Budda pose or completely inverted is somehow out of control. I get that they are demonstrating control.
They are certainly not in a posture that would promote agility. Horizontal is the "ready" position.

I’m ready in any position. If you wish to be horizontal that’s fine.

 

[Blackcrusader]

I'm not inferring that a diver in a Budda pose or completely inverted is somehow out of control. I get that they are demonstrating control. They are certainly not in a posture that would promote agility. Horizontal is the "ready" position.

Ones posture has nothing to do with one's agility. You keep in that horizontal trim all you like. Fine by me.
Also the divers that move the least often use the least air. At one of the places I dive they call me the fat corpse.
That's because they often find me motionless is the water with no bubble trail observing the marine life. I may be in a nice prone position the same as what I used when hang gliding looking down at a critter a couple of feet away, or I may be in my buddha position being pushed along by a nice drift where I am several meters away from a reef wall getting a nice view of things and seeing things people diving next to the wall do not get to see. It's a great position to be in to see far more than someone in the prone horizontal position. I could be in that vertical position controlling my buoyancy looking up into a sloping wall that is an overhang. Don't want to bump into the wall or what is overhead.

In this video I am in the prone horizontal position dawdling along away from a reef. My dive buddy is out in front of me in the perfect trim he needs to watch me film the turtle and make sure he got in the shot as well. The turtles trim was efficient as well. The other two divers in front of us missed the turtle. As long as we are enjoying ourselves it really doesn't matter about "trim" or "sac rate".

 

[Blackcrusader]

To be honest I don't get this back and forward arguiing at nausea about a very mood point... who cares?? The only reason I'm reacting in this topic is because inevitably someone is dragging DIR or GUE or UTD in the discussion, calling us TRIM NAZI's or whatever... yes during a course there is focus on horizontal trim, specifically on the entry course (fundamentals), because many people don't have the "horizontal trim" tool in their toolbox yet, just like it is (and should be) in every entry level technical course... but that's it...

32 pages of this pro and con nonsense...really!!

36 pages and over 19000 views. A most successful thread I would dare say. By the time this virus situation has abated to the point I can safely travel overseas in Asia for diving vacations I will do some diving in Taiwan. A few times a year for 15 dives each trip or so.
I probably will need to do a GUE fundies course before I do my Advanced Nitrox and Deco course then solo course when I can get back to my normality of taking several dive trips a year.

 

[scrane]

Maintaining horizontal trim is a benchmark for divers that's not particularly difficult to attain. It is a means to an end, not the end itself. Just another tool in the driver's toolbox.

 

[Wibble]

36 pages and over 19000 views. A most successful thread I would dare say. By the time this virus situation has abated to the point I can safely travel overseas in Asia for diving vacations I will do some diving in Taiwan. A few times a year for 15 dives each trip or so.
I probably will need to do a GUE fundies course before I do my Advanced Nitrox and Deco course then solo course when I can get back to my normality of taking several dive trips a year.

You don't have to do a Fundies course at all. However it is an excellent introduction to getting your basic skills sorted. More importantly it introduces you to excellent skill levels, something that other -- much larger -- agencies fail to attain.

There's nothing better than seeing what good looks like. Then you know what you should look like if you put the effort in.

 

[Ayisha]

...I probably will need to do a GUE fundies course before I do my Advanced Nitrox and Deco course then solo course...

Say what?