Bouyancy

[peter]

L Gadiver

Floaty ankles are caused by a number of things eg., neoprene dive boots ,incorrect weight,fatty deposits around the ankles,wearing socks with fins. Would suggest you try changing these things first before purchasing any expensive dive gear or courses. So try a pair of full foot fins,chuck another weight in. Hope i was of some help and i'm sure your ankles are just dandy.

 

[Walter]

Before you buy ankle weights here's something to consider. What do you move most often while diving? Your legs. Do you really want to increase your work effort by weighting your legs? Try some of the other tips before buying ankle weights. You say you've been diving about a year, but how many dives have you made? Buoyancy comes with practice, if you have less than 50 dives you probably don't have it down yet. I wouldn't waste money on a buoyancy course, that's one of those BS cards. Practice is what will improve your buoyancy. If you want to take a class, take one that will help you, like rescue. Where do you wear your belt? Can you lower it? You may be slightly underweighted as well. Often when folks swim head down they are under weighted; head up they are usually over weighted. Of course you may be perfectly weighted, but have some extra air trapped in your BC which also causes you to swim head down.

Walter

 

[Seb]

Lady-GAdiver
If you do not need the air supply of the aluminum 80, an aluminum 60 would be perfect for you, my wife uses them almost exclusively now when we dive, tho we are Carribbean divers.

 

[Dee]

You've gotten some excellent advice already. Floating feet and legs is often just a matter of placing your weights properly. But I've tried all that and mine still float! I usually dive with a HP65 steel tank.

I use a pair of ankle weights that I've altered to have just 14oz of weight. I came to this weight after lots of trial and error! As Walter said, if the weights on your ankles are too heavy, it just makes kicking and swimming harder. You can split the neoprene, take out and adjust the weights and seal the cut with Aquaseal. I prefer Sea Pearl's adjustable ankle weights over the others.

I've also discovered that as long as I am kicking, I really don't need the ankle weights. It's only when I stop to look at something that the floating occurs but only if my feet get above my body. Such as if I try to lay on the bottom to take a picture of something, or on a wreck when I look down, head first into a hole. Does that make any sense? I don't always need them but I have, on occasion, put my ankle weights in my BC pocket just in case I find I need them!

So make sure he really need ankle weights first. And if you do, don't use any that are too heavy.

Dee

 

[scubadweeb]

Lady gadiver (great name, by the way)
In the past I have had similar problems however, I purchased an Oceanic Tour Bioflex BC W/an integrated weight system last year and it has helped me with buoyancy tremendously! The integrated weight system elevates a weight belt and places the weights into side pockets on the BC. The weight is carried around your hips instead of your waist, which (for me) gave me better buoyancy control.

Thanks & Happy Diving!

 

[black durgon]

breathing is bouyance control , bouyance control is breathing. nice an slow use ur lungs . just relax an feel it . practice, practice