Feet up?

[CrazyDave]

I did my O.W tests this weekend and passed. "Yay"
On my first dive my feet were going straight up in the water. This was the first time that I had worn a wetsuit (7mil). I did a buoyancy test and was OK, a little hard to get feet down but OK. But as soon as I hit 10' my feet went straight up. One of the instructers gave me 2 ankle weights. (2lbs each) and I was alright after that. I took 4lbs off my weight belt and was good.
I used the ankle weights for the rest of the OW and I found that I had a heck of a time staying flat out when swimming on a level plane. My feet were always dragging and I had to make sure that I was not forcing myself up.
I guess my question is, is this normal? And if not how do I manuver my weights around to get level?

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Takes a little experimenting. Some divers like a heads up profile while others like a heads down, such as cave divers. There are many ways to move your center of gravity around. Intergrated BCD's are one say. I have found that using some back weights in my BCD get me just the way I like it. Some will use weights on their tanks, you can slide them up or down depending on your need. Others use ankle weights.

Just get out there as much as possible and make some small changes each time.

Sometimes people go feet up because they are underweighted and have to kick to stay down, but that doesn't sound like your problem.

 

[double125's]

If your feet are floating real bad you can adjust your tank down lower, get thinner boots or look for fins that are less bouant. That is the first place I would look. Trying to get your weightbelt lower may help also. Ankle weights are horrible and will leave you exhausted at the end of the dive. hope this helps

 

[DiveTub]

double125's once bubbled...
Ankle weights are horrible and will leave you exhausted at the end of the dive. hope this helps

I disagree
1 pound of lead on each ankle makes a world of difference to buoyancy characteristics. With 7mm of neoprene wrapped around each leg I am not surprised you are so buoyant.

 

[Uncle Pug]

...moving the tank down is a good suggestion... as is getting fins that aren't positive.

I don't like the idea of aerobic exercise weights around the ankles... but let's face it... it you don't swim at the foot heavy attitude of a tail dragger you are never going to earn your Rototiller cert.



Keep at it and you will get the trim thing down... without resorting to fixes like ankle weights.

 

[CrazyDave]

I was very disapointed in myself, as in the pool I was doing very well in staying level. The last thing that I want is to become known as a rototiller
I plan on making diving something to enjoy, not to become frustrated with. I will be working on fine tuning my skills in the relative safety of Pearl lake until I become adapt enough to tackle Lake Michigan or the ocean.
I may be crazy but I am not stupid.

 

[Wendy]

I agree with the guys that say to try and adjust your tank by moving down a bit and see if that helps. I think you can solve this problem with out having to use ankle weights. I did.

 

[Soggy]

What kind of fins are you using? Switching from grey SP Twin Jets (quite bouyant) to jet fins (quite negative) made a world of difference in my trim.

What kind of tanks do you use? If diving with AL80s, trimming out can be a bit counter-intuitive....since AL80s float for the majority of the dive, I've found that you actually need to move the tank UP in order to move your feet down. With steels, it's much easier.

 

[SueMermaid]

I have to use ankle weights (I think they're like 1.3 lbs each) when I wear my 7 mil and booties, because I have the same problem without them. They are not a problem. Everyone is different, that is what works for me.
Just experiment with different weights, tank configuration, etc. You will figure out what is best for you.

 

[PaulB]

A woman in my OW class decided to use ankle weights and she swam slow and looked like she had a hard time moving her legs like normal. After the first dive she decided to pitch them and just move her tank down a bit as well as her weights. It still wasn't enough for her (never thought about the less bouyant fins) so she went back to the ankle weights. She has pretty strong legs now I guess.