Heavy Legs Affects My Trim

[jw2013]

I'm learning to dive and currently doing so in a a full length wetsuit with a shortie on top. I'm sufficiently weighted and sink. When swimming I am able to get neutrally buoyant but I am finding my legs sink, throwing off my trim.


I'm putting this down to the depth (4m and deeper) where thew neoprene is getting compresses and losing buoyancy so whereas mu upper body is buoyant through the BCD, lungs etc., my legs are sinking and I find it difficult to keep these up to maintain good trim and a good position in the water. This was especially noticable when I had to get horizontal and neutral in front of a post, point at a spot on it and remain there. My heavy legs were causing my to lose position and drift back slightly.


I want to avoid finning to keep them up as this disguises my buoyancy so I cannot easily identify if I am neutral or in that position through finning.


An instructor of mine tells me it's easier in a Dry Suit as you can "move air" to your legs to help with that.


Is there something I can do to fix my heavy limbs? Or do I need to deal with it until I learn my Dry Suit skill set?

 

[SanDiegoSidemount]

I have heavy legs, so this is a constant problem for me too. A few things can help with this.

1. Try some neutrally buoyant fins. I use UTD Neutral Fins and like them a lot. There are others, too. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/fins-masks-snorkels/481011-neutrally-fins.html
2. Add weight pockets to the shoulder straps of your rig (or the top tank band), and drop in a couple of pounds. This doesn't really solve the problem though if your trim is already good, and it's just your legs that are dropping.
3. Work on back arch/butt clench technique.

In my opinion, adding air to your feet in a drysuit is not a great option. For me, excess air down there drastically reduces the foot "feel" when finning.

 

[jw2013]

I didn't even know such fins existed!!
I'm off checking that link now!!

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

 

[iztok]

Which fins do you use? Some find are more negative than others. This is an easy start.

Second, see if you can plan a little with tank placement.

Third, see if you can put some weights on the top tank band instead of your weight belt.

What are you currently wearing in terms of protection? How many mm and where? Where are your weights and how many lbs?

Are you sure you are not over-weighted?

 

[jw2013]

Thanks iztok,


I have tried movingmy tank up and down (nearer/further from my head). I've not tried shifting weights to my tank (or shoulder area) but I will look at this.


Protection wise, I am wearing a 7mm full length wetsuit and a 7mm shorty on top.


Wearing 2x4kg weight on my waist (one on each hip) and 2kg on each weight pocket in my BCD.


I tried reducing to 10kg but couldn't get down but once I am down (thinking along the lines of the neoprene getting compressed!) then weighting its not a problem. As I come back up, I ascend quickly without the extra 2kg.


The fins are solid plastic/standard fins. I think I should look at maybe shifting my BCD weight to my shoulders and look at neutrally buoyant fins maybe?


What are you thoughts on this detail?

 

[mantajohn]

Hi jw2013

I've never suffered from heavy legs, but earlier in my diving career, I did take a while to get my bouyancy & trim sorted - so I can empathise.

Firstly, this will get easier as the UK water warms up & you no longer need 14mm of neoprene around your torso! Secondly, I agree with SandiegoSidemount. Speaking as someone who experienced a 'feet first' ascent on my first open water dry suit dive, I can assure you that when you move on to dry suits you will not be wanting to fill your boots with air!

I'd basically echo iztok's guidance. Lead around your waist & integrated bcd pouches will just add to the pendulum effect of 'heavy legs. Try moving some of it into trim pockets (if your bcd has them) or even strap a couple of them to your tank. I would definitely give moving your tank a little nearer your head a second try.

Good luck.

John

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I think the type of fins used does contribute somewhat, but a bigger impact will be the placement of you weights and also not being over weighted. You have more exposure protection over your core than legs, so move some weights to the bakk pockests of the bcd if it has them (it likely does) or if not, then elsewhere as suggested above. If you are over weighted ( and many new divers are) then you are going to be loading more air into your bcd than if you weren't over weighted, thus making the trim problem worse. Review you weighting with a proper weight check before your next "first dive" of the day, and then adjust as appropriate. With the exposure suit and vest you are wearing, you will be very buoyant until it is saturated, so soak well before doing the weight check.
DivemasterDenns

 

[Diver0001]

I'm learning to dive and currently doing so in a a full length wetsuit with a shortie on top. I'm sufficiently weighted and sink. When swimming I am able to get neutrally buoyant but I am finding my legs sink, throwing off my trim.


I'm putting this down to the depth (4m and deeper) where thew neoprene is getting compresses and losing buoyancy so whereas mu upper body is buoyant through the BCD, lungs etc., my legs are sinking and I find it difficult to keep these up to maintain good trim and a good position in the water. This was especially noticable when I had to get horizontal and neutral in front of a post, point at a spot on it and remain there. My heavy legs were causing my to lose position and drift back slightly.


I want to avoid finning to keep them up as this disguises my buoyancy so I cannot easily identify if I am neutral or in that position through finning.


An instructor of mine tells me it's easier in a Dry Suit as you can "move air" to your legs to help with that.


Is there something I can do to fix my heavy limbs? Or do I need to deal with it until I learn my Dry Suit skill set?

I will preface this by saying that I haven't seen you in the water and therefore I can't give a precise diagnosis.

But MOST of the time, when this is happening, it means you have too much weight on your weightbelt.

Let me tell you one thing. Having *perfect* buoyancy in a wetsuit is possible. Take a look at this picture:

This is me, diving with one of my favorite dive buddies.

I'm in a jacket and a wetsuit, and look at my position in the water. There *are* no equipment issues. Some people may think that gear can solve skills problems, but I don't. Gear can certainly help *mask* skills problems, but they can't solve them. So as a diver, every time an instructor, or anyone else, tells you that you need a different bit of kit to solve an issue.... ignore them. All that means is that they don't know how to help you.

Yes, some gear makes life easier, but throwing gear at a skills problem is *always* the wrong approach. You don't need a drysuit. You need an instructor who doesn't think that a drysuit is the solution.

R..

 

[Keith.M]

Although fins can contribute to heavy legs, it seems to me that your issue is most likely the placement of the current weight you have.

All of your weight, 12kg, is at or below your core. The most weight, 8kg, is on your weight belt which should be riding on your hips.

I would move 4 kg up to your top cam band from your belt. This might require different sized weights, your having 4kg on your cam band, 4kg in your bcd weight pockets and 4kg on your belt would be much more balanced.

You could also move the left over weight on the belt to the bcd weight pockets and eliminate the belt. That probably rides a little higher up your core than the belt does.

 

[SanDiegoSidemount]

Sorry, but I do have to take issue with those who think that this is nothing but a skills or weighting problem.

There is such a thing as heavy legs. In particular, people who participate in sports such as cycling and skiing tend to have over-developed legs with very little buoyancy. If you don't have them yourself, it's easy to criticize the problem as being one of overall trim, over-weighting and/or deficient arching/clenching skills.

Yes, these issues are important, and it is critical to have them dialed. If your legs are not too heavy, working with these may get you all the way to perfect trim.

For me, getting these issues sorted got me maybe 90% of the way to good trim. But it was still a lot of work to keep my feet up, so I'd break at the hips when task loaded, and my feet would drop.

Neutral fins solved the last 10% of the problem.

Gear can't solve everything, but sometimes the right equipment gives you just the extra "bump" you need to reach a goal, or increase your comfort.