Horizontal Obsession

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Simple answer - The same guys who roto-till the reef and/or screw the vis tend to rotate heads up as soon as they slow or stop swimming.

The divers who have trimmed out their weights to they "can" be horizontal at rest do so because they have become more aware of and desire more control of their body in the water. Maybe they don't need to always be horizontal, but it is a choice for them, not gravity.

 

[Sas]

I find any time I am moving horizontal is better as I don't travel up or down when I kick.

Also in a drysuit it keeps the air stable in my suit.

And if I am in an environment that might silt I find this position better for not silting things up. I.e. if my knees are down a bit I might touch the bottom before I realise how close I am.

When I am not moving or in a silty environment, I don't worry about my position though often I am horizontal, I naturally tend towards that position. Though when taking photos I can be in all sorts of weird positions

Forget about the drag aspect, divers are about as streamlined as a water heater anyway.

Actually drag is noticable enough between my wetsuit and drysuit. Also when I do drift diving I often have to hang on to my buddy as he travels way faster than me, having less streamlined gear.

 

[tomboyy]

Yeah I hope this explains things....

Opps.. did I say that out loud ?

 

[Mike Boswell]

What is with this obsession with being horizontal. Scuba is a 3 dimensional world. In it I assume whatever position best suits what I am doing. If I am descending I swim mostly vertical head down. If I am ascending I swim mostly vertical head up. If I am swimming horizontal to the bottom I swim horizontally. If I need to look up I assume a position that allows me to do it comfortably.
Always horizontal is for dead people.

IMHO your question contains a false premise: The "obsession" (I would call it "concern") is with attitude control, not with achieving a horizontal attitude. Good divers, like good pilots, can assume any attitude they want because they have control over their buoyancy and trim, and poor divers, like drunk drivers, tend to cause harm both to themselves and to the environment.

 

[Crush]

In my mind, the following are all the same in the sense that there are zealots out there who will not let it rest:

• horizontal
• BP/w
• doubles
• no split fins
• no spare air
• no pony

Here is what I think (note to all you who will criticize me - you do have many more logged dives than I do): there are many good ways to dive, and (save for extreme environments) no one way to dive.

However, that being said, learning to hover horizontally through the correct placement of weights has made me more efficient and comfortable in the water - it was very much worth learning.

 

[Sas]

In my mind, the following are all the same in the sense that there are zealots out there who will not let it rest:

• horizontal
• BP/w
• doubles
• no split fins
• no spare air
• no pony

I keep hearing about these zealots but apart from a handful (on either side of the equation and who only exist on the internet) I really just don't see this at all...

Where are all these zealots people are meeting?

 

[Gombessa]

In my mind, the following are all the same in the sense that there are zealots out there who will not let it rest:

• horizontal
• BP/w
• doubles
• no split fins
• no spare air
• no pony

What about NMOF, long hose, vintage diving, knife-on-leg, and inadequacy-of-modern-OW-training?

 

[ptyx]

[/LIST]
What about NMOF, long hose, vintage diving, knife-on-leg, and inadequacy-of-modern-OW-training?

and snorkel! How could you forget the snorkel?!

 

[timegan]

But the frequent problem we see is divers who are carrying their weight in the wrong places and using poor posture, who are hanging in the water at a 45 degree angle to the bottom, kicking up silt and challenging their stability by the direction of the force of their kick. Since we see so much of that, we talk about it; thus the consistent discussion of horizontal trim.

Well put!! I'd also like to add....it's hard to do to perfection, thus a target to "try" to master. Keep yer diving fun ya...but also learn something every one. If your not?... well?

 

[Crush]

I keep hearing about these zealots but apart from a handful (on either side of the equation and who only exist on the internet) I really just don't see this at all...

Where are all these zealots people are meeting?

Hi Saspotato,

To be sure, it appears to be only a handful, and they do exist on both sides of the debate. As to who they are, it is poor netiquette to mention them here, but I few of the usual suspects come to mind - if you really want to know who they are, I will be happy to PM you.

Where are they meeting? Well, to start with they meet in their training classes. They also meet here, on SB.