Horribly out of Trim

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txgoose

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Houston
# of dives
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This past week I was fortunate enough to get to dive twice a day, every day, with my son. He has been working a bit on his buoyancy. Not diligently maybe but paying attention and working on it.

Fast forward a bit to the actual trip. Day two he forgot his boots and had to borrow some fins from the boat that wouldn't chew up his bare feet. They were slightly positive. And it completely changed his trim. He looked gooooood. Flat body. Heels up behind his tank. I don't mind saying I was a bit jealous. (working on flexibility to get my feet up comfortably)

Many of our dives were poor mans drift dives. Swim into the current from the boat. Drift back to the boat. Repeat as needed. Every stinking time we got to the top of the drift, he and two of his buddies would fold into the ever famous Buddha position and drift. At first it annoyed the heck out of me because he was taking this amazing new trim position and wrecking it. But the more I watched the more I realized that he (and the other two) was still perfecting and working on his buoyancy. I could see him inhale a bit bigger to rise up over a coral hump, or a fan. I could see him exhale to get back down closer. I watched him throw Buddha out the window to avoid a huge fan he miscalculated his ascent rate on. It was a silly game, but a game that was teaching them a lot even if they didn't realize it. I ended the week a lot closer to Buddha's zen about it all, even if I couldn't bring myself to get closer to him in my own trim position.

Just a parent bragging post. Fun to watch. Fun to get to be along for part of the ride.
 
I can't wait to have this experience with my son! He'll be 10 next year and I really want to get him certified at that point. I know some people sort of frown at that because they think kids aren't mature enough at that age. But he'll never be diving alone without either me, my wife, or his uncle right by his side. Sounds like I'm in for a treat once he starts diving with me!
 
Sounds like I'm in for a treat once he starts diving with me!

I suspect you'll love it. It can challenge patience sometimes but it has been a great journey.
 
Buddha looks like fun. I have never tried it.
 
It is a bit of a gimmick (IMO) but they were having fun and watching out for the reef. Because they were being careful, it was hard for me to find a reason to stop them. So I didn't.
 
This past week I was fortunate enough to get to dive twice a day, every day, with my son. He has been working a bit on his buoyancy. Not diligently maybe but paying attention and working on it.

Fast forward a bit to the actual trip. Day two he forgot his boots and had to borrow some fins from the boat that wouldn't chew up his bare feet. They were slightly positive. And it completely changed his trim. He looked gooooood. Flat body. Heels up behind his tank. I don't mind saying I was a bit jealous. (working on flexibility to get my feet up comfortably)

Many of our dives were poor mans drift dives. Swim into the current from the boat. Drift back to the boat. Repeat as needed. Every stinking time we got to the top of the drift, he and two of his buddies would fold into the ever famous Buddha position and drift. At first it annoyed the heck out of me because he was taking this amazing new trim position and wrecking it. But the more I watched the more I realized that he (and the other two) was still perfecting and working on his buoyancy. I could see him inhale a bit bigger to rise up over a coral hump, or a fan. I could see him exhale to get back down closer. I watched him throw Buddha out the window to avoid a huge fan he miscalculated his ascent rate on. It was a silly game, but a game that was teaching them a lot even if they didn't realize it. I ended the week a lot closer to Buddha's zen about it all, even if I couldn't bring myself to get closer to him in my own trim position.

Just a parent bragging post. Fun to watch. Fun to get to be along for part of the ride.

He's not "perfecting and working on his buoyancy" ... he's got it nailed! :)
 
Thank you all.

He's not "perfecting and working on his buoyancy" ... he's got it nailed! :)

You didn't see the gyrations he had to go through to miss the bigger fan. :) He was pretty contorted with all four limbs sculling in six different directions. BUT it did actually make me smile because it was a big part of what made me see that he understood the bigger point, being kind to the reef.

He is having fun... and paying attention to his surroundings... and working on his buoyancy. Sounds perfect. We need young people to fall in love with the sport of scuba diving and it can’t get any better than your own son/daughter.

Once I finally came around from being put off by Buddha, I was actually a bit embarrassed at myself. Mainly because of the point you make. I had a happy kid, enjoying the underwater world (WITH ME, i might add), and being careful. I was just an old fart on a bit of a high horse for a while.

(self deprecating humor: "So, just how many dives did it take for you to get up on that horse, anyway?")
 
Hey I understand. The Buddha thing - one of those strange things PADI teaches. PADI should teach the fin pivot and then have students transition to inflate slightly more and be neutrally buoyant and horizontal in the water. And if it makes you feel better - I get up on that high horse on a regular basis. :)
 
Honestly, trim is a tool. If you can only dive in a horizontal position then you are fortunately stuck in a gear that can take you anywhere, but you are missing out on the joys of diving. Play is free and unreal as defined in philosophy. We make too many rules in diving which is another reason diving is defined as a sport. Diving used to be about looking at the underwater world. Now, it has become about looking at ourselves and others and judging performance. The best diver in the world is the one who is having the most fun. I think your son is learning that for himself. Nice!
 

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