I took my first pool class recently on my way to OW certification and had a few issues. Before class I was gifted from a friend a brand new, never used but still 18 year old MARES Quatro Fins. I bought 5mm booties to wear with them as well. So the issue was when I was in water when ever I would go to my knees I kept lurching forward and felt like my feet wanted to float up behind me. Also when ever I tried to Trim Out my feet would rise up and Id go ass over head. Is this a fin issue or just be not being adept as using my BCD? I could stand like a statue on bottom no problem but I couldn't kneel or hover seated to save my life. I ask about BCD because when I would do small puffs Id go from nothing to all of a sudden shooting up like a rocket...with little transition in between. Any recommendations appreciated...Thanks.
My feet keep doing whatever they want to!!!
- Thread starter VWJarhead
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Quattro are negative/neutral, it's not the fins. It's a mix of your (not yet) perfect buoyancy and probably a not correct weighing.
First thing to check: be sure you're wearing the correct weight, during the OW class the instructors are used to put on the students too much weights to make them easier to stay on the bottom, the cons is that buoyancy (levels) is much harder to control.
Between, it's perfectly normal to be all over the place the first dives and it's very hard to maintain the level in the shallower water like a pool (the last 4 meters are the hardest part even for a experienced diver).
First thing to check: be sure you're wearing the correct weight, during the OW class the instructors are used to put on the students too much weights to make them easier to stay on the bottom, the cons is that buoyancy (levels) is much harder to control.
Between, it's perfectly normal to be all over the place the first dives and it's very hard to maintain the level in the shallower water like a pool (the last 4 meters are the hardest part even for a experienced diver).
sounds to me like you might benefit from wearing 1 or 2 kg of weight on a weightbelt.
Personally I wouldn't sweat it. Kneeling and sitting aren't things you normally do while diving. Focus on getting your balance right (trim) while you're swimming and all will be good.
You should probably tell your instructor this as well. It's fine to ask the internet but your instructor is the one who has seen you in the water.
Good luck with your course.
R..
Personally I wouldn't sweat it. Kneeling and sitting aren't things you normally do while diving. Focus on getting your balance right (trim) while you're swimming and all will be good.
You should probably tell your instructor this as well. It's fine to ask the internet but your instructor is the one who has seen you in the water.
Good luck with your course.
R..
Oh... as for the BCD, if adding a small puff of air causes you to float up then ... well ... don't. The BCD is to make larger adjustments to your bouancy. Fine adjustments to buoyancy are done with your lungs. If you want to go up a little bit then breathe in a little deeper (or slower). If you want to go down a little bit then breathe out..... This takes some getting used to so don't worry if it doesn't come to you immediately. By the end of the course you'll get it down.
R..
R..
I think that floaty feet is a definite issue in the pool - I had it as well when only wearing booties in the pool. Due to the isolated buoyancy of the booties, it did feel like I was fighting them a bit in the pool. Trim was no issue when I got to OW with the full suit. It might be worth looking at using a bit of trim weight in the pool.
With regards to the BCD, it is hard in a pool due to the large buoyancy swings when shallow. You will get used to using the tiniest puffs with practise (you also get the hang of using your lungs for buoyancy as well better with time). When adjusting your buoyancy when shallow, you need to think of minuscule amounts of air at a time - better to add 5 tiny puffs of air than hold it for a sec and shoot up. Think of pushing the button down far enough and long enough that the air just starts moving.
It does get easier as you get used to the gear.
After reading these responses Im starting to think I had too much weight. I was literally trimmed out flat on bottom laying on my stomach hence the need to use the bcd for a few puffs of air. Either way I scheduled another session with a certification class in a few weeks... I can hang in the deep well with a DM and work on my issues while they are doing skills. Hope to see some improvement after. Thanks for the advice and encouragemnt
Learning to keep your knees bent and slightly below the level of your waist can also make your feet much easier to control. I find it quite difficult to kick with my legs extended behind me - that would make my feet start to rise too (drysuit).
I would suspect that the problem will sort itself out when you get in a full wetsuit (it certainly did with me). It was the isolated "pocket" of buoyancy all the way down at my feet that made it difficult. Once I was in the full suit the buoyancy was no longer isolated and trimming was absolutely no issue at all.
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