Hi, I am Bruce Justinen, the president of SEASOFT SCUBA. Your "problem" is a common one for many divers. So let me give you a little bit of information that might help you feel more balanced.
You didn't mention how much weight you have in your ditchable pockets. Some times if the pockets have 10 or more lbs. per side (of course, this varies by the diver's size) it can tend to pull your torso down. This is especially true for women.
Women tend to be short waisted so the weights tend to be positioned nearer the head. If the waist is a pivot point then if I put too much weight at one end (in women above the hips), it causes that end (the upper body) to go down and the other end (the legs) to go up.
So what we really want to create in the water is a horizontal position with the legs slightly up to avoid kicking up silt etc. from the bottom. If our torso or our legs are too high we create drag. Since water is 800 times more dense than air, drag is our enemy underwater.
I have often advised divers to wear either weights on the ankles or weights on the tank strap to create this perfect horizontal position we want. Most divers do not need much weight on the ankles. The further the weight is from the pivot point (the waist) the more leverage it supplies. Try picking a 2x4 from one end, it will feel much heavier than if you lift it from the middle.
Weights on the tank strap can help create balance but since they are closer to the pivot point, more weights here help create balance. I believe in weights on the tank versus "built into the BC trim pockets" because again, it is all about leverage. There are for 2 reasons:
1. On the surface if I was unconscious, I want the weights in the back to pull my airway free of the water NOT "hold" me in a face down position. Weights on the tank strap in a trim pouch will give me the best chance of that happening since they have more leverage.
2. While diving, the weights in the tank pocket are further away from my torso so when I am vertical in the water (looking at things, signaling my buddy etc.) it gives me a more balanced position.
Now having said all this, there is no single solution to any single problem. Trial and error have always been the diver's best friend. Finding a solution that fits you.
So to be more specific for you. If you are a woman, I would suggest 1 or 1.5 lb. ankle weights per ankle and of course, taking that much weight out of your ditchable pockets.
You can try trim weight pockets, we make the SEASOFT Trim Weight pockets but there are others available from other pockets but I think ours are better (what else did you expect me to say?).
IF you want further help, I have been diving since I was 9 and I have more than 5,000 dives, email me at
bruce@seasoftscuba.com.
I hope this helps, please let me know.
Bruce
