I am in love with this chanel, it took 3 months every week in the pool to find my optimal position. People where pointing out the l should not put lead in unconventional places on my body. I didn't listen to them of course and I want to say thank you for assuring me that what I was trying to achieve or do, was correct. Please continue the great educational videos that you are doing.
A perfectly trim diver is a beautiful thing. Especially in your shots!! I've never seen such a detailed video about HOW to trim properly. Wonderful stuff!!
I just got back from Tulum doing the standard Cenote dives. My weight distribution and trim were all messed up. It's not something I really had to worry about in open water. At least not to the level needed for the overhead environment. These videos are great!
You guy's videos are always spot on. It's always... no bullsh*t just accurate diving techniques. I wish you guys were in the US so I could be more involved in your organization.
Love your content. You explain things that I don't remember learning in my open water certification class. It make me realize that I have a lot of work to do! Thank you!
Hey guys - I'm so glad you have been making these videos! I have had so many equipment issues and my local DS shop wasn't really helpful. Between the trim, weights, and buoyancy videos, it has helped me resolve some of the issues I've had. I'm glad I can move on to working on my kicks and calculating my SAC rate :D Thank you so much!!
Absolutely great! I just love your videos. If you started with this channel some years ago my struggles with weight and trim would have been gone in minutes and wouldn't have taken me as long. Definitely thinking to go diving with you guys!
This is indeed a very concise and clear explanation of buyoancy control, not just a demonstration. Thanks for the effort is presenting and sharing your expertise. And the voice...omg the voice! :D
Great content. I did tons of scalloping before I ever dove. Of course salt water. If you were in 3 to 4 ft of water no big deal. But when you were in 6 to 9 ft of water you had to swim down to be able to see scallops and pick them up. It was next to impossible to stay down for very long, because your upper body just would not allow it. I found at that time weight in a vest about nipple height worked great to stay level in the water. It did not take a lot, 3 to 5 lbs. I've picked up thousands of scallops this way. I now use a Hookah and weighted bcd. And the weights are not around my waist. they are higher on the vest.
Awesome video. Learned multiple things today. I'm going to check my weight distribution. Not using any lead, so far. Maybe i can be even more balanced when i do.
Super dope! I just started working on weight balance. I noticed that 1) switching to steel plate from aluminium helps distribute weight better 2) using 2 blocks of different weights on the plate work better than 1 huge block 3) tank band placement helps adjust (however, you might be limited as I am by your flexibility to reach the valves) and 4) as you said - fins help with that final adjustment on the tail end. The only critique in this video could be levied against that dangling SPG ;) You could get a shorter hose or strap it on the top of your harness or something else like that
I've zip tied some trim weight up near my shoulders. I've done this in the past, but I didn't quite get the results I was looking for but this time I shouldn't be overweighted so I expect improvement. I'll find out tomorrow morning. In exactly 3 weeks I'll be trying to work out my weight for drysuit and doubles too.
Thank you very much for this video. This topic is what I needed. However, I'm travelling and diving through different countries and renting the equipment in the different diving schools so it's hard for me to achieve a good trim, but I'll try again with this new information. I really like your videos and watching them is giving me the will to go diving with you, so probably one of my next destination is going to be Canarias! ❤❤❤
It's really cool that you are working on achieving good trim :) Working on trim is a lot of work and equipment adjustment. Try to slowly purchase your own gear if you're serious about diving!
Sounds great! Even tho it's possible to tweak rental gear every time you dive, its tedious.. As previously mentioned, purchase your own BC and fins + exposure suit at least. Everything else you can rent on occasion. Once you have those 3 things, you will be able to set your gear up and be consistently diving great wherever you go.
I believe the knowledge you pick up with our videos will help you to get there 😊 and we can't agree more.. being in trim is something you don't want to live without once you have experienced its true benefits
@@flowstatedivers The issue for most "regular" divers is, that you usually travel somewhere abroad to exotic dive locations...more precisely you fly there. And weights is the last thing that you consider to bring along from your own "domestic" equipment. So you end up with the usual waist strap that is never optimal...
Why would I take only half of my weights to test the optimal placement? Also, what do you recommend for my situation; I usually wear a weightbelt with 2 2kg weights, last dive it kept slipping off, but whenever I put it as high as possible (about belly button level) my trim felt good and my instructor said I was perfectly horizontal. I'm thinking of trying to put it in the bcd pockets for my next dive, would this be a correct placement?
It's not an issue. The oxidised later that forms of the outside on contact with the air and water makes a decent protective barrier. It's only really an issue if it's ingested so maybe avoid licking your hands after handling it - but generally it's harmless. Lead in the form of a weight has no hope of getting through your suit or clothing and I've not seen any effect on wetsuits at all.
Hi, I'm a recreational diver, I weigh 75 and with the wet suit I use 5kg, with the semi-dry suit I use 7kg. Could you give me some advice on where to place the weights? Thank you
Hi, thanks for reaching out. It's impossible to tell without seeing you in the water. Take our advice from the video and do a trim check in the water, that's the only way to determine where you need to move the weights as it largely depends on your physique and not just your equipment. Make sure you are correctly weighted and do a trim check on your next dive.
@@flowstatedivers Currently I have always put all the weights on my belt, but I notice that my legs tend downwards. Now I have a new BCD, xdeep ghost. I would like to try with half the weight in the BCD and half in the belt.
I followed your video to obtain the correct amount of weight where I waited until my cylinder as at 500 psi and then I went to 15 ft, emptied my BCD and tested different weights until I was neutral. Turns out no weight was where I was neutral. But that posed a problem for me. When I did the test in this video where I made myself horizontal and then let my body change orientation on its own I ended up completely vertical. But without weight I couldn't adjust. So where do I go from here?
@robmills5181 It is because your fins are too heavy, or you have your cylinder too low down. Also, be sure to maintain ample lower body tension during the trim check. I'm assuming you are using a steel tank with a wetsuit ? Keep in mind thats not a suitable combination as the inherent weight of the tank will prevent you from using trim weights in most cases.
@@flowstatedivers Ya I was thinking it might be the fins. I was hoping not as I didn't want to buy another set. I'm actually using a single aluminum 80 with a 5mm wetsuit. I'll try moving the tank up some but not sure how much it can be raised. Thanks for the help.
Very interesting video as always. But what if an emergency buoyant ascent becomes necessary. Neither you nor your buddy will be able to ditch your weights easily when they’re zip tied to your gear…
If you are correctly weighted, you don't need to ditch your weights. That said, you can ditch weights no matter where they are attached, there are different techniques for different attachments
well, not if they’re zip tied. Mind you, an emergency swim up is advisable from 18mtrs and shallower. Below that an emergency buoyant ascent is the recommended way to go. At least, that’s how SSI teaches it. I’m open to other view points. @bogdancristian8097 Which video was that? I’ll watch it. I’m definitely not trying to discard anything being said here, because I see how it benefits your trim. However, you should always be prepared for the worst case scenario. So I’m not quite sure if I can get on board with the idea of ditching weights never being necessary.
@Ho3bahop It's a very important point. First, SSI is not wrong. The vast majority of agencies will teach ditching weight, because they know that the vast majority of new recreational divers (which is over 90% of divers worldwide) are probably overweighted. SSI, for example, indicates that you should take your time out of a dive to check your weighting, have your buddy look at your trim and experiment in the shallows with changes in weight positions to get your trim just right. How many divers you know did that in their OW and AOW courses? In short, situations where you find yourself having to ditch weight (in open water) are always avoidable. There is no scenario where you need to ditch ALL your weight if you are correctly weighted. So let's say you erred and you were overweighted and your BCD fails. You can't carry your heavy body upwards and carry out a controlled ascent. You won't be ditching all your weights because even at 18m you don't want to skyrocket to the surface. Your weights would have been placed in a manner where you are able to gradually release them. You dint need to release all your weights (so non detachable is fine)... unless you are extremely overweighted, then you will have to unbuckle underwater. I hope you never reach that point.
Your weights should remain easily accessible in case of emergencies. By hiding them on your tank, or threading them somewhere else on your body, you're going against the standards. You need to be able to drop weights if you need to.
Kindly recommend you watch this to understand the topic better, before getting carried away with the so-called standards' ruclips.net/video/OtHoa8NXkWA/видео.html
@@flowstatedivers DIR standards. I use a Halcyon BCD. I've been in very strong down currents that required me to drop weights to be able to surface despite positioning my body away from the reef, pointing myself in an oblique line, and inflating my BCD. In this rare situation, if your BCD malfunctioned and you're left to deal with the down current and inflate your BCD with your mouth, it can be catastrophic.
@@CharbelSalemSLA No DIR standard has ever stated that ditchable weight is necessary. DIR agencies such as UTD / GUE / ISE all teaches different flavours but generally speaking they state that the only ditchable weight should be the weight of the gas you carry depending on your cylinder composition. In reality, this only applies to doubles when wearing inadequate exposure protection, such as a wetsuit paired with steel cylinders, which is a big no-no regardless of the weight system, as you will likely end up overweighted at depth due to the wetsuit compression. Downcurrents are a tricky situation, and it's such an edge case that it should not be considered in the same context as what we are discussing here. There are two types of divers out there: overweighted and correctly weighted. If you are correctly weighted (not just on the surface) and you wear the right gear, you won't ever have to ditch any weight to get out of a downcurrent or any other underwater situations. Keep in mind that we are discussing single backmount dives here, but with very few exceptions, the same applies to correctly configured sidemount / twinset configurations with stages included.
🚀 Reinforce your understanding. 🚀
x.halocrom.com/9gZfoMs9PG
This is ridiculously good to watch. That's it, I'm diving with you guys. Tenerife here I come.
🎉
I am in love with this chanel, it took 3 months every week in the pool to find my optimal position. People where pointing out the l should not put lead in unconventional places on my body. I didn't listen to them of course and I want to say thank you for assuring me that what I was trying to achieve or do, was correct. Please continue the great educational videos that you are doing.
Thanks very much! Glad you enjoy our work :)
Now THIS was a useful video! The technique for finding the optimal trim weight position is so simple but I've never seen it before. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
A perfectly trim diver is a beautiful thing. Especially in your shots!! I've never seen such a detailed video about HOW to trim properly. Wonderful stuff!!
Cheers! Thanks for your continuous support 🎉
I just got back from Tulum doing the standard Cenote dives. My weight distribution and trim were all messed up. It's not something I really had to worry about in open water. At least not to the level needed for the overhead environment. These videos are great!
Great video. But placing weights near my eggs seems like a recipe for scrambled eggs.
😂
hahaha
😂😅
You guy's videos are always spot on. It's always... no bullsh*t just accurate diving techniques. I wish you guys were in the US so I could be more involved in your organization.
Thanks very much!
That Star Wars theme always gives me chills … best intro on RUclips
Thank you!
Your videos are an absolute blast. Please do more.😀
Thank you! We're constantly working on new videos.
Just discovered your channel. Perfect in every aspect. Particularly appreciate the drawings for detailed explanations. ❤
Love your content. You explain things that I don't remember learning in my open water certification class. It make me realize that I have a lot of work to do! Thank you!
Hey guys - I'm so glad you have been making these videos! I have had so many equipment issues and my local DS shop wasn't really helpful. Between the trim, weights, and buoyancy videos, it has helped me resolve some of the issues I've had. I'm glad I can move on to working on my kicks and calculating my SAC rate :D Thank you so much!!
This is amazing to hear!! Stay tuned for the upcoming goodies and welcome to the gang :)
Absolutely great! I just love your videos.
If you started with this channel some years ago my struggles with weight and trim would have been gone in minutes and wouldn't have taken me as long.
Definitely thinking to go diving with you guys!
Thank you! Well, it's never too late! Get in touch and come to dive with us!
This is indeed a very concise and clear explanation of buyoancy control, not just a demonstration. Thanks for the effort is presenting and sharing your expertise. And the voice...omg the voice! :D
Another helpful masterpiece. You are doing an amazing job guys! Thank you!
Thank you! We're doing our best to deliver quality videos for all of you!
Again a masterpiece tutorial video. Such relevant information !! Great work guys!
Thank you!
Great content. I did tons of scalloping before I ever dove. Of course salt water. If you were in 3 to 4 ft of water no big deal. But when you were in 6 to 9 ft of water you had to swim down to be able to see scallops and pick them up. It was next to impossible to stay down for very long, because your upper body just would not allow it. I found at that time weight in a vest about nipple height worked great to stay level in the water. It did not take a lot, 3 to 5 lbs. I've picked up thousands of scallops this way. I now use a Hookah and weighted bcd. And the weights are not around my waist. they are higher on the vest.
Thank you for the knowledge. Now to put it to use. Thank you!
Best channel for diving!
@@cust89 thank you!
Awesome video. Learned multiple things today. I'm going to check my weight distribution. Not using any lead, so far. Maybe i can be even more balanced when i do.
It's awesome to see the dedication 😉 rock on!!
Really, really good stuff.
Another great video, keep it up!
Thank you, will do!
Excellent video 👍
Thank you!
Super dope! I just started working on weight balance. I noticed that 1) switching to steel plate from aluminium helps distribute weight better 2) using 2 blocks of different weights on the plate work better than 1 huge block 3) tank band placement helps adjust (however, you might be limited as I am by your flexibility to reach the valves) and 4) as you said - fins help with that final adjustment on the tail end.
The only critique in this video could be levied against that dangling SPG ;) You could get a shorter hose or strap it on the top of your harness or something else like that
thanks for your feedback, yeah we are aware of the SPG. Didn't have options to get anything shorter at the time of the recording. Well spotted tho
So informative! Thank you!
Glad you find it helpful!
This is an amzing channel
I've zip tied some trim weight up near my shoulders.
I've done this in the past, but I didn't quite get the results I was looking for but this time I shouldn't be overweighted so I expect improvement. I'll find out tomorrow morning.
In exactly 3 weeks I'll be trying to work out my weight for drysuit and doubles too.
Awesome, let us know how it went!
impressive work, and easy to understand explaination
Thank you, we're glad you find it helpful!
Good information!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you very much for this video. This topic is what I needed. However, I'm travelling and diving through different countries and renting the equipment in the different diving schools so it's hard for me to achieve a good trim, but I'll try again with this new information.
I really like your videos and watching them is giving me the will to go diving with you, so probably one of my next destination is going to be Canarias!
❤❤❤
It's really cool that you are working on achieving good trim :) Working on trim is a lot of work and equipment adjustment. Try to slowly purchase your own gear if you're serious about diving!
Sounds great! Even tho it's possible to tweak rental gear every time you dive, its tedious.. As previously mentioned, purchase your own BC and fins + exposure suit at least. Everything else you can rent on occasion. Once you have those 3 things, you will be able to set your gear up and be consistently diving great wherever you go.
Nice!
Thank you!
Really great info!
Thank you!
This video is tooo helpful thanks a lots
You're welcome 😊
Awesome video!
Thanks!
Started with one video.. I’m half way though your series….
you contain quality awesome
Thanks
Awesome video and info!!! You guys and gals are killing it! Keep the videos coming
Thank you, will do!
I remember being in perfect trim once it was like I had no drag and no effort to go through the water. Been trying to get back to that every since
I believe the knowledge you pick up with our videos will help you to get there 😊 and we can't agree more.. being in trim is something you don't want to live without once you have experienced its true benefits
@@flowstatedivers The issue for most "regular" divers is, that you usually travel somewhere abroad to exotic dive locations...more precisely you fly there. And weights is the last thing that you consider to bring along from your own "domestic" equipment. So you end up with the usual waist strap that is never optimal...
Hello. Can you illustrate how you attached the weights to your backplate?
Good suggestion, put it on our shortlist !
Support Us By Subscribing To The Channel! 🔔 t.ly/BO7Mx
How to Achieve Correct Weighting? ruclips.net/video/OtHoa8NXkWA/видео.html
3:00 so simple, yet so effective!
Why would I take only half of my weights to test the optimal placement?
Also, what do you recommend for my situation; I usually wear a weightbelt with 2 2kg weights, last dive it kept slipping off, but whenever I put it as high as possible (about belly button level) my trim felt good and my instructor said I was perfectly horizontal. I'm thinking of trying to put it in the bcd pockets for my next dive, would this be a correct placement?
Is lead toxic? Should it be in direct contact with suit?
It's not an issue. The oxidised later that forms of the outside on contact with the air and water makes a decent protective barrier. It's only really an issue if it's ingested so maybe avoid licking your hands after handling it - but generally it's harmless.
Lead in the form of a weight has no hope of getting through your suit or clothing and I've not seen any effect on wetsuits at all.
Hi, I'm a recreational diver, I weigh 75 and with the wet suit I use 5kg, with the semi-dry suit I use 7kg. Could you give me some advice on where to place the weights? Thank you
Hi, thanks for reaching out. It's impossible to tell without seeing you in the water. Take our advice from the video and do a trim check in the water, that's the only way to determine where you need to move the weights as it largely depends on your physique and not just your equipment. Make sure you are correctly weighted and do a trim check on your next dive.
@@flowstatedivers Currently I have always put all the weights on my belt, but I notice that my legs tend downwards. Now I have a new BCD, xdeep ghost. I would like to try with half the weight in the BCD and half in the belt.
I followed your video to obtain the correct amount of weight where I waited until my cylinder as at 500 psi and then I went to 15 ft, emptied my BCD and tested different weights until I was neutral. Turns out no weight was where I was neutral. But that posed a problem for me. When I did the test in this video where I made myself horizontal and then let my body change orientation on its own I ended up completely vertical. But without weight I couldn't adjust. So where do I go from here?
@@robmills5181 vertical head up or head down ?
@@flowstatedivers Head up
@robmills5181 It is because your fins are too heavy, or you have your cylinder too low down. Also, be sure to maintain ample lower body tension during the trim check. I'm assuming you are using a steel tank with a wetsuit ? Keep in mind thats not a suitable combination as the inherent weight of the tank will prevent you from using trim weights in most cases.
@@flowstatedivers Ya I was thinking it might be the fins. I was hoping not as I didn't want to buy another set. I'm actually using a single aluminum 80 with a 5mm wetsuit. I'll try moving the tank up some but not sure how much it can be raised. Thanks for the help.
Very interesting video as always. But what if an emergency buoyant ascent becomes necessary. Neither you nor your buddy will be able to ditch your weights easily when they’re zip tied to your gear…
You do not need to ditch weights. This was explained in a past video
If you're weighted correctly, you should be able to swim yourself up.
If you are correctly weighted, you don't need to ditch your weights. That said, you can ditch weights no matter where they are attached, there are different techniques for different attachments
well, not if they’re zip tied. Mind you, an emergency swim up is advisable from 18mtrs and shallower. Below that an emergency buoyant ascent is the recommended way to go. At least, that’s how SSI teaches it. I’m open to other view points.
@bogdancristian8097 Which video was that? I’ll watch it.
I’m definitely not trying to discard anything being said here, because I see how it benefits your trim. However, you should always be prepared for the worst case scenario. So I’m not quite sure if I can get on board with the idea of ditching weights never being necessary.
@Ho3bahop It's a very important point. First, SSI is not wrong. The vast majority of agencies will teach ditching weight, because they know that the vast majority of new recreational divers (which is over 90% of divers worldwide) are probably overweighted. SSI, for example, indicates that you should take your time out of a dive to check your weighting, have your buddy look at your trim and experiment in the shallows with changes in weight positions to get your trim just right.
How many divers you know did that in their OW and AOW courses?
In short, situations where you find yourself having to ditch weight (in open water) are always avoidable. There is no scenario where you need to ditch ALL your weight if you are correctly weighted.
So let's say you erred and you were overweighted and your BCD fails. You can't carry your heavy body upwards and carry out a controlled ascent. You won't be ditching all your weights because even at 18m you don't want to skyrocket to the surface. Your weights would have been placed in a manner where you are able to gradually release them. You dint need to release all your weights (so non detachable is fine)... unless you are extremely overweighted, then you will have to unbuckle underwater.
I hope you never reach that point.
Narrated by Poseidon himself
😂 exactly 💯
Your weights should remain easily accessible in case of emergencies. By hiding them on your tank, or threading them somewhere else on your body, you're going against the standards. You need to be able to drop weights if you need to.
Which standards do you mean ? There is no point of droppable weight when you are Correctly! weighted.
Kindly recommend you watch this to understand the topic better, before getting carried away with the so-called standards' ruclips.net/video/OtHoa8NXkWA/видео.html
@@flowstatedivers DIR standards. I use a Halcyon BCD. I've been in very strong down currents that required me to drop weights to be able to surface despite positioning my body away from the reef, pointing myself in an oblique line, and inflating my BCD. In this rare situation, if your BCD malfunctioned and you're left to deal with the down current and inflate your BCD with your mouth, it can be catastrophic.
@@CharbelSalemSLA No DIR standard has ever stated that ditchable weight is necessary. DIR agencies such as UTD / GUE / ISE all teaches different flavours but generally speaking they state that the only ditchable weight should be the weight of the gas you carry depending on your cylinder composition. In reality, this only applies to doubles when wearing inadequate exposure protection, such as a wetsuit paired with steel cylinders, which is a big no-no regardless of the weight system, as you will likely end up overweighted at depth due to the wetsuit compression. Downcurrents are a tricky situation, and it's such an edge case that it should not be considered in the same context as what we are discussing here. There are two types of divers out there: overweighted and correctly weighted. If you are correctly weighted (not just on the surface) and you wear the right gear, you won't ever have to ditch any weight to get out of a downcurrent or any other underwater situations. Keep in mind that we are discussing single backmount dives here, but with very few exceptions, the same applies to correctly configured sidemount / twinset configurations with stages included.