Three Good Reasons to Dive Trim"

Greg Galford   Jun 29, 2024

No, not about weight! (well kind of it is :-) 

When we talk about get a diver into "trim" what we mean is that when a diver stops moving through the water they stay in a horizontal or trim position without having their feet (common) or head (less common) drop down. Why do we want this? We want to gain a couple of important advantages:

- Better air consumption - if you are feet heavy, every time you stop and your feet drop, you will have to start swimming upward to start moving again, which is wasted energy in the water.

- More comfortable body position (lower air consumption as well) - especially if you are taking photos or diving in current this horizontal position means the lowest work of breathing and the most relaxing position to be in.

- Want to get good photographs - this is the ultimate position to shoot photos in as it allows you to move in and out with small amount of effort.

How do we get there? 

Are your feet heavy? Common solution may be as simple as moving your tank up further toward your head. As you lean your head back in the water, you should just be able to feel your regulator. This will move your center of gravity more toward your head. Need more? Move a couple pounds from your waist to your trim pockets (if you don't have trim pockets, you can often add "counter weight" pouches to your tank band. You can also look at lighter fins, thicker boots, as well as bending your knees and keeping your legs up, or even moving your hands forward.

Head to heavy? As you expect, just the opposite of the above, but also think about ankle weights as well.

Are you struggling with trim and buoyancy? Give us a call as well we have options like buoyancy clinics and Peak Performance Buoyancy classes to make you more comfortable in the water and get that air consumption down!