diving horizontal

Question
I have a back insuflated BC. I weight around 109 pounds and I am 5 feet tall.  I
have been using between 14 pounds to be at 30 feet deep with a wet suit of
5/7mm and 3mm .  I have notice that I am diving vertical instead of horizontal
in both occasions.   I am not sure what to do to correct my position.

Answer
Hi dalys,

From the information you provided, it sounds like your weight is about right.  The problem is in the way it's distributed.  You said you were "diving vertical".  I'm not sure if that means that you're head down or head up so we'll deal with both problems.  If you're head down then you need to move some of the weight to your ankles.  You can buy ankle weights in various sizes and you simply fasten them around your ankles.  This will pull your feet down so you're horizontal.  If you're head up then you can use the same ankle weights and place them around the tank valve under the first stage of your regulator.  This will pull your head down.  It's important to remember that this is just a redistribution of the weights.  If you're going to add four pounds to your ankles then you need to take four pounds off your weight belt so your overall weighting stays the same.  You'll need to do some experimenting to find the amount of weight you'll need to shift but three or four pounds should do it.  Ankle weights come in pairs so three pounds would be one and a half pounds on each ankle.  Four pounds would be two pounds on each ankle and so on.  If you're going to put them around the tank valve then you can use either one or two depending on how much weight it takes to make you horizontal.  Before you go out and buy ankle weights, you can experiment using regular weights.  Just tie them around your ankles or tie them to the tank valve and see how much it takes to make you perfectly horizontal.  This may be a bit awkward so have your buddy assist you.  Once you've got it right, you'll be able to stay horizontal without any problem.

Happy Diving!!

Mike Giles
Mike's Dive Center
mikescuba.com