Anybody have issues with feet floating up?

[missnumnutz]

hi ladies.. just wondering if any of you have experienced their feet/fins floating up to the surface while i'm trying to remain upright to descend or that it was difficult to descend feet first? I ended up going head first..
I've was given 6 pounds of weight and wearing a 7mm paragon cruiser, oceanpro bc and split fins. I was told of ankle weights but have not decided to try them yet. While i was getting my OW I didn't experience any feet flotation just myself floating to the top near the end of the dive where it got shallower. Its seemingly hard for me to stay at the bottom and i keep floating up the moment i shift position even though I dove recently with 10-12 pounds of weight as I was told its overdoing it for anymore.. If i stuck to the floor and literally touch the floor with my chin then i had a little hope. My LDS did a bouyancy test on me with 6 pounds and said i was fine and I was able to stay under for most of the dive except near the end..where my body ascended itself - i was keeping my head down too! Not sure what's going on..

[ScubaGir1]

My mom's feet/fins float, so she wears 1lb. ankle weights. It works really well for her. I don't have that problem, and I dive with 14lbs with a 7mm wetsuit, 5mm booties, 6/5mm hooded vest, gloves.... and I'm just fine. Oh, and I weigh 122lbs.

Maybe give the ankle weights a try. I have also heard that some fins float more...not sure which ones though.

[Zenagirl]

If you're floating up to the surface and can't stop it at the end of a dive, you're underweighted. Add 2 pounds of weight (1 pound per ankle?) and you'll likely be able to stay down. Either way, add 2 pounds so you won't have any trouble doing your safety stops and making a slow ascent from 15' (and if 2 pounds isn't enough, add 4, etc).

[YellowfinKunkfish]

I have Oceanic V-12 splits, and they are very negative. My feet hang down, have never had the floaty feet problem. I just need to figure out how to get horizontal, and not have my feet sink! As far as being underweighted goes, I'm always more bouyant at the end of the dive, when we are more shallow, and my tank is not as full. I thought that was normal, you just let air out of your BC, so you don't make an unplanned ascent.

Rhonda

[ScubaGir1]

Yeah, I find that I have to start letting air out of my BC near the end of dives as well. My instructor told us that its normal b/c our tank is lighter.

[missnumnutz]

yes i have oceanic v12 splits! thx for all ur replies.. i might get some more weights to play around with

[caroln]

If your feet are getting floaty on descent, try crossing your ankles and pointing your toes down so the fins are cutting through the water giving you less resistance. BTW, ideally you want to always be horizontal in the water, not vertical, so maybe your feet are just trying to force you to get into proper position When I descend, I point my toes so my fins are positioned to cut through the water rather then being a big flat horizontal surface that I have to push down. As soon as my head is beneath the surface, I switch to a horizontal orientation, and descend that way. My husband calls it my skydiving pose and I guess that's what it looks like, but it allows you to control your descent very well, as well as watch your buddy all the way down. If you can't stay down at the end of the dive, your bcd may be trapping some air. Try lifting your butt and dumping air from the rear dump valve--sounds odd, works well. You want the dump to be the highest point so that any air remaining in the bcd will be pushed out when you dump. If that doesn't work, I agree with the prior post suggesting that you are underweighted.

[ScubaToys Larry]

Many times I find this is not caused by "floaty feet" as much as it is "floaty waist through legs". When we toss on a lot of wetsuit - that all wants to float, so if the lead you are wearing is past the middle balance point... more toward the top of your body - that will cause the tetter to totter so to speak.

So sometimes, moving a tank lower (if a steel tank) or putting weight on the bottom tank strap, or re-arranging things with your weights can help.

The only thing I like to point out is when diving in your kicking along position, make sure you don't have too much weight on your ankles causing you to kick in a downward direction that will mess with trim, silt the bottom and or have you kicking coral if that close to the bottom.

[missnumnutz]

Originally Posted by caroln

If your feet are getting floaty on descent, try crossing your ankles and pointing your toes down so the fins are cutting through the water giving you less resistance. BTW, ideally you want to always be horizontal in the water, not vertical, so maybe your feet are just trying to force you to get into proper position When I descend, I point my toes so my fins are positioned to cut through the water rather then being a big flat horizontal surface that I have to push down. As soon as my head is beneath the surface, I switch to a horizontal orientation, and descend that way. My husband calls it my skydiving pose and I guess that's what it looks like, but it allows you to control your descent very well, as well as watch your buddy all the way down. If you can't stay down at the end of the dive, your bcd may be trapping some air. Try lifting your butt and dumping air from the rear dump valve--sounds odd, works well. You want the dump to be the highest point so that any air remaining in the bcd will be pushed out when you dump. If that doesn't work, I agree with the prior post suggesting that you are underweighted.

-- thx carolyn, i was actually gettin my buddy to try and dump all the air i had in my bc out as i didn't think it was all getting out.. even so we did let out a little bit but wasn't enough to stop my body from floating back up..

i will try the pointing the fins and larry's crossing the ankles next!

[missnumnutz]

Originally Posted by ScubaToys Larry

Many times I find this is not caused by "floaty feet" as much as it is "floaty waist through legs". When we toss on a lot of wetsuit - that all wants to float, so if the lead you are wearing is past the middle balance point... more toward the top of your body - that will cause the tetter to totter so to speak.

So sometimes, moving a tank lower (if a steel tank) or putting weight on the bottom tank strap, or re-arranging things with your weights can help.

The only thing I like to point out is when diving in your kicking along position, make sure you don't have too much weight on your ankles causing you to kick in a downward direction that will mess with trim, silt the bottom and or have you kicking coral if that close to the bottom.

I DID feel like my tank a (Faber steel one) was too high when i got in the water, even though when I was on land it was seemingly sitting perfectly. My head was hitting my valve if i tilted a bit back in when I was under, will readjust again next coming dive! will tell u all how i went..