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A steel 95 uses about 6 pounds less than an aluminum 80, adding more weight will mean more air and you’ll turn into a blimp.
Try moving the weight forward so you’ll have a lead keel
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The weight is integrated in the BC. The pockets are between rib cage and hip, not quite on the side. A little towards belly. I don’t think I can adjust the BC to have them more towards belly button/center chest.
I suppose I could try a belt and center the weights on my stomach. It seems to me there should be something I can do with the BC within it’s design.
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Is it possible you are a bit overweighted? I had the same trouble when I switched to a steel tank and the problem even magnified when I went to doubles. I dropped some weight and it seemed to help some. I think its somewhat normal to have that rolling feeling with a steel tank and you eventually become used to it.
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I had very little air in BC while on that dive. If I could have dropped additional weight, it would only have been a couple lbs. On my second dive I used an AL80. Added a few lbs, and was able to maintain good trim.
This particular dive was in a spring. At times I wanted to be facing the surface/ceiling. Worked great then! :)
Having a constant roll to one side or the other, while trying to remain horizontal, face down, is not something I’m willing to accept. I don’t want to be kicking to stay in trim on a drift dive.
I’ll experiment in a pool. My best guess so far is that I will need more weight (or move existing weight) at my belly/chest...for ballast/keel. The additional air on my back should keep that side up. Sort of defeats one of the benefits of a steel tank though.
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Is your BC snug enough? If your BC isn’t secure it will allow shifting of the weights.
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Yes. My buddy checked that while I was having trouble under water.
I’ll be at the dive shop this weekend and get some pool time to play around with it.
If nothing else, I am learning about trim and how easily different gear combos and body composition can impact it.
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I used to have the same problem. I switched to a weight belt and no more problem.
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Thanks. I’ll give the belt a try.
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Have you tried frog kicking? Your knees will be further apart and you will be less roly-poly. An added bonus is a frog kick uses less energy and saves you air. I only scissor kick these days if I have to fight a current or chase someone.
I have a Zeagle and often wear my steel 80 with it along with 2x2lb weights when I wear my 3mm in salt water. It’s so comfy.
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Thanks for the tip. I’m looking forward to experimenting with that kick.
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You might also want to try adjusting how high (towards your head) you have the tank set when you strap it to your BCD. I find that if I set my tank a bit further forward vs. lower down my back I not only have better horizontal trim (less leg dropping) but better control of any "rolling" from side to side. I also agree 100% with SeaGoat on the frog kicking aspect. Since the majority of my diving is in fresh water springs it’s become habit no matter where I dive and as she said, it really helps with control and air consumption when you’re in salt water too. Plus frog kicking doesn’t tire you out nearly as fast and I rarely get a leg cramp from that kicking style.
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Thanks all for your input. I spent a few hours in the pool yesterday and am much more comfortable with the BC and LP95 combo.
The biggest problem was too much weight, as Adam suggested. I am guessing the extra air was too easy to move around in the BC. Also, moving the tank a little higher on my back helped. Especially with pitch.
I also noticed holding roll trim was a bit easier when I unclipped the wings and let them rise. The down side to that, it is not as easy to roll air from one side to the other.
I played around with a weight belt. When I found the best position, I noticed it was where the BC pockets are. I’ll need to experiment a little more with different gear/water combos.
Turns out, I don’t need to carry any extra weight when diving fresh, no wetsuit, LP95. Hopefully the DM and my buddy will have a little patience while I figure out what I need next weekend. Salt water and probably 3mm suit, though I haven’t checked temp yet.
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You can get clip on weights when i had issues with rolling i had a 2lb clip on that i put higher on my bcd to counter the roll worked great since you don’t get a lot of options with integrated bcds.
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