Having Trouble With Your Fin Pivot?:
The fin pivot can be a tricky skill to perfect. Some common problems are easy to correct.
•I loose balance and fall to one side.
1. Try spreading your fins as far apart as you can. This will give you a wide center of balance.
2. Check your weight system. Weights should be evenly distributed. If your weight belt has slipped to one side, reposition and tighten the weight belt. Check that the weights are evenly distributed on the belt; they may need to be moved forward or backward. It often helps to move heaviest weights farther forward (towards your belly button). If using integrated weight pockets, make sure that you have the exact same amount of weight in each pocket. Compare the weights by holding one weight in each hand. Just because the weight has "2 Lbs" stamped on it, does not mean that it is exactly 2 pounds. Slight differences may effect your balance.
3. Check that your BCD (buoyancy compensator) straps are tightened and snug. An improperly adjusted BCD can cause you to hang unevenly from the straps and lose your balance.
•I can't keep my feet down
1. Try pivoting from the knees.
2. Ankle weights, thinner booties, or heavier fins can also help to keep your feet down.
3. Changing any of these may affect the amount of weight you need, so check for proper weighting before diving with new gear.
•I am stuck on the bottom, and then I fly up suddenly.
1. Add smaller bursts of air to your BCD. It is likely that you are adding too much air at a time. Breath in and out several times before adding more air, as it sometimes takes a few moments for the air you add to your BCD to affect your buoyancy.
2. It is possible that you are not taking deep or slow enough breaths. When you breathe in, expand your lungs using your diaphragm. Your inhalations and exhalations should last at least 4 seconds. It is difficult for many new divers to exaggerate their breathing this way. Underwater, try counting to 4 to make sure you are still taking slow enough breaths.
•I don't have to add any air to my BCD.
You are already neutrally buoyant. If you do not have to add any air to your BCD to fin pivot when your tank is full, you may be underweighted. Tanks become positively buoyant as divers breathe from them. Properly weighted divers generally need to add a few bursts of air to their BCDs before achieving neutral buoyancy with full tanks.
Important Note
Your buoyancy is going to change as you ascend and descend, and as you empty your tank. The fin pivot is great to start you off with neutral buoyancy, but you will still need to make adjustments during the dive.
