Scuba Diving Skills You’re Probably Missing: Buoyancy and Trim Explained

I have just returned from a trip to Lembeh, Indonesia, where a group of us spent 11 days photographing small macro subjects. This type of diving, known as “muck” diving, typically involves shooting subjects on a sandy or muddy bottom. It’s easy to kick up sediment, creating a sandstorm in the water column, which can make shooting conditions difficult and disturb the marine life.

On the trip, we had a diverse group of divers, ranging from those with just a few hundred dives to others with many thousands. Over dinner, the topic of buoyancy and trim frequently came up, as everyone was committed to diving in a way that protected the environment while ensuring the best conditions for photography.

I’ve done extensive technical training, including Advanced Trimix with up to eight scuba tanks, rebreather training, wreck penetration, and cavern diving. These courses have helped me develop solid “trim” and “buoyancy” skills in the water. But what do these terms actually mean? Don’t all experienced divers already have these skills? And should seasoned divers still consider additional buoyancy and trim training?

When the world’s largest training agency frequently demonstrates a “hover” in a genie-style position—floating in the water column with legs crossed—it’s no surprise that divers trained this way struggle to understand true buoyancy and trim. In reality, proper buoyancy control means being able to remain motionless in the water column without moving your fins or any other body part while maintaining a horizontal position parallel to the ocean floor. Your knees should be bent at 90 degrees, keeping your fins elevated and away from the bottom. This is one of the hardest skills to master in diving, yet few divers ever make a serious effort to refine it during their dive careers. As an underwater photographer, mastering this skill has made my life so much easier—I can hold position in almost any conditions while staying focused through the viewfinder. It makes both my diving and shooting stress-free and relaxing.

However, being a tech-style diver—using a full backplate, wing, and long-hose configuration—can sometimes come across as preachy. I’m well aware that many divers see this style as rigid, restrictive, and lacking in freedom. But for me, it’s the exact opposite. I feel the greatest freedom when I can position myself effortlessly anywhere in the water column and complete tasks like deploying an SMB without even thinking about my buoyancy. I can approach any subject or enter overhead environments—such as wrecks or swim-throughs—without worrying about stirring up silt or accidentally knocking into anything.

So if you want to improve your skills what does it take?

The first and most important step is deciding that you want to dive this way—without that commitment, you’ll never do it. For me, that decision came very early in my dive career. I had just passed my Open Water course and traveled to Mexico to participate in a marine conservation program. At the start, we had to undergo a basic dive skills assessment with some of the instructors. They took four of us down to the sandy bottom, where we knelt in a half-circle—just like we had all been taught in training. An instructor joined us, also kneeling in the sand, and asked us to perform a mask removal. As we struggled through the skill, we all kicked up sand, and so did the instructor while assisting us. By the time all four of us had completed the task, the visibility had dropped from 60 feet (18 meters) to just 6 feet (1.8 meters).

The next day, we continued skill training, but this time with a different instructor—his name was Rhu. As we settled onto the sand, I immediately noticed that he wasn’t kneeling like the previous instructor. Instead, he was hovering six inches (15 cm) above the bottom. He demonstrated a mask removal without rising, dropping, or moving a single fin. Then, with one smooth frog kick, he glided toward me, stopping exactly 12 inches (30 cm) away—still hovering perfectly parallel to the sand. After I completed the task, he took a single backward kick, turned effortlessly with a helicopter turn, and moved to the next student, maintaining the same precise control. Watching him perform this sequence four times—without disturbing a single grain of sand—was a revelation. I immediately thought, I want to dive like this guy, and from that moment on, I never looked back.

From that day forward, all of my training was with cave or technical divers, and I feel incredibly fortunate never to have developed bad habits. In my opinion, the overall standard of recreational dive training worldwide is alarmingly low. There is a widespread lack of knowledge among recreational divers, largely due to a failure in the dive training model to uphold higher standards.

What training courses are there for experienced divers looking to improve?

While multiple training agencies offer buoyancy and trim courses, many of them set relatively low standards, making the quality of instruction highly dependent on the individual instructor. The challenge is that, in most cases, you won’t know the instructor personally, and even if you speak with them beforehand, you may not know the right questions to ask—because you simply don’t know what you don’t know. For this reason, I strongly recommend taking a GUE Fundamentals course. This is the only program where consistently high training standards are maintained across all instructors. The standards are among the highest in the world, and there’s even a reasonable chance you might fail the course. However, regardless of whether you pass, you will gain invaluable knowledge and identify exactly what skills you need to improve. As GUE describes it, the course is designed to “refine your fundamental dive skills, focusing on areas like buoyancy, trim, propulsion, teamwork, and situational awareness, ultimately enhancing your safety and enjoyment underwater.”

I do not recommend taking buoyancy and trim training from your local dive shop—especially if it’s the one you’ve always trained with. If they had been teaching to the correct standards in the first place, you wouldn’t need additional training, as proper buoyancy and trim would have been ingrained in all your previous courses. This style of diving is a methodology—it becomes the only way you dive. It’s not something an instructor can simply turn on and off depending on the course they are teaching.

What about my equipment? Can I use it for the course?

For this type of diving, you’ll need a proper backplate and wing with a one-piece fixed webbing, along with a set of DIN regulators configured with a long hose. If you don’t already have this gear, then the answer is no—you’re not ready yet. However, any good training center will provide you with the necessary equipment. Once you’ve used it and had the reasoning behind it explained, you’ll likely want to invest in your own setup and never look back. That said, if you don’t see the value in this system, then this type of training and diving may not be for you—and that’s perfectly fine. But chances are, you already know where you stand. If you’re not approaching this with an open mind and a commitment to changing your diving style, then there’s little point in pursuing the training, and you’d be better off saving your money.

I have been diving for 20 years, I don’t need this training…

If you’re happy with the way you dive and feel comfortable in the water, then absolutely continue as you are. That’s the right decision for you. This type of training requires a shift in mentality and a genuine desire to change how you dive—but at the end of the day, diving is meant to be a fun hobby. If you’re enjoying it as it is, there’s no need to change.

That said, have you ever taken a moment to question the quality of your initial training? Was it truly that good? Or were you simply left to figure things out on your own with minimal guidance?

I’ve done around 4,500 dives in nearly every environment—cold water, deep dives, wrecks, warm tropical seas—and I can count on one hand the number of recreational divers I’ve seen who truly have these skills. No matter how many dives someone has logged, these skills don’t develop naturally without the right training and guidance.

If you find yourself looking at other divers who seem more in control, more relaxed, and able to perform skills effortlessly, then maybe it’s time to consider additional training and refining your skills.

Isn’t this all a waste of time and money when I am already trained and have my own equipment?

Ultimately, the cost of this training and equipment is relatively minor if you take multiple dive trips per year. Compared to the overall expense of travel and diving, investing in proper training and gear is a small price to pay—especially considering the benefits. You’ll enjoy your dives far more, feeling less stressed and more in control underwater. Your confidence will grow, and you’ll become more self-reliant, capable of handling any underwater challenges with ease.

This training also serves as the foundation for all advanced diving. If you aspire to become a technical diver, deep wreck explorer, or cave diver, mastering these fundamental skills is the gateway to those more advanced disciplines.

Additionally, the DIR (Doing It Right) equipment setup—GUE’s standardized gear configuration—is far more durable than a traditional BCD setup. It’s designed to be modular, meaning if a single component fails, it can be easily replaced rather than requiring a full system overhaul. This makes the gear not only more reliable but also capable of lasting a lifetime.

So what will I get out of all this?

Taking a Trim and Buoyancy class, such as GUE Fundamentals, provides a solid foundation in diving technique, allowing you to achieve greater control and efficiency underwater. You'll learn to fine-tune your buoyancy, making it easier to maintain neutral buoyancy at any depth—enhancing comfort and reducing air consumption. Mastering trim will improve your body position, creating a more streamlined and balanced dive. These skills not only make you a more relaxed and confident diver but also help minimize your environmental impact by preventing accidental damage to fragile ecosystems. Additionally, the focus on fundamental diving principles enhances safety, making each dive smoother, more enjoyable, and less physically demanding.