Backward roll for high entries?

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NYCNaiad

Dive babble all day long
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On Facebook, a diver wrote of tearing his groin doing a giant stride entry. Ouch! I've had one fairly high entry (maybe 7-8 ft; 2.1-2.4 m) and my giant stride was definitely a bit wonky. The guy says that after research he found that the recommended method for high entry is stepping out with feet together & toes pointed up. This makes logical sense to me.

However, one of the responses from another diver was "Higher than 6 or 7 feet a backward roll works pretty well. Highest one I've done was a 12-13 ft drop to the water." He then responds to comments with: "It was surprisingly easy and the tank worked perfectly to guide the trajectory. Yes [I landed on my back]. That much weight on your back pretty much insures you are landing on it."

I originally learned that a backward roll isn't suitable for heights (i.e., anything over 3 ft), but just because you're taught something doesn't make it correct. Also, I've done a lot of backward rolls & I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable doing one from 7 ft (2.1 m) much less 13 ft (almost 4 m). Lmk what you think. Does a backward roll make sense for high entries?
 
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If you go out backwards you will eventually rotate head down. Exactly how you hit the water will vary by how far you fall and how you exit. It obviously works for him, but without seeing how he's doing it I would be hesitant to do it myself.
 
I wouldn't try a water entry from a high platform and there is a chance that I'll hit the water head first as is the case with a backward roll. I have always done with feet first (and put together) when diving from high platform/boat.
 
On Facebook, a diver wrote of tearing his groin doing a giant stride entry. Ouch! I've had one fairly high entry (maybe 7-8 ft; 2.1-2.4 m) and my giant stride was definitely a bit wonky. The guy says that after research he found that the recommended method for high entry is stepping out with feet together & toes pointed up. This makes logical sense to me.

However, one of the responses from another diver was "Higher than 6 or 7 feet a backward roll works pretty well. Highest one I've done was a 12-13 ft drop to the water." He then responds to comments with: "It was surprisingly easy and the tank worked perfectly to guide the trajectory. Yes [I landed on my back]. That much weight on your back pretty much insures you are landing on it."

I originally learned that a backward roll isn't suitable for great heights, but just because you're taught something doesn't make it correct. Also, I've done a lot of backward rolls & I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable doing one from 7 ft (2.1 m) much less 13 ft (almost 4 m). Lmk what you think. Does a backward roll make sense for high entries?
Feet together, toes up is the best entry from this high up. My son and I did many entries like this off the M/V Spree summer of 2015. Personally, I would not do a back roll from this height
 
and it sometimes depends on how good your knees are. When doing long distance giant strides my divebuddy tucks her bad knee leg backwards and only uses 1 fin to splash. Twisting her foot is very bad. I also had to use this technique on our last trip since i screwed up my knee at hockey.

She also hates back rolls as it "takes forever" for her body to properly orient upwards.

I think this situation boils down to personal preference.
 
Am I the only one here wondering what kind of boat someone does a 13' (or even 8') drop from? I've done plenty of 5ish drops from a crew boat, but it's hard to image a boat where you have to go from much higher.
 
Am I the only one here wondering what kind of boat someone does a 13' (or even 8') drop from? I've done plenty of 5ish drops from a crew boat, but it's hard to image a boat where you have to go from much higher.

I think you're correct, see the M/V Fling Fling Charters The Spree was the same boat. They say it's a 5 foot drop, does seem higher than that when you do it.
 
Am I the only one here wondering what kind of boat someone does a 13' (or even 8') drop from? I've done plenty of 5ish drops from a crew boat, but it's hard to image a boat where you have to go from much higher.

It's certainly interesting. My 7-8 ft drop was from a high boat with some pretty choppy waves. I thought it would be a shorter distance, but as I was entering, a particularly high wave brought the boat up & I came down into the trough. The guy who did a 12-13 ft drop backward roll was entering "into a wave pool. Only access point to do a roll at this particular pool. Waves were not on at the time. The other sections of the pool where this could be done from the deck around it were too shallow."

A couple of other people have said they've been on a platform or a high boat & used the "bow of the Vision in SoCal (10-12')" as an example. Not sure why you'd be jumping in to dive from the bow of a liveaboard, but that would be fairly high.
 
Am I the only one here wondering what kind of boat someone does a 13' (or even 8') drop from? I've done plenty of 5ish drops from a crew boat, but it's hard to image a boat where you have to go from much higher.

Florida_Keys_2014__089.JPG
 

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