Beginners Questions Training and Equipment

[hwttdz]

I've just signed up for a scuba class which begins in 3 weeks or so. I would like some advice on
1) training and preparation for my class and
2) equipment

I plan to snorkel/freedive both as an endeavor unto itself and also as training/preparation/skills maintenance for scuba diving. I would like some recommendations as to things that I can do in the pool before the scuba class starts that would be beneficial. I am a competitive athlete (road cyclist), although out of season, but I should have some reasonable level of general fitness. My specific fitness to any water sport is awful, i.e. I am a poor swimmer. Drills, intervals, distances, whatever you think might help.

Additionally I guess I am looking for a snorkel, fins, and a mask. I'd like these to transfer to scuba diving as well. I think full foot fins are appropriate for me, since I do not plan on diving in cool water, and the added efficiency is appealing. But I really don't know where to start, so if people could recommend a few brands/products that would be great. I was looking at the tusa xpert zoom full foot, but like I said I have no experience.

Thanks a bunch to all.

 

[RalphinOrmond]

Re equipment, my current favorites are: Tusa Platina II snorkel, Atomic Aquatics frameless mask, and Mares Avanti Superchannel full foot fins. I'm crazy in love with this set up and don't ask for anything better. Still, something better will probably come along.

 

[eponym]

On training and preparation: when you swim (including your own practice and the swim evaluation as part of your dive course), start out really slow, less than half as fast as you think you should be moving. Stay relaxed, breath deeply, you'll be able to swim much longer distances. I see many new dive students start swimming much too fast, get winded, get stressed.

-Bryan

 

[hwttdz]

Is there a timed swim/distance for the class? I really have no idea what I'm getting myself into.

 

[eponym]

Is there a timed swim/distance for the class? I really have no idea what I'm getting myself into.

Don't worry. Unless you're prone to panic in a pool it should not be a deal-breaker. I teach through SSI, which requires a 200-yard swim using any stroke(s) with no time limit, and a ten-minute tread water. The purpose is to evaluate a student's level of comfort in the water. Not completing the exercise does not mean failing the course--the instructor is charged with making a composite evaluation, including your comfort under the water.

Other instructors can comment on the watermanship requirements of other training organizations (PADI, NAUI, YMCA, etc.). Call your shop and ask them what's required!

-Bryan

 

[Walter]

Take swimming lessons.

The best time to ask for advice on a class is before you sign up for one, it increases the odds of getting a good one.

 

[ScubaJW]

I've just signed up for a scuba class which begins in 3 weeks or so. I would like some advice on
1) training and preparation for my class and
2) equipment

I plan to snorkel/freedive both as an endeavor unto itself and also as training/preparation/skills maintenance for scuba diving. I would like some recommendations as to things that I can do in the pool before the scuba class starts that would be beneficial. I am a competitive athlete (road cyclist), although out of season, but I should have some reasonable level of general fitness. My specific fitness to any water sport is awful, i.e. I am a poor swimmer. Drills, intervals, distances, whatever you think might help.

Additionally I guess I am looking for a snorkel, fins, and a mask. I'd like these to transfer to scuba diving as well. I think full foot fins are appropriate for me, since I do not plan on diving in cool water, and the added efficiency is appealing. But I really don't know where to start, so if people could recommend a few brands/products that would be great. I was looking at the tusa xpert zoom full foot, but like I said I have no experience.

Thanks a bunch to all.

Relax! Scuba diving is not much of stress, just relaxing and fun experience. You don't have to be very fit for this SCUBA. If you know how to swim and don't feel freaked out being underwater, then you will be fine. Remember to have fun in class!

 

[David Wilson]

On the subject of snorkelling gear, it all depends on the kind of snorkelling that you are planning to do.

If you visit a freediving forum, such as Deeper Blue at

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you will be left with the impression that breath-hold diving is all about monofins and bi-fins with elongated carbon-fibre blades.

I'm a snorkeller, not a freediver, preferring as I do a relaxed surface swim with occasional underwater forays. That's the kind of aquatic activity I observed once when I visited the famous La Jolla Cove in Southern California: lots of people snorkelling with every kind of gear, full-foot rubber fins, open-heel surfing fins, adjustable-heel scuba fins, long freediving fins, not to mention every sort of mask and snorkel.

So forget about specific brands for the moment, whatever others recommend in the way of brands will be perfect for them, but not necessarily so for you. Focus instead on proper fit. Ill-fitting fins will cause cramps or blisters, depending on whether they're too loose or too tight, so try on lots of pairs until you find one that not only fits your feet lengthwise, but also breadth- and height-wise. If possible, borrow pairs and try them on in the water first to see how they suit your swimming style. Regarding blade stiffness, don't choose fins whose blades are so unyielding that you'll damage your tendons. Fins are worn for power, manoeuvrability and endurance, not for speed - I presume you're not planning to enter a finswimming competition. You don't have to be a great swimmer to snorkel, just be able to swim, so you don't have to do intensive training in swimming speed and technique, unless you want to.

As for masks, the same rules apply. Don't just go out and buy a brand of mask that's getting rave reviews here on Scubaboard or dive magazines. What's important here too is that the mask fits your face, not somebody else's. Try it on by pressing the mask skirt against your face and breathing in through your nose to create a vacuum. If the mask stays in place, it's like to be a good fit, but trying the mask on in the water as well will confirm that judgement. A simple J-shaped snorkel will complete the kit.

For what it's worth, I snorkel with the same kind of J-shaped snorkel, rubber-skirted oval mask and full-foot rubber fins that I started with back in the 1960s. I see no reason to change as this configuration suits me perfectly, with the added bonus that you can still get such gear nowadays very cheaply.

Good luck!