confession: I hate giant stride

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I am just the opposite. One of the most annoying injuries I got was while doing a shore dive in New England. Those rocks are really slippery and walking down those rocks in gear while holding a DSLR camera is not fun. Secondly, getting down a ladder while on a rocky boat appears more intimidating to me. Imagine turning around at the edge of the boat with fins on. Then walking backwards into the sea. Why not hold your mask and reg and just let gravity to the work. I have jumped off of 10 foot platforms and it has been an easy entry.

 

[Laurie S.]

I simply have them toss my gear in the water, I jump in and get in it. I take it off in the water, too. I don't mind giant strides, but my lower back can't take the weight of the tanks. I can do it, of course, but then that night I'm miserable. And, multiple days of diving just makes it worse. Even the backrolls bother me because the tank is usually falling over the edge and I'm struggling to stay on and there goes the back again.

 

[Doc]

Plain, simple, mean sounding advice: get past it.

Immersion using a ladder is much more dangerous. At resorts, various pointy creatures glom onto the fixed ladders or steps. Not good.

On a dive boat, I hate using the ladder even at the end of my dive, all sorts of opportunities to screw up. Some dive boats do indeed have huge ladder structures, but they do bounce up and down. Skull punctures, finger pinches, and more. Hang on, Maude.

The "fins on" ladders are sometimes called "(Christmas) Tree" ladders. Not that comparatively many of them in service, but replete with same problem as any ladder.

The now defunct Nekton fleet attempted to ameliorate this issue. The entire 45' wide x 15 long "dive deck" was hydraulically lowered to within a foot of the surface. The rear 15' width of stainless steps was then riding three steps below the surface. They also had two Christmas Tree ladders. It was the best answer ever seen to this issue. Being an orthopedic frequent flyer, I have never had anything close to that arrangement.

The Giant Stride entry is "preferred" because it's hard to convince any diver to do back roll entries. I counsel this method from any height.

It is very hard to convince anyone to try a back entry from an 8' deck, but it is simply the safest way to enter. The tank cleaves the water and in very gentle. All your stuff, mask, fins, is still in place. Can't get many to even try. I do it all the time, even versus clambering down a narrow railed stairway to get to a dive platform. I exited the Aqua Cat from 7' this way, much to the amusement of the crew. I wish they would have offered to assist me back up from the dive deck to the equipment deck, but it was what it was.

My Dentist is a diver. All of my doctors are divers or understand the deal.

The psychiatrist doesn't have to be a diver to understand and get you through this.

Do not misunderstand- I once shot a spider, I might do it again under the same circumstances. There is nothing in terms of irrational fears that can not be overcome with professional help.

Read up on specific methods used to overcome irrational fears. See a psychiatrist. But, as always, you gotta wanna.

Do or not do, young Skywalker, there is no try.

The SCUBA world expects you, and thus is designed for, doing a giant stride.

 

[yardpro]

i much prefer a back roll entry....

 

[chillyinCanada]

Whatever you do, do not go diving in Koh Tao, Thailand. Practically have to be a Navy seal.

OK, it's the sense of falling you say you don't like. Or is the fear even before that? In any event, don't forget to look out at the horizon as you step off. Don't look down, look out at the horizon, enjoy its magnificence as you step out. Hey look you are in the water and barely even noticed. Don't look down, don't go to Koh Tao and you'll be just fine.

I believe this because you've been doing the stride entries already, you'd just rather not. Remember, look at the horizon admire it as you stride, don't look down. There's no need to look down.

 

[Akimbo]

… I don't jump off anything - not out of the back of my truck, not into my pool, …

Does that include stepping off the edge of the pool as opposed to jumping feet-first or diving head-first? The ideal solution would be to “get over it”, but that doesn’t sound likely any time soon.

Commercial divers often climb down ladders, admittedly from greater heights than found on most charter dive boats. It can be done, without fins in most cases, but it is a huge benefit if you are tethered on your way down… a safety rope clipped to your harness in this case. This is especially true if the strength of your grasp is not able to handle your weight. “Most” crew would be willing to assist tending you if you make arrangements in advance. Being tethered also makes it easier to put your fins on in the water without drifting away. Unclip once your fins are on and enjoy the dive.

 

[Pinecube]

Sometimes you just have to face things head on...

I used to absolutely hate heights. They freaked me out going up, they freaked me out moving around up there, and they freaked me out on the way down until my feet were on solid ground. Well, I ended up with a job that occasionally requires me to work at heights so I figured it was as good a time as any to get over it. A buddy of mine suggested something, rock climbing. We found a little indoor rock climbing spot to try out. Between the training, the ropes, the harnesses and the giant cushions on the floor; it was safe as can be. Even being tied to a wall with a big cushion under me, it still freaked me out. I pushed myself up a bit... and when it was time to let go of the wall to go down (barely 10 feet up) it felt entirely wrong. I'm not too sure how else to describe it other than to say it felt wrong, every part of you screams 'no!'. Eventually I had to force my hands open and let it happen. The rope caught me like it should, everything was fine. Of course I certainly wasn't cured right then and there, we spent the next few hours climbing and getting progressively higher and getting a little better at letting go of the wall to get down. It took time before I trusted the rope to catch me but by the end, we were actually having fun and ended up making it out every week to go climbing.

I realize that rock climbing and diving are different, at the very least they usually happen in opposite directions, but the process is the same. I found that the first part is mind over matter, just face the water, grab your gear as you were trained to and jump in. The other part is to repeat the jump over and over to get yourself used to it. I'm not sure if the fear ever completely goes away, but it certainly subsides. My circumstances were a little different. I had motivation to do this to keep a job which really had no alternative to being at height. For diving, any place that you can jump into the water, will usually have a ladder, stairs, ramp, or some alternative to get you in and out of the water.

At this point, I prefer to jump in than walk in. Shore entries around here have you walking over those darn ankle-twisters people call rocks on land, and very smooth slippery ones in the water. Shore dives with walls to jump in on all have ramps/ladders but around here can have sharp little critters clinging on, I try to avoid using them as much as is reasonable.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to take a long walk off a short pier

 

[decidedlyodd]

Check with the guys up in Washington state, I think they have a dive boat with an elevator.

They certainly have one on God's Pocket Resort's boat in British Columbia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfd7TPrW9fI

Having used it, it is pretty sweet, especially with a bunch of heavy cold water gear.

 

[Akimbo]

They certainly have one on God's Pocket Resort's boat in British Columbia...

There is also a lift on the Under Pressure out of Hatteras, North Carolina:

JT'S NEW LIFT PLATFORM 5-1-11 - YouTube

The M/V Freedom will also be operating soon, primarily supporting disabled divers. She is being completed now by the Monterey Bay Veterans. The entire swim step moves between deck level and -4' with a hydraulic winch. Ambulatory and non-ambulatory divers are supported plus their able-body buddies. Diving off her was incredibly effortless on the first sea trials.

 

[Freewillow]

I have seen some guys do the entry "head first". Try that if you do like it but make sure that you have both hands on your mask :shocked2: