confession: I hate giant stride

[Becca65]

wow - elevator - never thought a boat might have one of those! I will probably "get over it" one day - but don't have that much opportunity to practice. and yes, I hate even jumping into a pool from the side - so jumping in without gear is not any better than jumping in with gear. No I do not wear my fins on the ladder - hold them and put them on while floating on the water. Haven't yet been on a pitching boat so we'll see one day how that goes. Had planned to practice this summer by jumping off our sailboat but weather didn't cooperate and wasn't really able to.

 

[Doc]

Then, practice overcoming the fear by doing giant strides (sans gear) in a local pool. Face the fear. Do it for an hour or so. Then have a rewarding adult beverage in celebration.

 

[RJP]

I don't do anything that has my body going from a high place to a low place...

Give this one a go...

 

[Oldbear]

The best entry is the easiest one for YOU!!! Just do what is safe.

 

[chillyinCanada]

RJP, that entry dropped my stomach from here.

 

[Hickdive]

wow - elevator - never thought a boat might have one of those!

They are ubiquitous in the UK. In fact in places like Scapa Flow (shown in video) I can't think of a boat that doesn't have a lift.

[video=youtube;FE0gPpA_x5g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE0gPpA_x5g[/video]

 

[drbill]

Dive off smaller boats where you can enter the water with a back roll or just shore dive

 

[RJP]

Was once asked by a non-diver "Why do you guys roll backwards off the boat?"

A: "Because if we rolled forward we'd still be in the ****ing boat."

:d

 

[rx7diver]

Ok - this is my confession - I hate the sensation of falling so the giant stride is not my friend. I understand the water will "catch" me, I understand my BCD has air in it that will stop me from sinking like a rock before I am ready to go under - but that feeling of falling between the dock and the water terrifies me.

Becca65,

I learned the "giant stride" or "life-saving stride" during the initial skin-diving part of my open water course: Wear swimsuit, mask, fins, snorkel, and weight belt, only. (No wetsuit, no diveskin, no scuba.) Just stride out, snorkel in your mouth, holding your mask so it does not come off your face, and bring your legs/fins together forcefully immediately as you enter the water to generate upward thrust which keeps your eyes and snorkel from submerging. Some people hold the buckle of their weight belt, too, while striding in. With a few repetitions, this becomes quite easy to do, quite comfortable.

Give this a try next time you're at the pool. Repeat. Repeat again until it's no big deal. (Obviously, the pool has to have sufficient depth. You wouldn't do this in shallow water, right?)

When you're ready, after a few of these skin-diving sessions, add scuba, and do it again. Things are simplest if you use an Al 63, an Al 80 or a steel 72--you know, a tank that can never become too negatively buoyant. The only new cares are (1) cradle your gauges (and 2nd stage, too, if you choose to enter under snorkel power), and (2) tilt your head forward a bit more (to guard against impact with your 1st stage). You'll be amazed how easy this is once you've "mastered" the skin-diving giant stride first!

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[DeputyDan]

Backwards, forwards, I like to jump.
have done oil slick giant stride just for the fun of the splash....