Nearly drowned in the pool... But it was fun...
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BarryNL is exactly right it is a stress and task loading exercise the value is in learning to remain calm. The first few minutes are kind of intense but just slow way down relax and it's not that difficult.
billtodive
Contributor
Thank you..I think that about covers the hardest thing to learn about diving!
ChrisA
Contributor
I took a class a while back and they made up all kinds of odd drills. The purpose was I think just to create new problems for you to solve. One was kind of fun. Take all you gear on your arms. BC, Tank (with regs attached but air off) fins, mask weight belt. Hold all this in your arms then take a giant stride into the 12 foot deep pool. The goal was to gear up. Of course the first step is to turn on the air valve. Most people went for their mask next so they could see but the better plan was to put on the weight because we were in 7mm wetsuits. A related exercise is "ditch and recovery." You'd never have to do those things but it teaches you handle unexpected tasks
I felt the equipment exchange was less about problem solving than about task loading. The first problem is solved fairly easily by submerging wearing your partner's gear, since it'll always be easier to put your own stuff (that you're used to) underwater. Is the exercise realistic? While you probably won't ever find yourself switching equipment at depth, you might find yourself in a situation of having to buddy breathe while performing a skill or series of skills... hard to simulate in training. Although I said I was glad I'd never have to do it again after my DM program, I was more than happy to assist when my brother-in-law was practicing for his. For divers who might not find themselves in situations of having to maintain a level head while dealing simultaneously with physical stress on a regular basis, I think it's a great training opportunity. I remember thinking at the time also that both my partner and I can say we can recognize immediately the face of an out of air diver, or a diver who's stress level might lead to panic if left unassisted.
One of the most important tools a diver needs to keep in the top drawer of the toolbox is the ability to keep a clear head when something goes wrong. "Stop - Breathe - Think - Act" isn't just a catchy phrase; it's what you have to do when confronted by a problem that, instinctively, overwhelms you. It's learned through training.
One of the most important tools a diver needs to keep in the top drawer of the toolbox is the ability to keep a clear head when something goes wrong. "Stop - Breathe - Think - Act" isn't just a catchy phrase; it's what you have to do when confronted by a problem that, instinctively, overwhelms you. It's learned through training.
Gotta love that exercise but it's definitely easier when you and your buddy are evenly matched as far as size. I also have a safety diver nearby who can intervene if the exercise goes into the can the way yours did. There's no reason to push an exercise that clearly isn't set up quite right as you found yours wasn't as far as weighting was concerned.
I had several of the university swim team members in my OW class last year and they kept asking me for "something harder". Buddy breathing gear swap while remaining as close to neutrally buoyant as possible without touching bottom or the safety diver above them was the most challenging thing I could think of. They swapped gear then swapped back and did a great job with the neutral part then bemoaned the fact that I couldn't think of anything more challenging to throw at them.
BTW, 3 breaths? You're only supposed to take 2
Ber :lilbunny:
I had several of the university swim team members in my OW class last year and they kept asking me for "something harder". Buddy breathing gear swap while remaining as close to neutrally buoyant as possible without touching bottom or the safety diver above them was the most challenging thing I could think of. They swapped gear then swapped back and did a great job with the neutral part then bemoaned the fact that I couldn't think of anything more challenging to throw at them.
BTW, 3 breaths? You're only supposed to take 2
Ber :lilbunny:
engdiver
Contributor
Perhaps in a James Bond situation where you had to dive into a secret base. Neutralize the bad guy diver. Swap his gear with yours and go in undetected as the other diver.
If a Divemaster candidate cannot do the buddy breathing gear swap and swim, they are not yet competent enough to be in charge of independently supervising divers. As a DM, you must be confident that *whatever* hits the fin, you can handle it. It may not be pretty, and it may not be relaxing, but as long as you have air, it's perfectly manageable. (And if you do get tangled up, well, just untangle! If you get royally messed up, remember the mantra: "Stop, Breathe, Think, (Breathe,) Act.") I doubt you'd ever have to do exactly what's in the buddy breathing swap and swim, but "train hard, dive easy".
Actually, all three of these drills (which you're confusing and mixing together) are in the NAUI DM course. First, the "scuba bailout" (not "ditch-and-don") is holding your gear in your arms, dropping into the water, gearing up underwater, and ascending with everything in place and cleared. Then there's the "scuba ditch and recovery", which is descending on scuba, removing all gear, placing it on the bottom, swimming away, ascending, descending, swimming back, gearing up on the bottom, and ascending.
Finally, once you've done those (and several more), there's the buddy-breathing gear swap. It's certainly more interesting and complex, and it gives lots more opportunities for things to go wonky. Still, it's just another level built on the previous ones, so once you've adjusted to it, it's really no big deal.
The exercise is quite a bit about skills. I'd suggest that it's also an enlightening exercise. If the candidates think ahead, they may do something like both wearing the amount of weight needed by the more heavily ballasted diver, or wearing different sized gear than normal so the larger diver can fit. If they don't (or if they have an instructor that intentionally makes the exercise more challenging :biggrin
, they certainly learn while doing. As a current Divermaster candidate, I am *quite* looking forward to this one, as it's one of the most entertaining drills you get to do.
This is not recreational training but there is a drill we do to our guys/gals annually that is a big confidence builder. When we first started it nobody had a clue it was going to happen but every one of them dealt with the problem without hitting the surface. It doesn’t matter if they are fresh out of OW training or been with us for years, they get the same treatment with the same intensity.
At the pool (12’ we suit up and hit the water. Play around a while with some drills and exercises then its black out time for all but the two of us.
While feeling their way around the deep end of the pool the two of us join them. They don’t have a clue when it’s going to happen. Then we start creating one problem after another.
Mask floods. While they are dealing with that off goes the air. As they correct the air the mask floods again and the BC gets undone. Air off again as the fin or fins disappear. It just goes on and on with every piece of equipment until one of two things happens. We see the diver starting to stress or we can’t get them to stress and we have run out of things to do to them. Normally we run out of stuff to do. What I listed above is just a very few of the things we do. We have even switched BC’s, masks, weight belts and other stuff with them without them knowing and being able to see what we did.
On one pool succession a few years ago we had two or three new guys there who hadn’t been through OW yet. They were all smiles as they watched from pool side until the two of us did the blackout drill. When we were done they didn’t have smiles on their faces and were very quiet. At a later training when it was their time to go through it they acted like very seasoned divers and stayed there correcting everything without making a trip to the surface.
We tell them one thing when they join our ranks. We pound that into their heads and by their actions it has worked. Simple statement, “As long as you have air you’re not in trouble”. It may be correcting your air supply or having to share with someone via octo, buddy breathing or getting another tank down to a trapped diver. But as long as there is air, no matter what the problem is, if you stop think about what’s going on you can deal with the problem(s).
Gary D.
At the pool (12’
we suit up and hit the water. Play around a while with some drills and exercises then its black out time for all but the two of us.While feeling their way around the deep end of the pool the two of us join them. They don’t have a clue when it’s going to happen. Then we start creating one problem after another.
Mask floods. While they are dealing with that off goes the air. As they correct the air the mask floods again and the BC gets undone. Air off again as the fin or fins disappear. It just goes on and on with every piece of equipment until one of two things happens. We see the diver starting to stress or we can’t get them to stress and we have run out of things to do to them. Normally we run out of stuff to do. What I listed above is just a very few of the things we do. We have even switched BC’s, masks, weight belts and other stuff with them without them knowing and being able to see what we did.
On one pool succession a few years ago we had two or three new guys there who hadn’t been through OW yet. They were all smiles as they watched from pool side until the two of us did the blackout drill. When we were done they didn’t have smiles on their faces and were very quiet. At a later training when it was their time to go through it they acted like very seasoned divers and stayed there correcting everything without making a trip to the surface.
We tell them one thing when they join our ranks. We pound that into their heads and by their actions it has worked. Simple statement, “As long as you have air you’re not in trouble”. It may be correcting your air supply or having to share with someone via octo, buddy breathing or getting another tank down to a trapped diver. But as long as there is air, no matter what the problem is, if you stop think about what’s going on you can deal with the problem(s).
Gary D.
Clay, maybe your right but I still dont see this as relevant as some here seem to do. I dive on the average of 40 individual day and night dives a month in waters averaging 40 meters or more in all conditions of current, lighting and surface condition. I dont imagine there are many here on SB who train as much or as often as I do. I do understand the benefit of being able to properly make a decision under stressful conditions but like I said gear swapping is not my favorite drill. I never said I hadnt done this drill or the NAUI skin ditch n don or the "bailout" you write about.
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