Question Pool Practice Ideas

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Yep. Sometimes it is best to go with the tried and true. Innovation may not be needed.

I want them to be still and occupied doing something. Not get bored. A neutrally buoyant rocket is a great idea, but does not address what I'm trying to do.

 

[quietlife4me]

For those following along….

Just finished my OW with Sea Dwellers in Key Largo. The instructors and boat crew were all low key and easy to get along with.

On first day/yesterday (afternoon) it was chilly and a ripping current in the 2nd dive location and my 7mm wetsuit was the envy of the boat…8 of us (me with instructor, 3 female extremely experienced divers/friends on Nitrox diving as a group, father/son new divers with a guide and 2 experienced European tourists on their own).

Next day/today (afternoon) was a full house with double the number of divers and probably another 10 snorkelers (~26’ish). Much nicer day. I’d say perfect frankly.

 

[eelpout]

Get as comfortable as you can doing all the basic skills without your mask on. Ascend and descend (under control) without a mask, share air with other diver with out a mask. Try to feel comfortable swimming for at least 100 yards without your mask. One of the most handicapping situation in the water is losing your mask. If you can perform all the necessary skills without your mask your self confidence and comfort will rise to a pretty good level.

 

[rmssetc]

I am a new diver who stupidly decided to take up scuba the weekend the local dive spots closed up for winter…so I have 5 months to twiddle my thumbs (or travel).

However, I basically have unlimited access to an indoor pool at my LDS with a 9ft deep end until the local lakes/quarries open up again…

Presume that’s what you had and you had the necessary gear/air/etc…what specifically would you do for an hour in the pool besides just sit on the bottom to get away from the world? Which is amazing granted.

My last couple times getting wet I’ve just worked on generic buoyancy and breath control…and working the basic OW drills with 5mm gloves on.

You've got a great opportunity, and a good start already.

Some other fun/skills exercises:

• if you have your own BCD, spend time getting used to the location of every strap, pocket, D-ring, etc. by feel. Learn how to secure hoses (SPG, octo) so that they don't dangle.
• while neutral (not on the bottom), remove your gear, pretend/practice tightening the tank cam band, adjusting hose routing (ie., if a hose was trapped underneath a shoulder strap, etc) while remaining neutral, with your BCD in front of you, then put the BCD back on.
• with a partner, send pool toys back-and-forth -- good practice in visual depth perception underwater, adjusting your depth to "catch" the toy w/out surfacing or touching the bottom, etc
• swim laps, underwater, upside down. It'll help you understand how your regulator breathes while inverted, how much space you occupy (ie., maintain a constant distance of about 2' above the bottom of the pool to build an intuitive sense of how far the tank protrudes from your BCD -- a great thing to know before doing a swim-through), and it will help you judge distance & bubble ascent rates
• visually pick a spot (a coin on the bottom of the pool, a particular tile, etc), hover neutrally, close your eyes and count to 10 -- then see how much your trim/bouyancy/position have changed. Increase the time with your eyes closed.
• swim laps with your eyes closed, without surfacing or hitting the bottom
• swim laps upside down, with your eyes closed, without surfacing or hitting the bottom

 

[Litefoot]

For those following along….

Just finished my OW with Sea Dwellers in Key Largo. The instructors and boat crew were all low key and easy to get along with.

On first day/yesterday (afternoon) it was chilly and a ripping current in the 2nd dive location and my 7mm wetsuit was the envy of the boat…8 of us (me with instructor, 3 female extremely experienced divers/friends on Nitrox diving as a group, father/son new divers with a guide and 2 experienced European tourists on their own).

Next day/today (afternoon) was a full house with double the number of divers and probably another 10 snorkelers (~26’ish). Much nicer day. I’d say perfect frankly.

Congrats on your cert!! I’m really envious of your access to the pool. What a great resource!