I just watched this little clip about skills for photography/precision diving. Thought I'd share 
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Great skills for Underwater Photographers and all divers
- Thread starter kathydee
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Great find Kathy
1:49 Made me crack up xD
I see that waaay to often at Breakwater
1:49 Made me crack up xD
I see that waaay to often at Breakwater
Thanks kathy. I have a question for you though. Do most of you tech divers favor the frog kick over the scissor/flutter kick? Also, is it true that you do not use as much air with this kick (less exertion), as the video suggests?
Claude
Claude
It's hard to generalize, but I'd say yes. I'll occasionally use a little modified flutter in tight spots, or just to give my frog kick muscles a break, but from a frog kick it's very easy to transition to a back kick or helicopter turn. About the only use I have for a regular flutter kick is if I have to fight a current well away from the bottom. The frog kick has a glide component, so there is a built-in rest in every cycle.
As a recreational diver I only flutter kick for surface swims.
Personally, I find frog kicks or even modified frog kicks (legs straight-ish and pushing with your calfs and ankles) to be much less tiring and also as fast as most other divers who flutter kick.
That is unless they're hauling a**
Flutter kick, executed with the knees bent and feet up, is ideal for working against current or flow, because you have a continuous flow of propulsion. (The glide phase of the frog kick, which is what makes it restful and efficient, works against you if the water is pushing you backwards.) But in still water, the frog kick does several things: It gives you a resting phase, it leaves the bottom undisturbed, and it gives you a buoyancy check (because when you aren't kicking, you find out if you are correcting your buoyancy with your fins).
OP
Hi Claude,
Those are good questions. I'll try to answer them from my own experience.
First it's important to realize that this style is not just for technical divers. You don't need to penetrate a cave or dive to 200ft to benefit from this type of diving; often I critter hunt in 35-45ft at Breakwater and don't dive deeper than recreational depths
. Plenty of local single and double tank recreational divers learn and enjoy diving this style right here in the Bay Area. I started learning this style after logging 200 dives and found the skills really made diving so much easier and fun! My only regret was not learning sooner.But back to your questions - like many recreation divers I used the flutter exclusively before learning the frog, helicopter and back kick. The unrefined flutter and challenges with buoyancy and trim (that was not streamline) required much more exertion and gas consumption.
The frog kick polishes into a relaxing kick and glide cycle which does indeed conserve energy. It is so effective, I rarely use the flutter now except in tight spaces, for a little extra power in current, and to occasionally rest my frog kick muscles.
alwaingold
Guest
It's also useful for swimming along next to something without kicking it, e.g. swimming along a wall or side by side with a buddy.
It's important to keep in mind that the flutter kick that Lynne is referring to is not the one that is typically taught in open water. A flutter kick like Lynne is referring to will not silt out the bottom when properly executed.
Allison
Oh I assure you, I'm an expert at making nearly any kick into a highly effective silting kick.
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