What do Open water divers struggle with the most?

[Mustard Dave]

LOL. I will pay you £100 if you come on a UK hardboat and do that. £200 if we can video it and the conversation with the skipper later.

Rolling in backwards is appropriate for some boats, but for a boat with a gate your buddy will be following close behind and if there is a shot you prefer to be able to see where it is as you jump.

Have you ever dived from the Gaelic Rose, based in Oban? It is a tiny fishing boat, converted into a liveaboard. The skipper always puts you in on the starboard side, but there is no opening in the gunwale to step through. To get in, you have to step over and place your feet on a ledge that is barely 4" wide, which is particularly challenging with twins and all the weight that goes with drysuit diving.

There were a few of us that were diving from her for the first time, and from watching the old hands struggle, we were a bit anxious. One of our group, Charlie, is knocking on a bit, well overweight, so hardly a picture of health. He has been diving for years though and is always comfortable in the water.

After watching the others struggle, he decides to go for a backward entry. He sat on the gunwale and comfortable rolled back. There was an enormous splash, and as he wit the water, all the air migrated to his feet. The boat erupted with laughter as we watched a pair of fins poking out of the water and waggling, as the tide took him straight past the shotline!

 

[KenGordon]

Yes, I was on it last year for St Kilda. The entry is a bit of a pain, especially with bailout, but it was worth it.