Not the best swimmer...

[dumpsterpurrs]

And how do you do that while swimming front crawl?

Arm tow is the preferred method. Allows one hand below victims chin, one hand holding on to victims arm, and push by kicking with your fins. Gives you easy access to their face to give rescue breaths too.

 

[TMHeimer]

Arm tow is the preferred method. Allows one hand below victims chin, one hand holding on to victims arm, and push by kicking with your fins. Gives you easy access to their face to give rescue breaths too.

Yeah, seems we had similar rescue training. I'm not gunna re-read the old posts, but did anyone suggest performing a rescue doing a swimmer's crawl? Would seem impossible to me since you're swimming with both arms and legs.....

 

[tursiops]

every 10 secs of towing

5 secs, not 10 secs

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

5 secs, not 10 secs

....anddddd my victim dies thanks for the reminder

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

The way you tow a drowning victim is combat sidestroke, holding them by the hair. If they're in gear, you can hold on to 1st stage or the hoses instead.

I've no idea what the 400m in 7 minutes swim has to do with rescue: if you took more than 3 minutes getting to the victim and starting CPR, they're brain dead. You needn't've bothered.

To me mixing front crawl techniques, open ocean, and rescue, in one paragraph is just... confused.

@TMHeimer here's where the arm tow discussion started, you can flip back one page, towards the end.

The swim test is, I think, about stamina, comfort with in water stressful situations, water(wo)manship, and not simply only the ability to swim the fastest or longest.

 

[TMHeimer]

@TMHeimer here's where the arm tow discussion started, you can flip back one page, towards the end.

The swim test is, I think, about stamina, comfort with in water stressful situations, water(wo)manship, and not simply only the ability to swim the fastest or longest.

Thanks dp.... You could be right about the swim test's purposes (you said "I think"). I gave up on an exact explanation of what the 4 (5 now) tests are specifically to show. The official descriptions are vague, and the opinions are many and somewhat varied.

 

[Scraps]

I don't know if the OP is still looking for advice, but here's the perspective of another DM candidate:

400 yard swim test: After conducting a self test that would have earned me a 2, I paid for an hour-long session with a swim instructor. He gave me a solid diagnosis of my major form problems, along with worthwhile tips and drills. After the lesson, I practiced my stroke on my own pretty much any time I was in any water for any reason. My stroke got smoother and slower. Getting eyes-on from someone who knew what he was looking at made all the difference. He told me later he knew just from my body type what my problems would be even before I got in the water: muscular guys need to learn not to attack the water. The pros are worth the money. (For the record, he told me not to reach deep on my power stroke.) I just took my test for real last weekend and earned a 4.

Tired Diver Tow: I practiced different techniques with a buddy and decided to grip the tank valve with my left hand and kick for all I was worth in a side stroke on my right side. My instructor said the key is treating it like a sprint and not pacing yourself. I believed her and went all out. My legs were cramping at the end, but I got a 5 with a few seconds to spare.

Gear exchange: The keys are 1) establishing breathing routine and communication, 2) going slow. There's no time limit. Just do what you can without hurrying on each breath cycle. You have all day.

Best wishes,

 

[TMHeimer]

On the gear exchange how is it graded? Now that it hasn't been pass/fail for a few years and you say time isn't a factor, I would assume you'd loose marks for bumbling around, making mistakes or having trouble coordinating the buddy breathing?
Think I've already asked about how you'd grade each person since it is a drill that depends on both doing it correctly.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

I don't know if the OP is still looking for advice, but here's the perspective of another DM candidate:

400 yard swim test: After conducting a self test that would have earned me a 2, I paid for an hour-long session with a swim instructor. He gave me a solid diagnosis of my major form problems, along with worthwhile tips and drills. After the lesson, I practiced my stroke on my own pretty much any time I was in any water for any reason. My stroke got smoother and slower. Getting eyes-on from someone who knew what he was looking at made all the difference. He told me later he knew just from my body type what my problems would be even before I got in the water: muscular guys need to learn not to attack the water. The pros are worth the money. (For the record, he told me not to reach deep on my power stroke.) I just took my test for real last weekend and earned a 4.

Tired Diver Tow: I practiced different techniques with a buddy and decided to grip the tank valve with my left hand and kick for all I was worth in a side stroke on my right side. My instructor said the key is treating it like a sprint and not pacing yourself. I believed her and went all out. My legs were cramping at the end, but I got a 5 with a few seconds to spare.

Gear exchange: The keys are 1) establishing breathing routine and communication, 2) going slow. There's no time limit. Just do what you can without hurrying on each breath cycle. You have all day.

Best wishes,

^^^^ exactly this ^^^^

 

[Scraps]

TMHeimer,
The way it was explained to us was a 5 was for demonstration quality with good teamwork, pacing, and communication. Awkwardness, rushing, and failing to manage smoothly the buoyancy consequences of doffing and donning gear could cost points. Surfacing prematurely would get a DQ.

We got a 5: the instructor liked our problem solving when I discovered my size 13 foot wouldn't fit in my female partner's fins. I took off my booties, and my partner tucked the discarded booties into her gear while I crammed my bare feet into her fins, then we swapped masks (which we agreed beforehand to do last), and surfaced together.