400m swim for DM

[Diver0001]

String, the secret is you need to shave off all your body hair and coat your body with vasoline.

I'm sure he does....

R..

 

[ClayJar]

I always thought the no aids swim was just to torture the DM kind of like hazzing, you know like not certifing them till they learn the words to Gilligans Island theme song.

*Which* words? Do you have to guess whether you're supposed to sing "...and the rest..." versus "...the professor and Mary Anne..."? How would they decide, anyway.

(I can just see a DM trainer flipping a coin and making someone sing all the way through it before showing them which side was face up and forcing them to try again -- after a new coin flip, of course.)

 

[sea-squirt]

Hi String

I never implied that you should train in anything other than your usual dive gear. And of course people should wear the appropriate exposure suits. The only point I was making was that it is quite possible to comfortably wear wetsuits in Irish/English waters- especially in the summer. Agreed spring temps can get down quite low and maybe at this time of year a drysuit is more appropriate, but as for the rest of the year a wetsuit is more than adequate.

I just felt you were being a bit to precious and by the way, exaggerating how uncomfortably cold the water is not exactly great encouragement for any potential foreign divers to take the plunge the next time they're over here. Remember this is an international site and you are reaching a large audience.

 

[gangrel441]

IANTD allows it also, I just reviewed their standards (Revised 12/1/2006) and spoke to Tom Mount regarding it. ANY stroke or combination of strokes may be utilized by the candidate.

I take it this isn't the GUE standard, though...

 

[String]

Hi String

I never implied that you should train in anything other than your usual dive gear. And of course people should wear the appropriate exposure suits. The only point I was making was that it is quite possible to comfortably wear wetsuits in Irish/English waters- especially in the summer. Agreed spring temps can get down quite low and maybe at this time of year a drysuit is more appropriate, but as for the rest of the year a wetsuit is more than adequate.

I just felt you were being a bit to precious and by the way, exaggerating how uncomfortably cold the water is not exactly great encouragement for any potential foreign divers to take the plunge the next time they're over here. Remember this is an international site and you are reaching a large audience.

My view still stands, the UK is not suitable for wetsuit diving full stop. Ive seen incidents a direct result of the cold and certainly have no wish to expose myself to those.

Trainees from day 1 here are put in drysuits for a reason.

I fail to see how cold bordering on hypothermic leads to an enjoyable experience.

Its certainly not safe to put people in with no suit for a swim test (which is the topic here)

 

[deepblueme]

the professor and Mary Anne..."?

That version.

My Inst made me sing it in front of Circus Circus at midnite after a few cocktails, along time ago when we went to a DEMA show.

 

[driftin' by]

I would recommend getting a swimming coach or enrolling in a swimming class if your times are off. Sometimes a professional can show you easier ways to shave minutes off your time than brute force.

I was going to get a swimming coach as part of my training for DM but was then turned onto a technique called Total Immersion Swimming which emphasizes to "swim like a fish". Basically by streamlining your body and reducing drag therefore reducing the amount of effort. After reading the book, it totally worked for me and I'm now able to do the swim 400m in under 6 minutes which I believe will earn the maximum number of points. Best of all, I now love swimming and have integrated it into my workout routine.

Here is a link to the Total Immersion site: http://www.totalimmersion.net/

 

[RJP]

That's as ridiculous as saying that the person couldn't be saved because they were 450 yards off shore. Damn if only they'd made the swim 450yards and not 400.

That's probably why they have the 800yd swim too!

Though I guess the real problem is that I only know how to tow the diver 100yds, so even if I did reach him I would still be 700yds out when I was "done" towing him.

But at least I could then tread water for 15 minutes while waiting for help, with my hands out of the water for last 5min!

 

[Oriskany Divemaster]

The 400 yard swim is something you'll only do once. After that, you get a D.I.T to do the swimming and recovery. When the victim is close to the boat, the Heroic DM jumps in at the last minute and saves the day.

 

[fisherdvm]

How many folks with DM training actually work, really, actually work, full time as a DM??

My gut feeling is, alot of people do it just for the experience.