5-point Ascent and Descent?

[Blackwood]

I like to descend horizontally, like a parachutist. I do a bob and exhale at the surface (after deflating BC) and my body immediately assumes a horizontal posture.

Is there anything wrong with this? I can still see my buddy and have a better view of what is beneath me. It also keeps me from finning unconsciously.

No, that's ideal.

 

[del_mo]

It's already there

I hear you. We were taught it was a 5-point (SORTD) not a 6-point descent, and instructing to equalize was more of a mention rather than an instruction. I make it an instruction, as important as any other part of the skill, as it sounds you do, too.

 

[Bubble Junky]

I hear you. We were taught it was a 5-point (SORTD) not a 6-point descent, and instructing to equalize was more of a mention rather than an instruction. I make it an instruction, as important as any other part of the skill, as it sounds you do, too.

I teach it as a five point too - I just tell them that the E + D come together as one point. Equalisation is an extremely important part of the skill !!

 

[SailNaked]

S- Signal
T - time
O - orient
p - position
S - Swim

Just made it up myself

 

[GarbrielleCartwright]

Ascent : STARS
Signal
Time
Air out( bcd)
Reach up
Swim up

Descent: SORTED
Signal
Orientate (visual reference)
Regulator in
Time
Equalize
Descend

 

[laurin]

Ahh. No - that would be a nightmare to teach on OW !! I just use the term 'superman', as it helps the students remember the position better and are more likely to get it right first time.

What's the problem with teaching horizontal ascents? I have had no problems at all teaching those to OW students, in cold water and dry suits even... A little bit of extra effort maybe, but that hardly qualifies as 'nightmare'.

//LN

 

[Diver0001]

You know, the right number of steps isn't as important as doing the right steps in the right order. Regarding descent, the problem I see with the 5-pts decent is that it's actually not the "descent" protocol. It's the "prepare to descend" protocol.

The steps are

- Sign
- Orientation
- Regulator
- Time
- (equalize and descend)....


The first 4 steps still make sense but they are in the wrong order. On a real world dive, you first set your compass (orientation) and then regulator in the mouth and check the computer before descending.....

...... all of this is stuff that is "preparing" to descend..... none of it is actually a descent, which in my mind makes the "descend" sign as initiator illogical.

That said, I still teach them SORT(ED) (in Dutch we call it TOSTI, which is a grilled cheese sandwich) but with the step that the first sign is the descend sign to initiate going through the preparations, and that the preparations are confirmed with OK before actually descending. This way my students are still on the same page as everyone else but made aware that they are not actually descending but preparing to descend. The OK for confirmation is also the last moment to give a STOP sign if something isn't just right.

The descent itself is where the 5-pts descent stops but it's the point where I'm the most picky. I teach them to vent until their head is completely under water and then to STOP venting, clear their ears and pitch forward to go straight from a vertical descent position and get into a normal "dive" position as soon as they can. .... exhale to get deeper if needed and to descend a couple of meters at dead slow tempo. The slowest diver determines the tempo for the buddy team and if they don't stay together and descend as a unit during the descent I will debrief it as "sloppy" at best. OK during descent and upon arriving at depth.

*That's* a descent protocol. It starts at the surface and ends with the OK at target depth.

What they really need to remember is this:

1) sign to initiate
2) three last minute checks
3) ok and descend
4) go down, stay together
5) ok at target depth

STO-GO

Anyone else open for a new paradigm shift?

R..

 

[Bubble Junky]

What's the problem with teaching horizontal ascents?

//LN

It's difficult to look for boat traffic/surface hazards in a face down position... I find 'look where you're going' to be a good rule for life in general...