Advice for taking that first big step

[fnfalman]

I remembered back in probably my 10th dive and second time off a boat. This boat (The Spectre in Ventura, California) has a looooooong drop. I was standing there and couldn't move. The Divemaster had to give me a stout shove. Nowadays I would try to do a sommersault off that boat.

 

[soltari675]

I was taught to look out at the horizon and step forward like I am taking a huge step on land. It has worked. I get nervous, but I don't want to look like a chicken either

 

[Bubble_Boy]

I don't think this has been mentioned yet... I think the exit is just as important as the entry, Be sure to keep away from the person that's entering the boat in case they fall back, you don't want to hit your face on a tank....

 

[tangfish]

Just yell, "Cowabunga!!!" and go for it. I don't know what else to tell ya.

What he said ^

Great pic by the way!

 

[clpkab]

Thanks for all the great advice and "informative" photos!

I know I'm overthinking it. Maybe I'll resort to the technique my parents used to get me off the diving board to pass swimming class as a child - bribery. What nice treat could I promise myself for accomplishing this goal???

 

[soltari675]

I always enter the water first when my students are doing the giant stride so that I can talk them through it. There are two things in particular, beyond what has already been mentioned that I call out to them:
1) "Look at me!" This is so that they don't look down to see where they're going (it's only water). Looking down changes the weight balance and can make the entry awkward and uncomfortable. So just stand up straight and look ahead.
2) "Take a big step with one leg only." Don't jump! Extend your dominant leg and leave the other foot on the boat as long as you can. This prevents hopping, which has the disadvantage of putting very little space between your gear and the edge of the dive platform. Most new divers hop, so most of our boat crews give the divers a little shove to make sure they are far enough away from the boat for safety.

I KNEW that deck hand pushed me in the water on that first ocean dive on rough seas.....

 

[Quero]

I KNEW that deck hand pushed me in the water on that first ocean dive on rough seas.....

Happens a lot. I always ask the deck hands NOT to push my divers so that they actually get into the habit of performing the giant stride correctly right from the beginning. I personally HATE being given that little shove!

 

[Paladin]

I have the same problem. It has plagued me practically all my life. I can't jump off anything, regardless of height. When I was a small boy (about five YO), my cousin pushed me off a high deck and onto a pile of used bricks. I fractured my skull and had to have 16 stitches to sew my scalp back together.

Since then, I have been unable to jump off of anything, even if it's only a couple of feet high. This definitely includes the giant stride entry off a boat. Every time I try, I just freeze. My rational mind is fully aware of the safety of the action but, somewhere in my subconscious, another part of my brain takes over and simply will not let me jump.

I can back roll off a boat with no problem. I can do the sitting entry, side roll, any other type of entry and I can even jump forward if my feet are already in the water. But I just can't do the giant stride from above the surface of the water.

This hasn't been much of a hindrance to my diving over the past 46 years but now I'm wanting to do some diving off the NC coast from charter boats and I'm wondering how I can do it if I can't jump off the boat using the giant stride.

 

[Quero]

I'm wanting to do some diving off the NC coast from charter boats and I'm wondering how I can do it if I can't jump off the boat using the giant stride.

It would depend upon sea conditions, but if the boat has a ladder, you can climb down and gear up on the surface. I've had a number of divers who couldn't do the giant stride--usually because of back problems, but sometimes for other reasons. I get into the water first, have the crew hand me the BCD, fins, etc, then I help the diver gear up on the surface. In heavy seas or when there's a surface current, this isn't feasible, but it works for most of the dive sites we have here. I've never dived off the NC coast, so I can't say whether this approach would work for you there, but it's something to find out about.

 

[Downing]

What about just facing the boat and falling in backwards, like a back roll but from a standing position? If you can do a back roll from a sitting position you should be able to do the same from a standing position. Just pull your knees in a little as you're falling so your fins clear the deck.

I think we practiced doing that in my OW class, but I've never done it "in the real world."