confession: I hate giant stride

[MXGratefulDiver]

... doing it wrong ...

[video=youtube;CSsilC4QbB4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSsilC4QbB4#t=80[/video]

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[RJP]

... doing it wrong ...

Seems like the crew is helping those folks out quite a bit...

 

[PhatD1ver]

Dang, I feel for ya... I love the giant stride.. then again, I've always loved jumping off of things or out of things... but to be honest ever since I was a kid watching SeaQuest I've wanted to do the backwards roll off a boat, and when I got to the Philippines, that's exactly what I got to do... and oh boy it's the most fun I've had since I was a kid (well, except for marriage and it's bennies)...

But I also love just walking off the side or back of the boat in one big jump... the best one was at the Grotto in Saipan... into the big blue

 

[The Chairman]

I simply turn my back to the water with my heels just barely going over the edge and sit down. Yeah, sometimes I do the NesTea Splash, but usually I just sit.

 

[Becca65]

ouch! some in that video look a bit painful. Like I said - I did it for scuba class, and I know I need to practice (finding time to get to somewhere to do that is always a challenge - as "life happens") but that falling bit just really bothers me - it's not the gear or lack of gear, and it's not being able to physically do it - it's the sensation of falling -- even a child's slide at a park is pretty scary to me.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Backwards, forwards, I like to jump.
have done oil slick giant stride just for the fun of the splash....

I hit the water with my feet firmly together just to see how big a splash I can make... :cool2:

I generally go in deflated and don't surface after hitting the water. Why go up only to turn around and go back down - silly. I'll buddy up 5ft under and head down.

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To the OP, I think it helps to realize that you're getting in the water when you leap, not after 5 minutes of bobbing on the surface. If you think that way, you won't go up to the jump-off until you're ready to dive. Don't jump in thinking I'll get mentally ready once in the water. When you do the giant stride, don't be timid, do it with confidence, no matter what you may be saying to yourself internally. A half-hearted entry is where people can get hurt by not leaping clear and hitting the boat, ladder, dock, another diver, etc. The worst is changing your mind at the last minute and falling. Think tough, and don't stand up to go until you're ready. Once you do stand up to go, you've crossed the point of no return and you don't second guess yourself. Don't stand up until you're mentally prepared to dive, and once you stand up, don't look back.

Several years ago, we went to Typhoon Lagoon and stood in line for almost an hour to ride the biggest slide in the park. After all that wait, I was about 5th in line and said to myself, "Wow... we're really up here! What I'm I doing here, I don't even want to ride this thing." Then, before I knew it, and while I was still contemplating if I wanted to do it, there was only one guy ahead of me. I quickly realized I was past the point of no return and had committed myself about 30 minutes earlier. So I stepped forward like I owned it, and did it, just like everyone before me. Afterwards, we realized wasn't a big deal and decided the line was too long and the ride too short to do it again. But, lesson learned, what I learned diving apparently has real world applications.

 

[Jersey]

I remember not being too keen on giant strides when I first started. It didn't seem so bad in a pool, which wasn't pitching and tossing, but out on the water it seemed overwhelming. As others said practice, face your fear, conquer it and own it, not the other way around. Yes, easier said than done. We all do it every day whether it's a giant stride, a Board Meeting presentation or something else. A little fear is a good thing, it's rational. Debilitating to where it limits you from an activity you love is sad.

I do remember not liking the drop in - drop down style diving the first time I had to do that. I sometimes like to 'fiddle' on surface - tuck hair in, clear mask, check gear, all that. Now that is my preferred method. As someone said, why drop down to pop up to drop down? Get in, go down, go dive.

 

[Jeeptrick]

That video just made me cringe. I have picked the glass out from around the eyes of people who insist on entering the water face first.

 

[lmorin]

Becca65--Here is my view. If your dislike of falling is a real impediment to diving, then you should address the issue directly. However, if you just worry about the act of falling, yet actually engage in it regardless of how much you might dislike it, then just put up with it, making efforts to ameliorate the issue when possible.

That said, all sorts of phobias can be treated successfully with behavior modification. You might look into finding a psychologist who specializes in such, but only if you decide that your fear of falling is a true impediment to comfortable diving experiences.

Also, you asked about dive site entries via ladder/stairs rather than giant stride from a dock. Many of the resorts in Bonaire, for example, have ladder or stair entries from a dock to their house reef. Most of the folks I have seen using that mode of entry, rather than the giant stride, have been newbies or older divers, both being worried about fragility. However, it would not surprise me if one or two were afraid of the giant stride entries, but there is no way to know without asking directly.