Diver death in FL- how can I be safer diver?

[Walter]

chris_b,

That was a requirement of your instructor, not NAUI. NAUI's swimming requirement used to be 225 yds with no mask fins or snorkel. It was not timed. The snorkeling requirement was 450 yds with no time requirement.

I do not believe the snorkeling requirement has changed, but the swimming requirement has been dropped to 15 stroke cycles. To quote a NAUI instructor friend of mine "It's embarrassing." The good news is NAUI instructors can add in real swimming requirements.

The YMCA 300 yd swim is not timed, merely non-stop.

 

[chris_b]

Walter, thanks for the explanation. I understand that NAUI allows instructors quite a bit of lattitude in what they include. We did all sorts of interesting things that probably aren't done much anymore, like a breath-hold mask fin snorkel ditch-and-don, a "lake simulation dive" where our masks were blacked out and the AIs came around tangling people in "fishing line," turning off our air, pulling off our fins, etc.; a couple of different "bailout" exercises, and more. It was really a lot of fun for some people, but for others it really scared them away from scuba.

Originally posted by Walter
NAUI's swimming requirement used to be 225 yds with no mask fins or snorkel.

This was a requirement to be allowed into the course. Pretty much everyone had no trouble with this, though.

Chris

 

[Walter]

chris_b,

"We did all sorts of interesting things that probably aren't done much anymore, like a breath-hold mask fin snorkel ditch-and-don, a "lake simulation dive" where our masks were blacked out and the AIs came around tangling people in "fishing line," turning off our air, pulling off our fins, etc.; a couple of different "bailout" exercises, and more. It was really a lot of fun for some people, but for others it really scared them away from scuba."

Some of these excercises are useful, others are not. For any of them there are ways to present them so they are confidence builders and ways to present them so they scare students. No skill should ever be presented before the student is ready to learn it. Each skill should be taught and demonstrated before the student has to perform it.

If presented properly, the mask & snorkel recovery can be a great confidence builder. Adding in the fins makes the excercise many times more difficult and should be reserved for instructor level IMHO.

While I don't use it, I can see where fishing line could be a useful training aid if presented properly.

Turning off air is dangerous and I never recommend it.

Pulling off fins is useless. It adds nothing to the confidence level of the student and seems childish to me. I do think practice swimming with one fin can be useful. The student can remove their own fin. When I have my students swim without a mask, they hand the mask to me. I never pull off a mask.

Bailout is a great excercise if it's presented near the end of the class when students are ready for it.

 

[socaldiver]

what the length should be Walter, but just feel that there should be some kind of swim skill involved. Maybe somewhere between 200 - 300 meters.

 

[Walter]

socaldiver,

If they take Y courses, they've already had to swim 300 yds in OW and another 300 yds in SCUBA Lifesaving and Accident Management (SLAM). SLAM can be before, after or in conjunction with Silver Advanced.

 

[socaldiver]

Walter,

It would be nice if all agencies would implement some type of swim for each level of certification. As you "progress" up the ladder the longer the swim or the shorter the time to complete the swim.

Just my opinion.

 

[art.chick]

Thanks for explaining what the Y can offer, Walter.

I am assisting with the LA County Advanced Course now. Got whalloped on some rocks in heavy surf Saturday. We teach certified divers how to manage when conditions change. Diana, you can be very choosy about only diving in places & on days when conditions are optimal, but the sea has a life of its own. When you learn under supervision how to get out of more iffy situations, it is a confidence-builder.

What you cannot afford to do is PANIC. People who know what to do when the surge picks up are less likely to succumb to fear & confusion. I knew when the waves got wild in a rocky environment that I needed to find a relatively clear exit point, wait outside the surf line, look behind me & count the waves of a set. During a lull, I made my move going between visible rocks with a hand in front of me to shield my face from the rocks I could not see.

In the surf line, the waves were a reality regardless, & I knew that I had to hold fast to rocks when I saw one coming, duck low & ride the end of the wave to the next rock. There was no holding on at the end; I was propelled & shielding my face was the best I could do until a lull allowed me to climb onto a high spot & remove my fins. Safe at last. Was it scary? Even after training & practice, it is. Without these, however, I could have endured a head injury, gone unconscious, etc. This is not what people go into diving for. But if we are going to be in the water, we are best off learning how to work with the environment from people who have lived thru these conditions to dive another day.

Should one take AOW (in a locale with imperfect AOW classes)? These are the alternatives: You are already hanging with instructors. See if they would be willing to let you tag along on more challenging dives, ones where you are in less protected environments. Skin dive in higher surf situations; do things without the weight of the SCUBA equipment to get comfortable with the behavior of moving water. Ask buddies if they would repeat OOA practice with you at the end of dives (ie on safety stops). Are there clubs with a variety of skill levels (not just Caribbean vacationer types?) See if you can be part of a foursome including a diving leader (ie DM, instructor) so you can go along to watch really able divers, but also have a buddy of your own to turn back with if you need to leave. Just some thoughts on what helps me to feel safer.