Diving Safely Without A BC

[dmaziuk]

If someone wants to dive, and cannot do your "float test," by either treading water, floating, or using the drownproofing technique, not only should that person always wear a life preserver around water, but also that person should not be diving! That is an accident waiting to happen.

The funny part is that pool day 1 was the "try it" dive and both of them swam happily underwater in gear. Perhaps they shouldn't have been diving, but evidently they could. Dive: yes, swim: no.

I, OTOH, feel safer swimming underwater holding my breath and a diving brick than in a car is some places/with some people driving.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

The funny part is that pool day 1 was the "try it" dive and both of them swam happily underwater in gear. Perhaps they shouldn't have been diving, but evidently they could. Dive: yes, swim: no.

I, OTOH, feel safer swimming underwater holding my breath and a diving brick than in a car is some places/with some people driving.

In that case, someone should really teach them to swim without the aids. They don't have a fear of drowning, so learning to swim should be a breeze for them, but they really should master that skill too. I came across this is my Pararescue training. Here's an excerpt from my memoir, Between Air and Water, the Memoir of an USAF Pararescueman, still in draft form.

1967
Then we came to the swim test. They took us across San Antonio to an Army base with a pool. We had to swim 3000 yards, non-stop. One of the guys looked like an Olympic swimmer, tall with a muscular build and very little fat. We started swimming in a very hot pool at the Army base in San Antonio.

I was on about lap 10, when I looked over and saw the fellow I'd noticed before, sitting on the side of the pool. I finished my swim, though not well; the cut to my heel had worked well to de-condition me several months before, and basic really didn't do much for training.

I kept my ears open, and found out what happened to the fellow who got out of the pool. His name was Ed Rendell, and he was a very good wrestler from Oklahoma. He very much wanted to be a pararescuemen. So he didn't bother to tell anyone that he didn't know how to swim. When it came his turn to dive in for the swim test, Ed jumped in, then promptly sank to the bottom. He didn't come up either. The pararescuemen in charge had to go into the water and pull him out. Ed was then asked in friendly terms "What the hell's going on?" and Ed replied "I can't swim!" But he wouldn't tell them that prior to the test. His determination to take the test, even though he knew he'd end up on the bottom, earned him a slot in pararescue pre-conditioning.

Later, in our initial Pararescue Pre-conditioning Training before going to any of the schools, we were both running and swimming. Here's a bit of my memoir from that:

At the pool, I was in agony. I was swimming my best, but having to shake out cramps every third lap or so. Being on the swim team didn't seem to help here, as all the running had caused quite a consternation in my muscles, and they didn't want to function at all. I kept swimming, and shaking the cramps out. Luckily, we did a lot of "underwater recovery" strokes along with the crawl stroke, and this helped as my best, most relaxing stroke was breast stroke.

I must have put on a good show, because I was called out of the pool. I got out by reaching up above the pool's gutter and hoisting myself up with a leg kick and a chin-up motion. Both of my triceps muscles went into immediate, hard cramps. I walked, arms stiffly at my side, to the instructor, Sgt. Neal. He said, "I hear that you are a swimming instructor." I spat out a sharp "Yes sir!" to him, and he asked if I could teach Ed Rendell to swim. Redeemed!! Arms still locked to my sides by cramps, I elatedly gave another "Yes sir!," and took Ed to the shallow end to begin what turned out to be three weeks of individual lessons as I worked the cramps out of my arms.

Ed ended up placing about half way up in our class at the U.S. Navy School for Underwater Swimmers in Key West, Florida.

SeaRat

 

[dmaziuk]

In that case, someone should really teach them to swim without the aids. They don't have a fear of drowning, so learning to swim should be a breeze for them, but they really should master that skill too.

Well, this was a university setting where people are supposed to be familiar with the idea of research and pre-requisites for courses and such. This was all after they paid for the course, so I'd wonder about their learning ability in general... But yes, of course, they should really learn to swim. The point is that to get to OW cert they only need to learn to swim for 10 minutes & 200 metres -- not to swim like a "middle of the swim class" Navy SEAL.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Here is the Council For National Co-Operation in Aquatics recommendations for swimming skills, published in their book, The New Science of Skin and Scuba Diving, New Revised Edition, as published in 1970.

Swimming Ability and Watermanship
1. Tread water, feet only, 3 minutes.
2. Swim 300 yards without fins.
3. Tow an inert swimmer 40 yards without fins.
4. Stay afloat 15 minutes without accessories.
5. Swim under water 15 yards without fins--without pushoff.

These requirements are not difficult, but they do indicate a degree of watermanship wthich would enable an individual in difficulty to help himself without the aid of specialized gear.

We were in the US Air Force, as Pararescue trainees at the time, but going through the U.S. Navy School for Underwater Swimmers. This was before the term "SEAL Team" was publicized. ("SEAL" stands for "Sea, Air, Land Team"; they could get to a site via water and diving, parachuting, or over land).

In the 1970s and 1980s, I was an instructor for the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI #2710). In my NAUI Blue Book, our NAUI Instructor Manual from 1973, the "Basic SCUBA Diving Course Standards" said this:

6. The required water skills which are to be covered during the Basic Course are:
a) Swimming Skills (No Equipment)

1. Distance swim of 220 yards, nonstop any stroke.
2. Survival swim for 10 minutes, treading, bobbing, floating, drownproofing, etc.
3. Underwater swim of 20 yards.

b) Skin Diving Skills (Mask, Snorkel, Fins)

1. Distance swim of 440 yards, nonstop, using no hands.
2. Complete rescue of another diver in deep water.
3. Practice and perform without stress, preper techniques including: water entries/exits, surface dives, swimming with fins, clearing the snorkel, ditching the weight belt, buoyancy control with the personal floatation vest, underwater swimming and surfacing.

c) Scuba Diving Skills (Skin and Scuba Equipment)

1. Repeat all listed skin diving skills while using scuba.
2. Tow another fully equipped scuba diver 100 yards.
3. Practice and perform without stress, proper techniques including: mask and mouthpiece clearing, buddy breathing, emergency swimming ascents, alternating between snorkel and scuba.

d) Open Water Skin and Scuba Diving

1. Perform without stress: water entries/exits, surface dives, buoyancy control and surfacing techniques that are required to do surface, underwater asd survival swimming with both skin and scuba equipment.
2. make a complete rescue of a buddy diver.
3. With scuba equipment: clear mask and mouthpiece, buddy breathe, alternate between snorkel and scuba and make a controlled emergency swimming ascent.

My NAUI Professional Resource Guide for 1984 split the requirements between their Scuba Course and their Skin Diving Course, with more skills necessary for the skin diving course than for scuba. But for these two courses, here's those skills:

Scuba Course
Required swim skills to be covered during a basic scuba course.

1. Swim 220 yards, non-stop, any stroke
2. Use survival techniques to stay afloat 20 minutes (include treading, bobbing, floating, drownproofing, etc.)
3. Swim 20 yards underwater

Skin Diving Course
A skin diving only course has the following swim skill requirements which must be completed during the courses In many cases in skin diving (or scuba courses0 diving equipment may not be available for the first or second water sessions. In this case the instructor may find it useful to cover the following water skills which are performed without the aid of equipment.

1. Swim 220 yards, non-stop, any stroke
2. Survival swim 10 minutes, treading, bobbing, floating
3. Swim 10 yards underwater with no push off
4. swim underwater 20 yards taking 3 breaths during the swim
5. recover a 5 pound object from 8' to 12' of water
6. Tow a person of equal size for 20 yards
7. Swim 40 yards using 2 different resting strokes
8. Learn the skin diving skills of water entries, surface dives and and modified kicks without skin diving equipment

I thought you'd like to see a historical perspective on skin and scuba diving skill requirements.

SeaRat

 

[JamesBon92007]

SeaRat

Do you happen to know the requirements for the "swim underwater taking 3 breaths during the swim" requirements for a NAUI instructor at the time? I seem to recall my instructor saying something like 100 yards with 3 breaths. Actually, I think he may have said 2 breaths.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Do you happen to know the requirements for the "swim underwater taking 3 breaths during the swim" requirements for a NAUI instructor at the time? I seem to recall my instructor saying something like 100 yards with 3 breaths. Actually, I think he may have said 2 breaths.

Yes, and they are quoted above in the NAUI Skin Diving Course, in 1984. It was to swim 20 yards underwater taking 3 breaths, and this was using no external swim gear (fins, mask or snorkel).

SeaRat

 

[rx7diver]

Never mind.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Yes, and they are quoted above in the NAUI Skin Diving Course, in 1984. It was to swim 20 yards underwater taking 3 breaths, and this was using no external swim gear (fins, mask or snorkel).

SeaRat

Thanks. I now think perhaps my instructor was exaggerating a bit.

I'm also thinking just about any freediver could do it without taking any breaths (unless the first one counts as 1 )

 

[2airishuman]

I'm really enjoying this thread.

I did complete a dive in a familiar, shallow location with a tank backpack and no BC a week or two ago. I had previously dialed in my weight with precision, and the dive went well. There is a certain freedom with the lighter and more streamlined kit.

I'm following the discussion of the swimming skills with interest. I've never been a competitive swimmer but grew up spending many weekends on the shores of Minnesota lakes, swimming, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, snorkeling, etc.

 

[REVAN]

It's good to hear that someone has tried it. Thanks for sharing your experience.

That freedom can be addictive. Once you have it, you may not want to give it up.