My journey into tech

[KenGordon]

This was on Valhalla. The platform was stationary, the water was going up and down. The lift is in the middle of a larger liveaboard rather than on the stern of a 11m cat so can deal with more bounce.

That boat is practically local for you, it takes me two days to get there. Actually, I know of spaces on Valkyrie next month if you fancy some gentle wreck diving...

 

[stretchthepenn]

<snip> ...going SM now would allow her to get comfortable with the gear etc between now and whenever she does her tech.

I find that there is a fair bit of an adjustment period after the SM course, during which the diver is making a lot of small adjustments to the rig, bungee lengths, hose config etc etc to really dial it in for their own situation. Doing a tech course in a new SM rig without some consolidation diving is a recipe for unnecessary task loading.

Agreed, in all respects. Learning SM diving is (almost) like learning to dive all over again. The fundamental skills of how to survive underwater remain the same, but the specifics are very different. Even if you've got yer shizzle togizzle for single-cylinder BM, the first few SM dives are just plain weird, and you'll need lots of practice.

In that respect, @Marie13 (the OP) and I are in much the same boat. I opted for SM training instead of BM doubles training, and my instructor recommended that I get in at least 50 SM dives before continuing with technical classes.

 

[Ayisha]

Yeah, I know that about the split fins. I won't switch until I absolutely have to. The stiff paddles I tried (Dive Rite XT, Hollis F2, Apeks Rocket RK3) all hurt my knees something awful. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

You might want to give the UTD Precision Neutral/Positive fins a try. They are stiff and lighter, and I went from pain to no pain. They are the size and shape of jetfins, but about half the weight and a deeper, more comfortable foot pocket.

UTD Precision Fins - Neutrally/Positively Buoyant · UTD Scuba Diving

 

[rongoodman]

Yeah, I know that about the split fins. I won't switch until I absolutely have to. The stiff paddles I tried (Dive Rite XT, Hollis F2, Apeks Rocket RK3) all hurt my knees something awful. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

What kind of kicks are you doing to make your knees hurt so much, flutter or frog? It might not be the fins causing the problem.

 

[Marie13]

What kind of kicks are you doing to make your knees hurt so much, flutter or frog? It might not be the fins causing the problem.

Flutter. My frog is enough to make a cat laugh.

 

[rongoodman]

Flutter. My frog is enough to make a cat laugh.

So why keep doing it if it's going to make your knees hurt, and likely silt out any wreck you enter, whichever fins you're wearing? (Silt in un-sanitized wrecks or areas of sanitized wrecks is a real issue. Three experienced NJ wreck divers died on the Spiegel Grove in 2007 after they entered a confined area and were unable to find their way out after destroying the visibility.)

 

[Marie13]

So why keep doing it if it's going to make your knees hurt, and likely silt out any wreck you enter, whatever fins you're wearing? (Silt in un-sanitized wrecks or areas of sanitized wrecks is a real issue. Three supposedly experienced NJ wreck divers died on the Spiegel Grove in 2007 after they entered a confined area and were unable to find their way out after destroying the visibility.)

No kidding. That's why I'm doing my damn best to get frog down ASAP. Regardless what some of you think, I'm not stupid enough to penetrate a wreck with flutter and risk silting the place up. I can frog after a fashion, but it ain't pretty. The third dive on my wreck class on Lake Michigan last weekend was called as vis was pretty bad.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Regardless what some of you think, I'm not stupid enough to penetrate a wreck with flutter and risk silting the place up.

Right. That's what "modified flutter" or "small flutter" is for. Part of intro to tech (whether the course by that name or some other equivalent) is not just how to do the kicks but in what situations/environments each is appropriate. A big frog kick, for example, isn't the best choice when two divers are side by side sharing gas.

 

[PfcAJ]

If flutter hurts your knees you need to train. It's an important kick to have in your toolbox.

 

[Neilwood]

If flutter hurts your knees you need to train. It's an important kick to have in your toolbox.

If you have knee problems that preclude using it in non split fins (as @Marie13 does), then training is likely to just make it worse. Flutter (especially with a rigid fin) uses a certain set of muscles whereas frog uses others. Split fins mean that the strain is applied differently so makes flutter available to some that can't otherwise use it.

Marie already knows she will need frog, modified flutter etc so has already said she is going to work on them