Is it possible for me to dive even though I don't know how to swim?

[offthewall1]

You don't need a license to dive... so you can legally do anything you want. There are currently no US laws requiring scuba certification and it is unlikely there will be any anytime soon.

That means there is no swimming requirement to go diving... although most "certifying: agencies will have you complete some sort of swim or snorkeling test in order to receive a C (certification)-card from them. You will have trouble going diving in most places these days without some evidence that you have been properly trained by someone who holds an Instructor rating from some agency. This is due to liability concerns and nothing more.

The bigger question isn't can you dive without being able to swim... it is - is it a smart thing to do?

There are many answers to this question. We now teach individuals who have lost limbs in the war how to dive. Sometimes their swimming is enough to get by in diving... sometimes it is enough to safely dive with buddy assistance etc...

In my opinion, an able bodied person who can't swim really has no excuse for not first learning how to swim before taking up diving... and this would be a very prudent thing to do. If you're going to invest in becoming a diver... it wouldn't hurt so much to invest in a couple of weeks of swimming lessons prior to starting your dive class.

It's been pointed out that you do not have to be a world class swimmer to dive... and that is correct... but you should be able to swim. It is the position you will find yourself in if ever your fin popped off in the middle of the ocean and sank to the bottom.

After recently finding a nice fin on the bottom (thank god no diver was attached to it,) it reminded me once again of the importance of being able to swim if you're going to go diving. While one fin is better than no fins... for all intents and purposes you better be a really good swimmer in open water if you're down to one fin.

 

[scubamama]

Well the optimum and most logical idea is to be able to swim in order to dive but the HSA (Handicap Scuba Association) trains challenged folks to dive. The rules are different than just the basic open water training of course. If paraplegics can safely dive, then you should be able to also. You will be literally glued to a buddy no doubt for all your dives tho. I agree with the rest here, go take swimming lessons. It will be smarter and safer. You'll be much happier during your diving life and have some independence.

 

[Bob Vincent]

You have to be able to swim some what ... not prefect but still be able to swim some. You have to be able to tread water. It makes diving alot more enjoyable.

By the way can you say, " Y " as in YMCA or YWCA.

 

[perdidochas]

I'm very much interested to get open water certification. Is it possible for me to dive even though I don't know how to swim?

I wouldn't advise it. Learn to swim first. Most non-swimmers are afraid of the water (you may be an exception), which is not a good start for scuba. When I was an assistant instructor, we could always tell who was going to be the major problem during pool sessions--invariably it was the people who barely passed the swim test.

 

[perdidochas]

I know I'm going to flamed for this, but...I just don't understand why some people don't learn to swim. Swimming is like riding a bike...it's just something all kids should learn to do, it's a right of passage.

Well, I, for one, agree with you, especially living in the state of Florida (which has water almost everywhere from ponds and canals to bays and the ocean). My wife took our babies to "Mommie and me" swim classes before they could walk. I know it saved my oldest son's life. When he was about 15 months, he fell into a goldfish pond. Since he had been to swim class, he instinctively held his breath, which allowed us the 20 seconds it took to run to him and yank him out. My two boys are total water rats, because of all of this.

 

[perdidochas]

I agree. I taught two of my kids to swim by teaching the snorkeling first. My reasoning is that when kids learn to swim, breathing is the hard part. They swim, lift their head up out of the water to get a breath, their feet drop and they're flailing away not going anywhere because they're now upright.
I put a mask on my son at about 3 and a half, held onto him and showed him fish in the shallows. He was stoked...so I said, "breath through this" and gave him a snorkel. He was more stoked. Put fins on him (little dime store ones that sucked but he liked them) and within 10 minutes he was off swimming. He then developed a strong crawl stroke because breathing wasn't a problem. Later, he learned to breath without the mask and snorkel and became a strong swimmer by age 4.

We did some of that as well. The weird thing is that after my oldest learned breath control, he stopped wanting to use the snorkel.

 

[imasinker]

Ok good laugh comming! I grew up on a lake, spent days swimming jumping of the raft so on so on. I always thought of myself as a decent swimmer. I grew up with the old rubber mask and snorkel and always used it. When I went for my basic scuba training I never thought about endurance. I can tread water like no tomorrow did it for the ten minutes without a scuff. Then It came to swim the 200 meters. Gasp snarl and no way in hell i was gonna make it. I did 4 and a half laps and said damn. I was let down feeling down and really embarrassed. My instructor said to me not to worry and can do it at the end of the training, but do It I will. I finished the rest of the course and had no problems with the things I thought I would. last day of the pool sessions just at the end of the session my instructor yells out, Ok Rob lap time. The assistant saw the look on my face and knew right away. He swam the whole 200 with me talking to me and more or less pushing. I was relaxed and confident and i did it. You don't have to be a olympic swimmer, but you need confidence and practice. Believe me just do that and you'll be fine. One problem I had was i am 6'2 180 and very lean It takes my energy to stay afloat, but turn on your back and float is the trick, gain your rest and then continue. Once you do this you will see there is nothing to it.

Hit a pool and try it out!

Hope this helps P.S Now you know where the nic name comes from!

 

[Bob]

I'm very much interested to get open water certification. Is it possible for me to dive even though I don't know how to swim?

Yes, It's possible to dive without knowing how to swim, but how will you pass the swim test to learn how to dive? almtree: Bob

 

[Oxy]

So far I haven't even been able to get wet BUT. All these responses have truth and NO you don't need to SWIM, you need to be able stay up (tread water) with a little effort you can move through the water (dog paddle).
I cannot swim. I never learned cause I was skinny (low body mass) and sank. spent lots of time on the bottom holding my breath. I wish I had a dollar for every mile I swam underwater (freedive/skindive).
In the public pool back home the lifeguards made us "swim" a lap to qualify entry into the "grownups" pool. So we waded in the kiddie pool OR, I went from end to end underwater mostly surfacing only to breath and fake a few strokes acting as I were swimming. One reply mentioned the back stroke. It is easy and looks impressive plus your face is out of the water, then a quick turn to your belly and a stroke then under (you appear to a master swimmer) for the rest of the lap. Don't grab the side and hang on, stay a couple feet away and just tread (arms back&forth scissor kick). To this day I can only try to look like I am swimming (and fool no one). But I can tread water like a pro.

Spend more time in the water without a float, find a way to travel about and call it swimming.

 

[Oxy]

BWAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA i love the darwin awards