Suggestions for Pool Training?

[beezwax]

It's that time of year when our team training switches from lakes to pools, at least until the ice gets a little thicker. I'd really appreciate any suggestions for skills and drills you'd recommend for pool sessions. We do the normal things-- put on a blackout mask and bag a dummy, or get yourself untangled, etc. But does anyone have ideas for exercises that would be fresh and challenging? Or even just some variations on the usual skills to keep them fresh and challenging? My team vice-president called me today asking me exactly this, and I said I'd send out some feelers....

 

[MSilvia]

How about running blackout search patterns?

 

[beezwax]

How about running blackout search patterns?

We've done that, it is an excellent drill. Our last pool session (last winter) we put the blackout masks on, one diver in with one line tender, until the target was located, then sent another diver in with the body bag (also in a blackout mask) who followed the line to the first diver and target, then they bagged and recovered the dummy.

Of course all of these drills need to be done over and over again, and are, but any tips for some new twists would be welcomed. For example, I read Gary D's suggestion on a previous thread about timing divers while they gear up in the dark, which is a great idea that I'll pass along.

 

[MSilvia]

You could add challenge to the drills by introducing problems. For example, the diver running the pattern goes OOA mid-drill or runs into obstacles (like a weight on the bottom tied to a buoy on the surface, simulating a mooring) that obstruct the pattern.

 

[grumpie]

Good Evening,
I have a 6x6x6 foot pvc frame made up. The pipe is 1 1/4 pvc, the corner connection were purchase at ww grainger and they have allen wrench screws to hold the pipe in place.
The object is to put it together under water.
first time you do it with a clear face mask.
second time you do it blacked out.
third time the pipes are thrown all over the pool and the object is to find them put them together.
this is done as a team activety.
Another one is two five gallon buckets full of grainte chips about the size of peanuts and put on the bottom of the pool in a 4x4 foot space. I put 10 - 40 cal shell casings in the chips mix them arround.
first time you search for them with a blacked out mask and bare hands
second time you do it with 5mm gloves
third time you do it with 3 fingered gloves.
this is a one person down, the object is to find the casings bag them in a zip-lok baggie for evidence.
grumpie....

 

[Gary D.]

If you're diving dry suits you might look at having everyone flood and see the changes both in and getting out of the pool.

Gary D.

 

[sparkyjames]

I am sure you guys are doing this alrerady but

I know our team
Clastop County Sheriff's Office
Search and Rescue URT

is scheduled to have two Training seisions in the pool in the next two months we are doing our Fitness test for one of them

but I was thinking how about as the diver is in black out you could have a nother diver not in black out move in to the search pattern and lay on the bottom
this could simulate a unknown Victom.

down side is this would only work if the diver doing the search did not know there was going to be a nother diver in the water.

Sparky

 

[beezwax]

Thank you everyone for your replies, these are some great suggestions that I will pass along. I don't know if our local pool would let us dump a bucket of gravel in, but maybe we could get a similar result with a bucket of legos or other "clean" bits and bobs. Nice to practice these finer searches as well as larger targets.

 

[grumpie]

As I sat in the car wash washing those little rock chips the captain walk up and said what are you doing? Then after a min turn arround said maybe I dont want to know and left. He was a vouliteer before he became a paided person.
grumpie......

 

[Desert Pirate]

on your blackour search patterns, make sure to black out the tender as well. If you dont, your have a RC situation rather than a no vis assimilation.
Clay