Two simple questions

[Dharker]

Hi,

I don't seem to be able to find this else where, I have searched but perhaps I'm poor at it.

First - which stroke do people generally do their DM timed swims in - front crawl or breast stroke - does it matter?

And

When you become a dm or instructor do you get a different Padi number?

Cheers,

Dante

 

[scoobydrew]

Dante

You can do the swims in any stroke or even a combination. My suggestion to you is you experiment with them. Crawl is faster but you may not have the stamina to do the whole swim in it so you can alternate in order to rest certain muscle groups. I did mine in a pool so I worked out that I could hammer out 8 lengths in front crawl then chill for a couple of lengths in breast stroke to catch breath before reverting back to crawl. I spent a couple of months leading up to the test working on this as I believe swimming skills to be very important for someone to have if they are responsible for the safety of others in the water. I recon that doggy paddle would be frowned upon.

When you become a PADI pro (DM and above) you get a new padi reference number. This then remains the same as you progress through the ranks.

good luck

 

[Dharker]

I have a good 5 months I think before I will take it and I want to get in lots of training now while I'm still in the UK. I swim 3 or 4 times a week. I had a go yesterday breast stroke and did it in time, just not a very good time. I think I'll start to build up to being able to do it crawl and then do what you say about swapping between the two.

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[scoobydrew]

Cool, I did mine back home in the UK in Bristol. Find out the time brackets from your instructor, by this I mean that your score for the swim test ranges from 1-5 and is dependent on how long it takes to complete the distance. Once you have these time brackets you should time yourself doing the swim test to find out what you would score then you know how much time you have to cut off or how faster you need to be in order to get a higher score

 

[Dharker]

Hi, the Google was nice enough to give me the time brackets, so I have something to work to.

Do you know if you just do one thing after another - if there is much of a break?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[sam1]

I am not a swimmer but am reasonably fit (biking). I alternated breast stroke and crawl (one pool length each) and missed a 1 by a few seconds.

 

[scoobydrew]

order depends on the instructor, mine made me do all tests back to back but I have seen some centres that let people do different parts on different days.

 

[TMHeimer]

Crawl was best for me. Breathing, kicks (2 maybe) per arm stroke, speed at this point or that during the
400, getting power from the arms while they're deepest in the water heading back on the stroke -- in other words, form/style--- was the key for me finally getting up to a reasonable time. Due to distance, I had to limit pool visits to once weekly for several months. I'm sure you can do it faster with 3-4 time weekly.

 

[novicediver]

Just curious, is this with or without fins?

 

[ben_wilson3301]

Im pretty sure you do an 800 with fins, mask and snorkel, then a 400 with nothing to aid you including a wetsuit that adds buoyancy.

I have always wondered if the back stroke would be allowed since its the second fastest stroke after the crawl and would really give you a chance to catch your breath while maintaining decent speed. Anyone?