Use of hands when diving.

[Frosty]

Hey guys something that puzzles me a bit is the fixation on never using your hands for "finning'.
Other than for pure ego reasons why wouldn't an experienced diver (someone who could and does have good fin control) use their hands for discrete direction changes or where the hands are free but the fins might cause silting ?

Also there does seem to be a strong encouragement to dive with your arms crossed rather than hanging back alogside your waist. Perhaps Im just dense but to me that seems contrary to the whole point of trying to be as hydrodynamic (gosh is that a word?) as possible.

 

[Rhone Man]

If you use your hands for finning, how do you hold on to your lobsters?

 

[Frosty]

If you use your hands for finning, how do you hold on to your lobsters?

rotflmao
Ohh and they're Crays (Crayfish) and scolly's over here mon

 

[Insta-Gator]

If you have your buoyancy and trim mastered, you don't need your hands/arms for propulsion. You may also learn arm placement is also part of your trim strategy. Arms and legs can be used as levers to affect your trim angle (legs straight or knees bent, arms under or outstretched.) I prefer to keep my hands together underneath, about mid-belly, to hold my gauge console and stay relaxed.

 

[Hollywoodivers]

The absolute hard rule of no hands is mostly carried over from cave or pene wreck diving. The No Silting method of propulsion is feet high and away from the bottom with horizontal trim and no hand "finnin"
But..up off the sea floor...it shouldn't harm anything but your air consumption or bouyancy. These would be minor considerations if we are talking about a little twit of the hand. However when a diver is using the hands for all direction changes and buoyancy adjustments then it shows a need for improvement

 

[rjack321]

disabled divers use "hand fins"

But otherwise the bare hand/arm is pathetic for moving the human body and extraneous movements just increase your air consumption. You're better off learning to backkick and helicopter turn.

 

[JCAT]

Also there does seem to be a strong encouragement to dive with your arms crossed rather than hanging back alogside your waist

Those are the ones who don't have cameras.

 

[TMHeimer]

I've used hands occasionally when I got bad leg cramps. If you point your fingers and move your hands straight in front of you and then stroke backwards there isn't much drag. I imagine this is how disabled divers are trained?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Pull and glide with your hands past bulkheads inside a wreck where even a high frog kick will stir up silt; push yourself away from your teammate ("patty cake push-off") for spacing during a deco stop or when prepping SMB deployment; scull your arms if you have to on initial descent, if you find you're starting to rotate over on a headstand (happens sometimes with two deco bottles clipped on). . .

 

[spectrum]

Hey guys something that puzzles me a bit is the fixation on never using your hands for "finning'.
Other than for pure ego reasons why wouldn't an experienced diver (someone who could and does have good fin control) use their hands for discrete direction changes or where the hands are free but the fins might cause silting ?

You will reach a stage where your hands are busy. Holding a dive light at night, stowing some artifact in your catch bag etc. Not needing your hands gets essential here.

Every time you flap your arms peristaltic action is encouraging flushing of water and heat loss. That work is also very inefficient and wastes energy/air.

It's not cool to spot something nice on the bottom, point it out to someone then obscure it when a sweep of your arms stirs up the bottom.

You won't make any friends when due to limited peripheral vision you rip the regulator from my mouth.

Also there does seem to be a strong encouragement to dive with your arms crossed rather than hanging back alogside your waist. Perhaps Im just dense but to me that seems contrary to the whole point of trying to be as hydrodynamic (gosh is that a word?) as possible.

To many magazine readers following like sheep IMO. Tuck yourself in somehow and be comfortable. The arms extended position can be used to manage trim.

Arms crossed? Great way to catch water and create resistance. However if binding yourself up that way breaks the flapping habit it's a step in the right direction.

My arms tend to be by my side. My left arm may be chicken winged just in case I want my inflater. It depends on the terrain.

Relax, be still and you will better off for it.

Pete