motorref
Contributor
Don't forget to look straight ahead, not down. I've become a big fan of backrolls lately, and have even done a couple of "side roll entries" when the seas were a little high.
KevinL
KevinL
What's the trick to the giant stride?
- Thread starter DukeAMO
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diverrex
Contributor
I'm surprised your tank hit the boat. Was the boat moving much? I'm not sure there are any real tricks just the basic skills. And it depends on the boat configuration. On local SoCal boats the drop to the water may be 6 feet. I've been on tropical boats with a step less than a foot above water. Each takes a slightly different step. On tropical boats when I have my camera being handed me by crew I don't don't take a "giant" stride at all just a short step into the water so I don't have to move back much to grab my camera. Even then I don't think I come close to the boat with my tank, still probably a foot or two away. On boats where I have to take my camera into the water with me (usually on fast entry drift dives) I do the side twist entry landing on my tank as others mentioned.
And on our 6 foot drops good luck trying to keep your head above water. And why bother, I sort of like that first few feet entry into the water before I bob back up to the surface.
And on our 6 foot drops good luck trying to keep your head above water. And why bother, I sort of like that first few feet entry into the water before I bob back up to the surface.
windapp
Contributor
It's as if you were stepping off the boat onto a dock across a 30" gap. Torso upright. This is easy for long legged folks, and a stretch for those of economical stature. The side benefit of the giant stride is that natural return of the legs to center, which creates a perfectly timed kick that keeps the diver at the surface.
Why a think about stepping across a 30" gap? Because your tank is about 8" deep, plus an inch or two for wet suit and BC space and a few inches for the center of your body. Call it 14" from the back of your tank to the center of your body. So a minimum stride would be about 28", 30" for a small safety margin. The bigger the motion of the surface you are striding from, the more you will want to step out. You're not leaping, no wasted motion with hopping, just a big step and off you go!
The mental image of stepping across a gap helps us remember to keep our torso upright or just slightly forward. It also helps us make some decisions about conditions.
Imagine a stride from the boat across a gap to the dock, and the boat is really moving because of waves and such. If your judgment would call for a LEAP instead of a stride to get across a 30" - 36" gap, the boat is moving too much for a giant stride. If you are still considering diving, you might think about using a back roll into the water.
That's how I think about the giant stride.
Dive safely!
Dive Safe!
---------- Post Merged at 02:39 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 02:29 PM ----------
@windapp - It doesn't really matter if your head goes underwater, but it is an indication of a really well executed giant stride.
If you and your buddy get used to perfect giant strides and always wind up at the surface giving the OK sign in just a moment, your buddy will know immediately if something goes wrong. It's never OK to jump in the water and deliberately descend without an OK sign at the surface.
I noticed from reading accident reports that it's not uncommon for dives to go wrong at entry. A well executed entry is the beginning of a skillfully executed dive.
Why a think about stepping across a 30" gap? Because your tank is about 8" deep, plus an inch or two for wet suit and BC space and a few inches for the center of your body. Call it 14" from the back of your tank to the center of your body. So a minimum stride would be about 28", 30" for a small safety margin. The bigger the motion of the surface you are striding from, the more you will want to step out. You're not leaping, no wasted motion with hopping, just a big step and off you go!
The mental image of stepping across a gap helps us remember to keep our torso upright or just slightly forward. It also helps us make some decisions about conditions.
Imagine a stride from the boat across a gap to the dock, and the boat is really moving because of waves and such. If your judgment would call for a LEAP instead of a stride to get across a 30" - 36" gap, the boat is moving too much for a giant stride. If you are still considering diving, you might think about using a back roll into the water.
That's how I think about the giant stride.
Dive safely!
Dive Safe!
---------- Post Merged at 02:39 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 02:29 PM ----------
@windapp - It doesn't really matter if your head goes underwater, but it is an indication of a really well executed giant stride.
If you and your buddy get used to perfect giant strides and always wind up at the surface giving the OK sign in just a moment, your buddy will know immediately if something goes wrong. It's never OK to jump in the water and deliberately descend without an OK sign at the surface.
I noticed from reading accident reports that it's not uncommon for dives to go wrong at entry. A well executed entry is the beginning of a skillfully executed dive.
Not always true. On a hot drop in current or high seas it may be best to get under immediately and wait for your buddy there at 20 feet or so on the down line. Doing dives in Lake Erie with doubles, stage(s), can light, etc. You will go under. Sometimes it is assumed everything is ok if you don't pop back up to ok the boat. I'd rather back roll off the side amidships if there's some chop and the crew is ok with it. Less motion. Or the sideways leap is a good choice. Jersey roll. One knee on the rail if low enough and flop over sideways. Popping back up immediately or not going under at all may also mean too much air in the BC. You don't want that on a rocking boat.
diverrex
Contributor
Yeah I've done live drops before where the crew tells us jump in and get away from the boat quickly, don't bother turning around or giving the ok sign.
dumpsterDiver
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I think this is a relic of lifesaving training. I was trained to do a rescue with a giant stride and if done perfectly, you never lose the visual of the struggling swimmer in front of you. How this relates to scuba, I have no idea.
The giant stride is pretty hard to mess up, step off and land. From a pitching bow, you want to get off at the lowest point, certainly not the highest; that could give you a 10 ft drop or more.
Personally, if I am doing an entry from high up, my legs are coming together after I am in the air to protect the "goods" and you can pull a groin too with legs spread. With big free dive fins, you want to try to land with feet together and hit the water with your heels and have the tips up. The normal giant stride is too much stress on the rear foot of a very large fin.
of course there is always this...
[video=youtube;5rh_X-4Ypmc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rh_X-4Ypmc&feature=share&list=UU1utDku8vJRJYgBZImLyLJQ[/video]
3D diver
Contributor
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
It is called a Giant Stride because it is just that, a giant stride. If you just step in you will quite possibly find the tank hits the gunwales or platform and then the regulator whacks your head which then causes your mouth to shut biting your tongue. And that hurts.
A giant stride entry for a life guard is not quite the same as for scuba. The lifeguard will actually sweep his/her arms forward to arrest the fall and use a scissor kick at the same time. This keeps the head well above the water, the purpose of which is to keep visual (eye) contact on the swimmer in need. The swim stroke to approach the victim is as well, head high, either a crawl or modified breast stroke. It is very important to keep eyes on.
For scuba purposes you will need your arms to hold your mask and regulator and camera or other equipment. You can still do a scissor bringing the legs together to arrest the plunge. Always, before any entry, clear the area below so as not to land on another diver. Most dive ops prefer that you turn and look at the deck hand or DM making eye contact and giving the hand to head (or similar) OK signal before descending. Hot (negative) drops etc, aside, a different thing
N
A giant stride entry for a life guard is not quite the same as for scuba. The lifeguard will actually sweep his/her arms forward to arrest the fall and use a scissor kick at the same time. This keeps the head well above the water, the purpose of which is to keep visual (eye) contact on the swimmer in need. The swim stroke to approach the victim is as well, head high, either a crawl or modified breast stroke. It is very important to keep eyes on.
For scuba purposes you will need your arms to hold your mask and regulator and camera or other equipment. You can still do a scissor bringing the legs together to arrest the plunge. Always, before any entry, clear the area below so as not to land on another diver. Most dive ops prefer that you turn and look at the deck hand or DM making eye contact and giving the hand to head (or similar) OK signal before descending. Hot (negative) drops etc, aside, a different thing
N
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