What's the trick to the giant stride?

[g1138]

The trick is to perform a lunge in those situations; make sure you clear the boat. It's similar to the lunge exercise. If you have a drop awaiting you, put your feet together before you hit the water.

If there's swell and you're exiting from the side, exit the boat when your side is up high.
If you're off the back same thing goes. This is also why you must take precautions to clear the boat; you don't want it landing on your head.

 

[Rhone Man]

It is funny - I have never really understood why the giant stride is the preferred method of entry for newer divers. I have always thought it made far more sense to turn around and fall "backwards" into the water, putting as much distance between your head and the boat as possible.

No doubt one of the great and the good can post and tell me why diving practice evolved this way.

 

[flots am]

I have always thought it made far more sense to turn around and fall "backwards" into the water, putting as much distance between your head and the boat as possible.

Now that you mention it, I hardly ever see posts from people saying "I did a back-roll off the boat and banged my heavily padded foot. I didn't feel anything and nobody noticed."

flots.

 

[danvolker]

And while we are at it, I hate the practice some have of jumping in then floating on the surface like ducklings, during which time the bottom you wanted to dive on, is blown over, leaving the ducklings a nice sand dive.

I would have all drops be negative, all divers trying to gert down to 20 feet in the first seconds, get buddy contact and insta-check, and then continueing the descent to bottom--At the bottom is where you can do a complete check of everything if needed, and at the bottom, you are in no danger of missing the target drop site.

With high current dives in 100 feet or deeper water, my preferences is actually sucking the air out of my wing manually, so that I am as negtive as is possible on jumpingt in....Litterally-- at the 1 to 2 second mark after the dive command, I am at 20 feet down, joining up with Sandra or Bill Mee. The bottom will be reached in the next 30 seconds or less for recreational dives. For tech depths, the drop is like skydiving

 

[Lorenzoid]

I recall getting complacent to the point where I was not thinking about it and just stepping over the side ... until the day I banged my tank on the side. That incident made me conscious that the term is "GIANT stride." Now, I always say to myself "giant stride" as the last step in my pre-dive checklist. It works for me.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The giant stride is taught to entry level divers as a means of entry that is simple, and quite frankly, should be comfortable to them. With experience I think every diver develops their own entry style to some degree. I have seen feet first vertical jump and turn , so you end up facing the boat, jump out and turn, fall backwards, classic giant stride, and many others. In large swell, I concur with those who recommend entry at the point the boat is at the bottom of its "swell ride," and a slight push from behind from someone on the boat as you stride in can make sure you are clear of the boat a slight variation on the first. Just be sure if you are the pusher you tell the diver what you are doing before you do it. Whatever works works- so long as you enter the water with equipment intact, and are clear of the boat.
DivemasterDennis

 

[minnesnowta]

I put my toes to the edge of the boat and keep looking at the horizon when I do the Giant Stride. Make sure to keep your fin tip up so it doesn't drag on the water.

Also Dennis just mentioned the boat crew giving divers a little push...I noticed that when I dove in the Bahamas a few weeks ago. Makes sense.

 

[danvolker]

Also Dennis just mentioned the boat crew giving divers a little push....

I am picturing a plane with a bunch of student sky divers, and a crewmember of the plane, putting his foot on the backs of the students and shoving the terrified jumpers out of the door, with a smirk on his face

 

[minnesnowta]

Haaa!

 

[diverrex]

My wife's first OW dive was in Belize on a boat where we did the backroll. As I was waiting in the water with the instructor my wife was hesitant of falling over backward from the boat. She later told me the DM put his hand on her shoulder, told her there was nothing to worry about and told her to take her time, all the while slowly pushing her shoulder till she fell in. Seven years later it turns out my wife now much prefers doing the backroll to the giant stride.