What's with the arms.

[MASS-Diver]

I hold my hands out a little bit (clasped) for trim (balancing) and to extend my light out a bit. The we dive with light signals, the constant "OK" motion is kind of a gentle bounce, I don't think I could signal right with my light held tight against my chest....

 

[Nemrod]

This has been educational for me. I too have wondered why people hold their arms out (when not holding a light, not reading guages, not holding a scooter, not doing any task) and had previously thought it was latent insecurity. By that I mean, have you ever seen a person fall forward, they automatically throw their arms forward just like a cat automatically twists to land upright. It is an ingrained function that is protective in nature. In activities such as sky diving, scuba diving where we must over come several of these instinctive protective behavoirs training and a sense of ease eventually eliminates them. Like the proper kick I was always told by my mentors that holding the arms comfortably by ones side when diving was the most streamlined and efficient and was a sign of a relaxed and confident diver. For years I have thought that to be the case. Now I realize that there are experienced divers who hold their arms out front after this thread, I still don't really see why but there is more than one way to do things so if it works, it works! I can certainly check my wrist mounted guages and spg by a quick downward/backward glance and a slight roll of my wrists to expose which ever guage I might be interested in but that is just how I was taught and others may vary. N

 

[nessum]

Nova,

Do you dive dry?

I do, & I frequently snowplow. I find it a very comfortable position. Also, more often than not I am adjusting bouyancy through my suit and in the lemming position all I have to do is roll ever-so-slightly to my left and my suit vents. I wear my compass on my wrist and in the miso soup that I frequently find myself in in summer, I need to refer to it often. Also, I carry a light (not a canister, sorry, I can't afford to spend that kinda dough yet... one day, though) on most dives, I prefer it's beam be in front of me.
From this position I can easily signal my buddy with a hand or light signal.
And, once again, it's comfy.

There's a few reasons for you.

 

[Bob3]

As all good marine engineers know, the maximum speed a displacement hull can attain is a direct function of length.

 

[Azza]

I snowplough on deco as i am often in mid water so need to keep an eye on my depth but when cruising along i tend to tuck my arms into my chest.
Whatever suits really isnt it?
Some say tomarto, some say tamato

 

[Stirling]

"As all good marine engineers know, the maximum speed a displacement hull can attain is a direct function of length."

An excellent observation and, after looking up Froude's law and running some calculations (and torturing the numbers until they confessed to the conclusion I wanted), I think I have it all figured out.

The absolute best position for diving is with the head tucked down between your arms, which should be extended straight ahead as far as they will go with the hands clasped together. You won't be able to see where you're going in this position, or to read your gauges, and you might swim your hands right into the mouth of a great white shark, but you'll be making good time and saving air all the way.

I think this posture will extend your "waterline" to the maximum extent possible, and in a diver of about my size (6'3" and 200 lbs.), I figure I can boost my effective "hull speed" maybe 20% before the drag curve starts to climb up on me. I don't know what I'm going to do with all that additional speed, or where I'm going to end up (it would be nice to come back to the boat at some point), but everybody in the water will be able to spot me. I'll be the amazingly fast guy with his hands (or even his head) jammed into something he didn't see coming, and shouting for somebody to come help pull him loose.

 

[wedivebc]

As all good marine engineers know, the maximum speed a displacement hull can attain is a direct function of length.

That does not apply to submarines only surface ships.

Anyway, when I learned to drive a car I was taught to hold the wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock. When I did my road test I did just that and I passed. Where are my arms/hands now when I drive? Where ever they are most comfortable. That is the way I dive too. I just get comfortable in whatever position that happens to be.

 

[sailingking]

The snow plow is also efficient when you are diving against high current because it allows you to pull yourself on the rocks.

That said my favorite position is with the arms out, kind of like a sea turtle when it is flying through the water, this is only used while drifting with the current. But it feels great in a dry suit (kind of like flying/skydiving) and the snowplow is only an elbow bend away.

 

[menemsha43]

I'm with Azza - I snowplow on the safety/deco stops to keep an eye on the gauges. Otherwise I just clasp my hands across my stomach. It seems more comfortable to me than holding my arms out in front

 

[sharkmasterbc]

I too do the snowplow thing and never really thought about it, so I went out and tried different places for my arms...here's what I came up with.
For me it's not a full snowplow but a kind of grab onto my right wrist above the comp with my left hand and then my light (on right hand) is pointing forward or wherever my buddy is
First off I did a lot of drysuit diving so the arms in front position (as nessum said) allows for the small sideroll movement to let the gas escape from the suit.
I can read my guages at all times
I can use my light to signal and see where I am going
I found that my horizontal trim is much better with arm in front, when I tried with arms by my sides or tucked into my chest I found that I had to bend my knees way more than 90degrees towards my butt to compensate, but on different people the C of G and C of B might vary.
Diving in a wetsuit this does not tire my arms out but it is possible that from all the years of drysuit diving I have developed those muscles, although I could see with a thick wetsuit (7mil) that the suit itself may tend to spring your arms back beside your body and resisting this might be tiring (I can't comment on this because I have never dived in more than a 5mil suit).
Also when you reach that wall and are ready to decend you sort of take on that parachuter position and do a slow-mo freefall. This just plain looks cool