Most everyone agrees that divers should be comfortable in the water, but comfort is not directly measurable, so consider a slightly different tangent:
Scenario 1: You fall off a moving boat with none of your gear. Wouldn't you like to be able to swim a distance against a slight current? So a medium-distance timed swim test makes sense to me (time and distance subject to separate debate). But I could care less what stroke or strokes you use (although some are better for seeing where you're going than others).
Scenario 2: As above, but in rough water. Don't know how to simulate rough water, but training in drown-proofing seems appropriate.
I'd require these two skills for anyone on a boat, diver or not.
Scenario 3: Perhaps you surface and the boat has disappeared. It could be useful to be able to swim a significant distance in full scuba gear. So a timed full gear test makes sense to me.
If they pass tests such as these, I'd consider them sufficiently comfortable in the water.
I'd probably add a requirement for rescue divers to include a timed snorkel swim to be able to quickly approach a diver in need.
Don't understand the need for underwater swims for scuba divers, with or without snorkel gear. Perhaps on scuba gear?
Any other scenarios in which you'd need swimming skills? What specific skills and why? How would you test them?
Scenario 1: You fall off a moving boat with none of your gear. Wouldn't you like to be able to swim a distance against a slight current? So a medium-distance timed swim test makes sense to me (time and distance subject to separate debate). But I could care less what stroke or strokes you use (although some are better for seeing where you're going than others).
Scenario 2: As above, but in rough water. Don't know how to simulate rough water, but training in drown-proofing seems appropriate.
I'd require these two skills for anyone on a boat, diver or not.
Scenario 3: Perhaps you surface and the boat has disappeared. It could be useful to be able to swim a significant distance in full scuba gear. So a timed full gear test makes sense to me.
If they pass tests such as these, I'd consider them sufficiently comfortable in the water.
I'd probably add a requirement for rescue divers to include a timed snorkel swim to be able to quickly approach a diver in need.
Don't understand the need for underwater swims for scuba divers, with or without snorkel gear. Perhaps on scuba gear?
Any other scenarios in which you'd need swimming skills? What specific skills and why? How would you test them?