400m swim for DM

[johnny_bravo]

My advice, get 5s on the others and just try to scrape the 400m swim - thats what i did. The swim nearly killed me. Lost all use of my arms and legs. Nasty thing.

This is actually what I did as well...

 

[elmo6s]

When you say 16 laps, does that mean 32 lengths? Seems like a pretty long swim to me... I haven't done it yet, so I can't say, but 32 lengths in a pretty large pool seems like a lot....

 

[String]

I have finally forced myself to get past this environment of divers not really needing to be good swimmers. I still do find it comical how many divers would probably have a panic attack if faced with being in the water with no fins, gear etc... As for DMs and above, I don't think 400 yds is enough.

Water with no fins and gear doesnt equate to needing to swim x distance in x amount of time.

Most people i know can support themselves indefinately in the water without gear and swim indefinately just not meet a time standard.

In the sea here with no fins and no gear you'd be dead fom exposure in 20 mins or so anyway.

 

[SparticleBrane]

1 lap = 2 lengths, where 1 length is literally the length of the pool.
Usually pools are 25m, so 1 lap = 50m, so that's 8 laps = 400m.

Make sense now?

 

[Thalassamania]

1 lap = 2 lengths, where 1 length is literally the length of the pool.
Usually pools are 25m, so 1 lap = 50m, so that's 8 laps = 400m.

Make sense now?

Some pools (like ours) are 50m, there are a fair number of 25 yard pools around and even some 100 ft pools from the old days.

 

[CAPNVINNY]

Stamina Exercise 1: 400 Metre/Yard Swim
The candidate must swim 400 metres/yards without stopping using no
swimming aids and using any stroke or combination of strokes desired.
If a candidate stops, the exercise is incomplete and must be repeated.
400 yards 400 metres
Time Points Time
under 6 min 5 under 6 min, 30 sec
6 to 8 min 4 6 min, 30 sec to 8 min, 40 sec
8 to 10 min 3 8 min, 40 sec to 11 min
10 to 12 min 2 11 to 13 min
more than 12 min 1 more than 13 min
stopped incomplete stopped

per PADI standards,I don't think anyone actualy answered the questions of the times required for the points awarded

 

[sjoliat]

Water with no fins and gear doesnt equate to needing to swim x distance in x amount of time.

Most people i know can support themselves indefinately in the water without gear and swim indefinately just not meet a time standard.

In the sea here with no fins and no gear you'd be dead fom exposure in 20 mins or so anyway.

My point was more about the fact that some people are right at the edge of their comfort zone only w/ all their gear on.
BTW, I agree that the measured swim should be done in open water. There are open water check out dives for DM cert, aren't there?

 

[ClayJar]

I "trained" using the Zero To 1650 In Six Weeks program. It's easy to get started, and it definitely helps. If you can swim a mile non-stop, it's trivial to swim less than that in the ample time they give you.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Some pools (like ours) are 50m, there are a fair number of 25 yard pools around and even some 100 ft pools from the old days.

Some pools (like ours) are 50m by 25m and the other is 25m by 25 yards.
It was a generalization...:14:

 

[String]

My point was more about the fact that some people are right at the edge of their comfort zone only w/ all their gear on.
BTW, I agree that the measured swim should be done in open water. There are open water check out dives for DM cert, aren't there?

Sort of, you have the skill circuit, guided dives, course assists and so on along with rescue assessments.


As for the pools question, cant talk about that side of the atlantic but a standard pool here is 25m long and 6ft6 deep. All new pools are to this standard.
Im very lucky here in that my local pool is old, dating from the 60s so its 30m/100ft long and 4m (12ft) deep which is MUCH nicer for diver training. However local council wants to save money, close it and replace with a 25m clone.

50m pools are olympic pools. There's exactly one of these in my country and the public cant use it.

Open water swim test wouldnt be fair in the uk. Firstly you'd have to wear a drysuit and therefore weight and its near impossible to swim in those without fins. Thats without the currents in lots of areas. Going in without exposure protection you'd get fatalities even in summer. I did mine abroad in calmish warm waters at 11pm but that isnt an option for people doing courses in some countries.