Are most flutter kickers negatively buoyant?

[fisherdvm]

Just restating Halemano's poll, but with a yes or no answer.

 

[24940]

Most divers use a flutter kick. Many divers are negative. Switching to a different kick won't help that, learning how to control their buoyancy will. I use a frog kick, but I can assure you I don't suddenly become negative if I switch to a flutter.

 

[ligersandtions]

Most divers use a flutter kick. Many divers are negative. Switching to a different kick won't help that, learning how to control their buoyancy will. I use a frog kick, but I can assure you I don't suddenly become negative if I switch to a flutter.

I thought I was missing something (being new to diving and all) when I read the title and wondered what in the world the type of kick you did had to do with buoyancy. Good to see I do have a grasp on this!

I suppose my answer is: no, a flutter kicker is equally likely to be neutrally buoyant or positively buoyant because the type of kick does not affect your buoyancy.

 

[24940]

I do see a lot of divers who are negative and use the force of their fins to counter the negative buoyancy. Their trim is angled and if they stop finning, they sink. They could be using a frog, scissor, dolphin or flutter. Negative is negative, regardless of the kick.

Finning should be used for propulsion, rather than maintaining depth.

 

[Blackwood]

I agree with the sentiments that kick type doesn't affect buoyancy.

However, generally speaking, most divers are taught to flutter kick, and most divers are taught to dive negatively buoyant.

Since it isn't until later (if ever) that divers pick up different kicks and fine-tune buoyancy, and since many divers rarely (if ever) dive after BOW certification, I'd suggest that it's statistically possible that most flutter kickers are negatively buoyant.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I agree with the sentiments that kick type doesn't affect buoyancy.

However, generally speaking, most divers are taught to flutter kick, and most divers are taught to dive negatively buoyant.

Since it isn't until later (if ever) that divers pick up different kicks and fine-tune buoyancy, and since many divers rarely (if ever) dive after BOW certification, I'd suggest that it's statistically possible that most flutter kickers are negatively buoyant.

I agree with what Blackwood says.

For the reasons he states, I would say that the percentage of flutter kickers who are negatively buoyant is higher than the percentage of frog kickers who are negatively buoyant.

 

[24940]

However, generally speaking, most divers are taught to flutter kick, and most divers are taught to dive negatively buoyant.

I doubt anyone is taught to be negative, they just aren't taught to be neutral. As instructors, we talk about it a lot during class, but I don't believe there are many instructors out there who know how to teach neutral buoyancy. For that matter, there are a lot of instructors who don't dive neutral themselves.

 

[24940]

I agree with what Blackwood says.

For the reasons he states, I would say that the percentage of flutter kickers who are negatively buoyant is higher than the percentage of frog kickers who are negatively buoyant.

I agree with this statement, but it has nothing to do with the kick. If all OW courses taught nothing but frog kicking, there would be just as many negative divers.

Divers who use the frog kick tend to be more focused on improving their skills.

 

[Blackwood]

I doubt anyone is taught to be negative, they just aren't taught to be neutral. As instructors, we talk about it a lot during class, but I don't believe there are many instructors out there who know how to teach neutral buoyancy. For that matter, there are a lot of instructors who don't dive neutral themselves.

Disclaimer: I'm neither an instructor nor a DM.

I believe (based on my own memory and my observations of new divers as well as students) most are instructed (classroom sessions) to be neutral, but shown (practical sessions) to be negative.

"Kneel on the floor and do this, this and this." "Swim up on ascent whilst constantly venting your BC hose." Both of those imply negative buoyancy.

It's my suspicion that many students will pick up more from the practical sessions than the classroom sessions. Although they've been told to be neutral, they haven't really been taught. Sure, there's the CF of an exercise called "fin pivot," but how does that one start in the first place?

 

[Blackwood]

Divers who use the frog kick tend to be more focused on improving their skills.

Part of my point exactly.

Divers who use one kick exclusively (could be flutter, could be frog, could be dolphin, etc., but I definitely believe that more people are taught to flutter than anything else) are less likely, in my estimation, to fine-tune things like buoyancy.

Of course, in and of itself, that doesn't mean negative; it could also mean positive. So I have to think back to what they're shown during the dive portion of the certification process. And that, I believe, is overwhelmingly negative, if for no better reason than ease to the instructor.