I don't believe our swim was officially timed...
Did you pass DIR-f?
- Thread starter MASS-Diver
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
large_diver
Contributor
I passed.
The swim test shouldn't be a big deal, even if you aren't Mark Spitz. If you haven't swam laps recently, you might at least try swimming 300-400 yards without stopping at least once before the class to judge where you are before you take it. We did ours in a narrow 20 yard pool with all-white bottom and walls -- the biggest challenge during the swim was trying to avoid crashing into the walls or someone else.....
As for training/prepping for the class -- a few suggestions --
- At least some basic swim practice
- Do some practicing on the backwards kick. Use the 5th D videos for your guide
- No mask work -- if this is something you don't normally practice, doing this at least a few times before the class is nice so you are not surprised. MASS -- since you are taking it in Hathaway's, no mask work will be easy since you are doing it in fresh, warm water.
- Assuming your trim and buoyancy skills are OK -- some of the most challenging things will be team skills and situational awareness. This is part practice and part mind-set. During the class, you will be tasked AS A TEAM to do various things (demonstrate skills, deal with "things gone wrong", ascents, descents, shooting bags, etc). The keys to success in this area include pre-dive planning, sharp awareness and effective underwater communication. Work on these ahead of time...and of course have the right mindset going into each dive - relaxed, but alert and WAITING for something to happen ;-)
- Mindset -- Relax and have fun. Some folks seem to get pretty stressed out during the course, which leads to further problems underwater. The instructor's goal is to test your skills by presenting situations that are at least slightly above your skill level -- knowing this is coming and staying relaxed but ready for these challenges is the key to enjoying and getting alot out of the course.
My $0.02. Enjoy!
The swim test shouldn't be a big deal, even if you aren't Mark Spitz. If you haven't swam laps recently, you might at least try swimming 300-400 yards without stopping at least once before the class to judge where you are before you take it. We did ours in a narrow 20 yard pool with all-white bottom and walls -- the biggest challenge during the swim was trying to avoid crashing into the walls or someone else.....
As for training/prepping for the class -- a few suggestions --
- At least some basic swim practice
- Do some practicing on the backwards kick. Use the 5th D videos for your guide
- No mask work -- if this is something you don't normally practice, doing this at least a few times before the class is nice so you are not surprised. MASS -- since you are taking it in Hathaway's, no mask work will be easy since you are doing it in fresh, warm water.
- Assuming your trim and buoyancy skills are OK -- some of the most challenging things will be team skills and situational awareness. This is part practice and part mind-set. During the class, you will be tasked AS A TEAM to do various things (demonstrate skills, deal with "things gone wrong", ascents, descents, shooting bags, etc). The keys to success in this area include pre-dive planning, sharp awareness and effective underwater communication. Work on these ahead of time...and of course have the right mindset going into each dive - relaxed, but alert and WAITING for something to happen ;-)
- Mindset -- Relax and have fun. Some folks seem to get pretty stressed out during the course, which leads to further problems underwater. The instructor's goal is to test your skills by presenting situations that are at least slightly above your skill level -- knowing this is coming and staying relaxed but ready for these challenges is the key to enjoying and getting alot out of the course.
My $0.02. Enjoy!
Similar threads
