Diver Control: Hand Swimming

[DCBC]

Before I take a student to OW they have been checked thoroughly in the pool with full gear. During the OW dives, I feel that people have enough on their mind, than for me to feel that style is important. In time they will understand that hand movements are not required and will start doing things differently. I'm more concerned with their results than I am in how they were achieved.

I don't find that my students usually have this problem, or if they do, it sorts itself out quickly on the second or third dive after I mention it in the debrief. I'm more concerned if the diver has control and awareness of the situation and his Buddy.

 

[*dave*]

Tell them not to do it. Have a signal to remind them when they are underwater. If necessary, have them dive with their hands together.

That's not very helpful.

What you suggest is like telling a new driver not to use his brakes without providing an alternative. I have told them not to do it and I do remind them, but the hand sculling serves a purpose for them and without a alternative they are going to run into walls.... literally and figuratively.

Here's a clip of a guy who took to diving as naturally as anyone I've ever seen. This was shot on his third pool session and aside from developing a back kick, I don't really have a lot of constructive feedback that would eliminate the hand sculling seen in the video. His trim could use some improvement, but he needs a reverse gear more than anything.


You must have something better than "Don't do that.".

 

[BabyDuck]

trace, i don't think 'no sculling at all' is reasonable for passing open water. i think 'extremely minimal sculling' should be a prereq to pass upper level courses.

as an aside, i was thinking of wanda the other day. i miss her & didn't even know her that well.

 

[Walter]

That's not very helpful.

It works in my classes.

 

[*dave*]

It works in my classes.

Well, that's just awesome.

Walter to hand sculling student: "Don't do that."
Hand sculling student: "Okay, but how do I back up or hold position in current?"

How do you answer?

I guess I don't see any way to eliminate hand sculling without a solid back kick and I don't see any way in hell I can teach a back kick to OW students in split fins. But, I'd love to learn how I could.


Hand swimming, on the other hand, is easy to stop and should not be permitted.

 

[TSandM]

I don't think the majority of the hand use in new divers is trying to back up. In open water, how many times do you get in a position where you HAVE to back up? It happens in the pool, because the pool is a small, confined area. Yes, there are lots of times in diving where it's NICE to be able to back up, but you can almost always accomplish the same thing by swimming a small circle and returning to your original position. (I know this, because it's how I coped before I had a back kick ) I really think the majority of hand use in new divers is instability.

However, I also know that no one ever said anything to me, through OW, AOW, and several specialties, about not using my hands. On our first dive, NW Grateful Diver had me clasp my hands in front of me, and that was really the end of hand swimming for me. It wasn't a hard habit to break, once I knew I was supposed to break it.

My Fundies instructor told his students, "If you are swimming with your hands, you're trying to fix something. If you're pushing down, you're negative. If you're pulling up, you're too positive. If you're using one hand, you're tilting. Figure out what the issue is and fix it, and the hand use will go away." I still think there is a lot of truth in this.

I don't think OW students can necessarily achieve enough stability to stop using their hands. But they should definitely be minimizing it, and be aware that they need to work on their stability and use the hand movement as INFORMATION. Each subsequent class, the requirement for quiet hands should get more strict. Once they have their own gear, hand use should disappear.

 

[Diver0001]

Well, that's just awesome.

Walter to hand sculling student: "Don't do that."
Hand sculling student: "Okay, but how do I back up or hold position in current?"

How do you answer?

I guess I don't see any way to eliminate hand sculling without a solid back kick and I don't see any way in hell I can teach a back kick to OW students in split fins. But, I'd love to learn how I could.


Hand swimming, on the other hand, is easy to stop and should not be permitted.

Dave, maybe I missed it but do you teach back kicks to your OW students?

R..

 

[SailNaked]

you can not enforce a standard in the US that does not allow someone with a handicap to participate if it is reasonable that they could. So if you say only people that can acomplish the giant stride are capable of being scuba divers you will have some lawyer take you to court saying he has a one legged man that can scuba and your standard is in violation of the (insert letters here). Same with setting a written standard (how I read traces OP) refusing to certify someone that needs to use their hands. you can not put it in writing.

on the other hand I also think that OW students do not have the advantages of owning their BC (Lynns post) and do not have the time to get the rented one all situated so that it fits them like a glove and is a stable platform for all of the possible kicks we use when we learn them later after OW.

 

[*dave*]

Dave, maybe I missed it but do you teach back kicks to your OW students?

R..

Oh, hell no....

....I don't see any way in hell I can teach a back kick to OW students in split fins. But, I'd love to learn how I could.

I'd love to teach OW students to back kick, but that would be an entire session in itself and would require paddle fins to have a chance. Probably 60% of my students show up to class with split fins and are pretty damn proud of them. I don't know how to back kick in splits, let alone begin to teach someone else how.

 

[Teamcasa]

If you can't get them in good equipment, and you can't help them balance themselves, you can't ask them to stop using their hands.

I get them in good equipment.

Is there any really bad equipment (in good repair) or is it the issue how they have it fitted or adjusted? Blaming the equipment for a lack of training or skill is just too easy. Teach them the how and more importantly, the why, and most people will be eager to practice a skill.

Hand movement is not the issue. Reducing wasted motion is.