"giant stride entry" Why can't you jump?

[Bob DBF]

---

---

A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

partial clean up of this post as it referred to a post that was deleted

Most people who complete their OW training in the Minneapolis area never have a chance to make a giant stride entry except from the pool deck, because the open water dives are from shore and there aren't suitable docks, sea walls, etc., to use for practice.

Although I wasen't in Minneapolis for OW, the pool work went from the giant stride off the edge of the pool to the one meter board and finally off the three meter board. The ocean dives were from the shore and later from a large Zodiac, to round out as many entrances and exits as the instructor could manage.



Bob

---

 

[tarponchik]

Never turn your back to the sea. If you do you will never know if Mother Nature is going to try to reach out and bitch slap you into oblivion.

Keep your eyes out in the direction you are heading so you can duck, dive, dip, doge that backhand from Mother Nature if and when it comes.

-Z

I know the "never turn your back" rule but we still do it in a back roll, don't we? And I seriously doubt you can climb up the ladder w/o turning your back to the sea.

 

[tarponchik]

Added a bit for you (ask me how I know)

Man, I'm not even certified for using dry suit, and have no plans. I love tropical seas

 

[The Chairman]

I know the "never turn your back" rule but we still do it in a back roll, don't we?

It's a silly rule. When in you're in the ocean you'll always have your back turned to half of it.

So why do divers roll backwards off the boat?

Spoiler: Click here for the answer

...If we rolled forward, we'd still be in the boat!

​

 

[Steve_C]

This entry is derived from water-safety/life-guard/rescue entries where the person doing the rescuing needs to enter the water without taking their eyes off the victim. Performed properly, the giant stride entry allows the rescuer to enter the water without the head submerging. If one were to jump, the tendency is the increase upwards movement results in increased downward force/movement causing the head to submerge possibly resulting in the rescuer losing track of the victim.
-Z

Its been half a century since I did those entries but as I recall there was also a forward arm motion that helped break your momentum and a scissors kick upon entry. Hard to do in full gear with a hand on the mask /reg.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Another danger of a hop is the possibility of not enough forward movement. Imagine dropping down and having the bottom of the cylinder on your back strike the deck.
If striding from a height, bring your feet together on the way down so the impact doesn't grab and twist your trailing leg/foot/fin.

Oh how I wish someone had explained this to me before I trashed a bunch of muscles

 

[Steelyeyes]

The entry off @Wookie's Spree was easily my favorite. That was a giant stride

My wife and I did a decent one at Boka Onima with Bas Tol. Took fins off and held them to our chests. It was about a 16 foot drop. We'd never done that before. It was a piece of cake and we'd do again. Great dive.

 

[JackD342]

Oh how I wish someone had explained this to me before I trashed a bunch of muscles

For some reason, once wasn't enough for me. Took 2 or 3 of those high drops before I said "this ain't right, time to change something."

 

[Manatee Diver]

I've actually never done a giant stride entry. The closest it something similar to what the Chairman described with with more hopping to get to the back of das boot.

 

[Zef]

I know the "never turn your back" rule but we still do it in a back roll, don't we? And I seriously doubt you can climb up the ladder w/o turning your back to the sea.

It was a joke.

-Z