Hitting the pool

[Cave Diver]

On the inflator stuck, you're saying practice disconnecting the hose from my tank to the BCD?

Yes. Disconnect inflator hose, make few laps of the pool from shallow to deep end and practice orally inflating and dumping your BC. Also practice using all your dump valves, read dump, pull dump on shoulder if you have one, and then dumping from the hose itself. Get used to how all of them work and finding them quickly.

 

[boulderjohn]

Why practice fin pivot? It's only value is as "training wheels" until you can hover neutrally, in any position, while you're working on being neutral/horizontal.

I agree. It is an exercise designed to teach the idea that breathing in and out can control buoyancy. Once you have the hang of that, there is no reason to do it any more.

I have some comments on the other skills as well.

• Hover in mid water legs crossed and holding onto the ends of my fins with my hands to prevent any movement.

To me, you are far better served to learn to hover in horizontal trim. That way you are practicing a skill that you will actually use in the diving. Do you hover in an upright position while on a dive?

• Remove regulator, flood mask and clear at least 5 times, replace regulator
• Attain neutral buoyancy, remove regulator, flood and clear mask while retaining neutral buoyancy, replace regulator.

If you can do the second, why do the first? If you are doing this skill while neutrally buouyant, are you upright or in horizontal trim? Why clear the mask without a regulator in the mouth? Is that a skill that is done often?

• Remove mask, tie bow line and untie, tie clove hitch and untie, tie round turn and two half hitches and untie e.t.c, replace mask

This will ensure that you can tie those knots underwater with your eyes closed extremely well. Why do you need to do this? Do you have a big call for these knots in your diving? I have seen AOW students tie a bowline and two half hitches under water when doing the Search and Recovery optional dive. I have also seen them tie a sheet bend, a much more valuable knot, IMO. Other than in AOW classes like that, I have never seen a knot tied under water. I like to spend my practice time doing things that I actually do under water. There are plenty of those skills on which I need practice.

• remove bcd, fins, mask, weightbelt and place on bottom of pool. Swim to surface, perform surface dive, refit equipment without surfacing
• perform air share using single regulator as donor and recipient
• empty all air from bc, disconnect bc inflator hose, manual inflate bc to attain neutral buoyancy, refit bc regulator hose.
• Remove bc, remove bc from tank. Place tank under one arm and fin pivot
• Dump all air from your bcd. You and your buddy then attempt to attain neutral buoyancy and fin pivot by controlling each others bc controls
• Remove all equipment apart from weight belt, tread water for a few minutes with hands above head.

In general, I would like to repeat what I said above--when I practice (and I practice frequently), I like to work on skills I actually use when I dive. For example, I am trying hard to think why I need to know how to fin pivot without a BCD while holding a tank under my arm. I don't imagine I will run into a need to do that all that often.

For me, that includes especially the ability to perform a wide variety of skills while holding my position in horizontal trim. It includes a variety of kicking techniques (back kick, frog kick, modified frog kick, modified flutter). It involves a lot of other skills that are particularly useful to me, such as switching tanks without losing position.

I can fill my practice sessions with those skills easily, so I don't see a lot of reason to do spend time practicing skills I will never use.

 

[pjhansman]

[*]Remove regulator, flood mask and clear at least 5 times, replace regulator

I might struggle a bit to clear my flooded mask 5 times with one breath........

 

[Saudi-Diver]

Practice the skills in the kit you will dive in open water. I had my skills off pat in a nice tropical environment. Then I went diving in temperate waters and trying to disconnect LP inflator hoses in thick gloves was really interesting at first. My first temperate water mask removal and replace drill was fun with thick gloves and a hood, getting the mask to sit on my face without fouling the hood was a new skill to learn.

 

[cloudflint]

I agree. It is an exercise designed to teach the idea that breathing in and out can control buoyancy. Once you have the hang of that, there is no reason to do it any more.

Well I do fin pivot to start because you would be amazed at how many people I have taken in who are unable to attain neutral buoyancy. Doing this first makes sure that they are properly buoyant for doing the outher skills.

To me, you are far better served to learn to hover in horizontal trim. That way you are practicing a skill that you will actually use in the diving. Do you hover in an upright position while on a dive?

The idea of hovering with your legs crossed and arms holding the fins is that it stops people using their hands or fin to maintain their depth. We don't bother teaching people about trim, we dive in whatever position we want so long as we get around If im in my dry suit i generally hover at about a 45 degree angle since i find it makes it quicker for me to turn round to check on the guys im leading whereas if im in my wetsuit i tend to hover fairly horizontal since i can move around alot quicker.

If you can do the second, why do the first? If you are doing this skill while neutrally buouyant, are you upright or in horizontal trim? Why clear the mask without a regulator in the mouth? Is that a skill that is done often?

The reason for clearing the mask 5 times in one breath and then clearing while neutral and no reg in is because clearing the mask 5 times in one breath generally requires you to become very efficient at clearing your mask without wasting any air. Clearing the mask with your reg out and maintaining neutral buoyancy is an exercise in buoyancy. most peoples first reaction is to take a big breath then take their reg out and clear their mask, at which point due to their big breath they end up floating on the surface. They have to be able to clear the mask without dropping up or down, it can be harder than it looks!

This will ensure that you can tie those knots underwater with your eyes closed extremely well. Why do you need to do this? Do you have a big call for these knots in your diving? I have seen AOW students tie a bowline and two half hitches under water when doing the Search and Recovery optional dive. I have also seen them tie a sheet bend, a much more valuable knot, IMO. Other than in AOW classes like that, I have never seen a knot tied under water. I like to spend my practice time doing things that I actually do under water. There are plenty of those skills on which I need practice.

For tying the knots, we use them alot as we have a club Rhib which is crewed by club members whenever we go out in it. We also get asked to do safety cover alot so its handy to know that people can literally do the knots with their eyes closed. It also helps with task loading, if they can keep their buoyancy right while maskless and tying a knot you know that they are getting the hang of being in the water. Its also handy since with the vis around here any knot work is typically done in zero vis so its handy being able to do it by touch. I remember as a trainee going down to a wreck to tie a knot onto the bow for the boat to moor on. The moment we hit the deck we where engulfed in a massive cloud of stoor and i remember wishing then that i had practised my knots while wearing dive gloves.

In general, I would like to repeat what I said above--when I practice (and I practice frequently), I like to work on skills I actually use when I dive. For example, I am trying hard to think why I need to know how to fin pivot without a BCD while holding a tank under my arm. I don't imagine I will run into a need to do that all that often.

For me, that includes especially the ability to perform a wide variety of skills while holding my position in horizontal trim. It includes a variety of kicking techniques (back kick, frog kick, modified frog kick, modified flutter). It involves a lot of other skills that are particularly useful to me, such as switching tanks without losing position.

I can fill my practice sessions with those skills easily, so I don't see a lot of reason to do spend time practicing skills I will never use.

As i said alot of the exercises i listed aren't stuff that you would ever use but they do help to build confidence. I find fin pivoting without a BC serves as a good lesson about weighting and how little adjustments you actually need to make to get neutral when properly weighted. Also when you are in the pool every week for 3/4 of the year these little exercises help keep things interesting

 

[SoccerJeni]

Practice the skills in the kit you will dive in open water. I had my skills off pat in a nice tropical environment. Then I went diving in temperate waters and trying to disconnect LP inflator hoses in thick gloves was really interesting at first. My first temperate water mask removal and replace drill was fun with thick gloves and a hood, getting the mask to sit on my face without fouling the hood was a new skill to learn.

Oh wow! Good point! I did not think of the implications of having on thick gloves or having on a hood and doing these skills...my mind I guess automatically goes to warm water.

 

[RJP]

my mind I guess automatically goes to warm water.

My mind does, too. My body, unfortunately, usually goes to cold water!

:shocked2:

 

[tkdgodess]

practicing writing on a slate or wetnotes while horizontally neutral. without finning all over the place

 

[LiveBait]

Great idea for a thread! thanks!!

 

[SoccerJeni]

My mind does, too. My body, unfortunately, usually goes to cold water!

:shocked2:

That could make for a really interesting story I'm sure...