How frequently do you practice basic skills?

[MB]

Every dive I do something that resembles a pure skill... air share, no-mask, buddy breathe (if I know the buddy), weight belt D&D, scuba kit D&D... something... The problem with rust is that it eventually replaces the good stuff - no need to "get rusty" in the first place.

 

[baitedstorm]

I'm a firm believer in the "use it or lose it" motto........ Every dive I seem to find a new skill or repeat one I already knew.

 

[doole]

This is why I like when LDS's run those weekly pool dive things; more people who consider themselves serious divers should go periodically in the off season. (Those who don't have an off-season just tick me off.) Great way to keep the skills honed. Plus it gives your equipment that rather attractive bleached look.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

I have always practiced skills in my diving career. When I was actively instructing, I got lots of practice with students. After I "retired," I still dedicated portions of dives, or even full dives, to skills practice.

Even if you look back at recent posts for doing dives, I always suggest a fun dive followed by a fun and skills dive. Even practicing skills is fun enough for me. So, I don't look at it like it is work or not fun. Everything about diving is great except for gear carrying and washing.

 

[mrobinson]

You know, once we all took our divemaster/divecontrol specialist/instructor we practiced all the time... But can anyone here really say before that they did practice their skills? I know I couldn't say I did. Only until I took my DM did I start to REALLY practice...

 

[mania]

As an example - our excercise during yesterday's swimming pool session.
First a guide line across the pool (from one ladder to the second). Somewhere in the middle of this one another guide line along the pool.
Markers showing the way out. 2 divers. One diver lost his mask and is OOA. keeping the guide line has to swim OOA along the pool (82ft) and find his buddy. Because of the very strong current buddy also lost his mask. So they are both blind. Buddy has to give his regulator and still remain the contact with the guide line (once lost it's not findable) then the OOA diver had to be put in front and then both have to find a way out.
It's very difficult so honestly speaking - we were all dead. Total hard core.
Meantime another excercise - OOA but....while giving the regulator it got the freeflow and "flew" away.... So only one regulator left - emergency ascend with sharing the regulator.
Another one - suddenly inflator failure and it inflates the jacket constantly. I had single tank with only one valve - so it needs an immediate reaction and constant deflating of the jacket.
Next one - unconciouss diver lying at the bottom. He has doubles and a dry suit and a failure of the wing inflator. Take him up. While doing that the diver got entangled in the guide line.....
These are just few things we were doing yesterday. Some were really tired after one hour. FYI - the pool is 13 ft deep.

Mania

 

[minnediver]

new question.

Obviously almost everyone practices skills frequently. So does anyone practice these skills while neutrally buoyant and maintaining a horizontal body position?

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

new question.

Obviously almost everyone practices skills frequently. So does anyone practice these skills while neutrally buoyant and maintaining a horizontal body position?

Is there any other way?

 

[Sideband]

Another one - suddenly inflator failure and it inflates the jacket constantly. I had single tank with only one valve - so it needs an immediate reaction and constant deflating of the jacket.

Mania

Immediate reaction yes. Constant deflation, no. Figure out how to disconnect the hose. We learned that in our 2nd pool session for OW. I had a runaway inflator 5 mins into a dive at Devil's Den in Florida with my instructor from OW. (He was leading a trip) I completed the dive and afterwards he asked why I was orally inflating. I told him about the runaway and he just nodded. He didn't even notice it happened because it was over so fast. Pull the dump and disconnect the hose.

Joe

 

[MB]

Obviously almost everyone practices skills frequently. So does anyone practice these skills while neutrally buoyant and maintaining a horizontal body position?

If this thread is representative, then everyone practices, and there are no turkey divers!

Or... maybe we have a skewed sample... Of the 27 people world-wide who practice skills, 14 of them are on ScubaBoard. Says a lot for the Board huh?