How to teach surface diving?

[Ben_Ayers]

My wife and I had pool # 1 of 5 of our OW training last night. I had a blast, my wife, not so much. After being assigned a buddy (they separated us), we started with a giant-stride into the deep end with snorkel gear on. We both did a good entry even though our masks were fogged. The 9 member class then snorkeled several lengths of the pool. On the next few laps we were to surface dive frequently. This is where my wife had issues. She couldn't get under water very far and ended up choking and almost quitting!

A little history:
I taught her to swim as an adult. Basically, she has a decent crawl and back float/stroke but that's about it. She was wearing a full 3mm and no weight as were most of the successful surface swimmers.

She said the Dive Con kept telling her to lift her legs out of the water but when she tried that her legs went all the way over, essentially doing a forward flip in the water.

How can I TEACH this skill? I was thinking of telling her to imagine she was going to do a handstand in the water in hopes of getting her vertical enough to allow her legs to drive her under. This seems to be automatic for most of us, but she is struggling with it.

She also had issues with her regulator ( said she had to hold it to breath properly), and her mask (said it kept "falling down" after the instructor loosened it).

Anyway, even though two other students bailed, she's hanging tough!

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Jim Lapenta]

How cold is the water? Why is she even in a wetsuit? Newer swimmers are like corks in a suit anyway. No wonder she couldn't get down. Unless you are an instructor or swimming/diving coach the instructor should be demonstrating and teaching this skill. I'm not sure of the standards involving dive cons but if he/she cannot do more than tell her to lift her legs out of the water then they have no business conducting this portion of the class. She needs to get into a pike position first and start down before bringing the legs up and I'm guessing there's no way she'll do this in a 3 mil. After the pike while lifting the legs I also arch my back slightly to start the forward motion part of the dive. this helps as well. And why is she having to hold the reg. If it feels like it's coming out then a simple turn of the hose backwards will let the exhaust rest on the chin. Is it her own mask and does it fit properly. The strap should be around the crown of the head. If it's over/on the ears then it's too low. ALso the strap does not hold the mask on. It merely holds it in place, the pressure of the water holds it on the face if it fits properly. You need to have a talk with the instructor about these issues and see that he/she addresses them. I would strongly advise you not teach her anything to do with this class unless you yourself are an instructor. Even then smart instructors will many times refer their wives, girlfriends, mistresses, etc to another trusted instructor. saves em from having to call the divorce lawyer.

 

[spectrum]

As you probably are realizing once you know how it's hard to describe how you do it. I think JimLap captured it when saying to pike down then lift the legs. The idea is to get the torso vertical and then by lifting the legs from the water they go from being approximately neutral to being dead weight. While not needed I usually give one pull with my arms and then it's gravity and broad gentle fin strokes.

I don't have any trouble skin diving in a 3mm fullsuit in fresh water though I do choose to wear a single 3 pounder on my back to make things just right.

It's June and you're in MD. Freshwater sites should be 3mm friendly by now so if there is time before the next class get her out in some real water.

Needing to hold the regulator brings a few possibilities to mind. Did she get the regulator mounted so the primary second stage hose was coming off at a right angle? Was the cylinder connection facing true forward? Was the tank mounted and the BC adjusted to present the hose at a reasonable elevation? There are small and soft mouthpieces out there and they don't offer everyone an adequate bite. The hose may have been of a goofy length.

As for the mask, why did the instructor loosen it? Was it leaking? I assume you were not doing any hooded training yet. A poorly fit hood or one catching and trapping air can mess with the mask. Otherwise if it is falling off she should tighten it, it's good practice.

There is no excuse for getting in the pool with a fogging mask. Be sure to clean and TEST the cleaning as outlined here.

Give her lot's of encouragement for us. Diving is an adaptation and it comes to all of us at different rates. Her effort will be worthwhile and your relationship will be enriched by sharing diving.

Pete

 

[Ben_Ayers]

Thanks for the responses...
The class was in a fairly warm pool that according to the instructor can be cold at times - she suggested wetsuits and most of the class had a least shorty's. The assistant instructor did a nice demonstration of the surface dive before we were cut loose to try it. I didn't see any other students struggling with it like my wife.
It doesn't look like we are going to get any swim time in before the next class but hopefully she'll have a chance to try it again. The two hour pool sessions seem chock full of objectives and doesn't seem to allow much time for working through any problems that arise.
I'm not sure what the deal was with the regulator, I'll look at the setup closer next time we gear-up - I think I'll let her use mine.
I scrubbed our masks inside and out with toothpaste three times before class but didn't test them - thanks for the link. Although hers seems to fit (no leaking issues), she is going to try some others during class. I agree these issues and any others should be resolved quickly to reduce stress and allow learning to take place. Hopefully they will be resolved but I suspect there will be other challenges down the road.
I think the bottom line is if she is having an issue, she should speak-up and request help from the instructor before other issues may arise, compounding the first. I'm beginning to wonder that if you're not part fish, maybe private instruction is the way to go - time will tell....

Thanks,
Ben

 

[BabyDuck]

remember when she's trying on masks that she needs to try them on with her mouth partly open, like it's around a reg or snorkel. maybe she has dimples or laugh lines or something that make that mask not fit so well with a partly open mouth.

 

[scubajcf]

I would talk with your shop and see if there is some way to get in the pool with snorkel gear prior to the next class. Your wife seems like someone who needs to get familiar with the equipment she is using prior to class.

From the regulator issue: I am assuming she will probably need to do this with Scuba equipment as well. People develop comfort and familiarity at different speeds, so how can we imagine that 8 to 10 people will all progress at the same pace. I am surprised your instructor hasn't recommended some practice time in between classes.

In a class setting, I think she is being overwhelmed by the information (and maybe pressure) being thrown at her. Combine that with the lack of familiarity with the equipment and perhaps some lack of complete comfort in the water, and you can see why she would have a harder time reaching success.

It's been my experience, as an instructor, that new divers should try to go at their individual pace (not the class, instructor or even buddy's pace). The instructor should throttle that when necessary.

She will get as much out of this experience as she puts into it. If she is rushed or is not comfortable, the best case scenario is that she will get certified, do her OW dives and then say it isn't her thing. That's not a good option for you as someone who sounds like they want to continue ahead. Trust me, you want her to be just as comfortable and enthusiastic as you.

Practice, practice, practice. My last piece of advice is don't let her go on to the Open Water until she is ROCK SOLID in the pool!

jcf

 

[Hickdive]

Surface diving is a tricky skill to break into component parts, here’s how I do it.

Firstly, get the student confident at clearing a snorkel, without that skill in place none of the rest will work. Practice with them just holding onto the side of the pool and pushing themselves underwater until the snorkel is submerged, counting slowly to ten, surfacing and clearing.

Then;

Positioning: Get the student to practice lying still and flat on the surface with their arms by their sides and their toes pointed. Their shoulders, bottom and ankles should all be on the surface. Practice until they are.

Once the above is mastered, get the student to practice bending sharply downwards from the waist from the lying flat position. They should be trying to achieve a right angle. Don’t put anything else in at this stage, most students, once they get this bit right, notice an immediate improvement.

After the lying still and bending quickly into a right angle has been mastered put in the next step;

Once the right angle is reached, get the student to curl their knees up towards their chest. Like with the right angle movement this needs to be a sharp, rapid movement.

When they can lie flat, bend then curl, add in the penultimate stage;

Once the legs are curled towards the chest have the student straighten their legs again vertically into the air behind them, this is another sharp, rapid movement.

The weight of their legs above the water should drive the student vertically downwards through the water.

Finally, when the momentum of the initial dive is beginning to fade have the student put in one big arm sweep, like a breast-stroke.

Don’t forget to remind the student to clear their ears.

HTH

 

[Ben_Ayers]

HTH,
Thanks for taking the time to break that down- that should really help!! I'm not even sure I do it like that. I can't recall if I bend my knees toward my chest or not...

Ben