In what position were you taught to perform dive skills?

How were you taught to perform dive skills?

  • On my knees (but upright)

    Votes: 95 82.6%

  • In a "fin pivot" position (horizontal but in contact with the ground)

    Votes: 6 5.2%

  • Midwater, in horizontal trim

    Votes: 14 12.2%
  • Total voters
    115

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beanojones:
Interestngly, the new PADI blurb on the new PADI OW materials emphasizes teaching of skills in new positions. Strangely enough, Standing(!) is one of the new ways they are emphasizing as a possibility. I'd quote the article but it is direct to the instructor communication from PADI, and I don't want the dark overlords to shoot me down.
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I'm pretty sure you can quote that without a problem. There really isn't any more information about it in the quote than you wrote here. It has me mystified as well. I can't think of any skill I would prefer to teach standing.

Of course, there was the infamous Dive Training magazine photo for their story on underwater navigation, showing two divers standing on the ocean floor looking t compasses. Maybe it's related to navigation, since at least one trade magazine seems to think it is not possible to take compass heading while neutrally buoyant.
 
I voted for my knees but I practiced in more of the fin pivot position because it seemed more comfortable and I could actually see what I was trying to look at (below me) when doing it that way.
 
boulderjohn:
I'm pretty sure you can quote that without a problem. There really isn't any more information about it in the quote than you wrote here. It has me mystified as well. I can't think of any skill I would prefer to teach standing.

Of course, there was the infamous Dive Training magazine photo for their story on underwater navigation, showing two divers standing on the ocean floor looking t compasses. Maybe it's related to navigation, since at least one trade magazine seems to think it is not possible to take compass heading while neutrally buoyant.
Click to expand...

... maybe they think they're Boy Scouts, learning navigation in the woods ... "hey, let's go THAT way" ...

Dive-Training-Picture---BAD.jpg


... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Didn't have a choice for the poll. We didn't do the skills horizontal but we didn't do them on our knees or a fin pivot. We did them off bottom, vertical, looking at each other during open water certification.
 
Getting there and back.... the old-fashioned way. We can only hope!

I was taught on the knees is the pool, kneeling in the ocean. Kiwi divers (in general) are pretty horrible role-models as they scramble around the bottom looking for things to kill.
 
We did no skills in a pool since there wasn't one where we were certified. All skills were in the ocean (depth 40') and none were on our knees. Most skills were done in a vertical position.
 
We did most of our stuff on knees while leaning forward in a "trimmed out" position as much as possible (since we didn't quite get neutral buoyancy at that point). By our checkout dives we were doing neutral buoyancy skills while in horizontal trim as much as possible and got a beating if we ever touched the bottom again LOL
 
we were taught in a 4th option... we never went to our knees via our training however we were vertical and our fin tips were allowed to touch the floor during our skills presentations
 
In one quarry I know of there are platforms but students do not do skills on them. Skills are done with hang bars at various depths for reference. They may place a hand on them or an elbow but all skills are done while hovering and neutral. As well as more or less in trim.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
 
I think this kneeling comes as a natural progression: Think back to the very first OW pool session you ever had, you start out in the 3 foot end and the only way to do anything is kneel down on the bottom and get your head underwater. You end up either around the instructor or more likely in a C shape in front. So now move to the deeper end, the president is set, class is in session when we all kneel down around the instructor. It keeps people from floating off. It keeps them focused and watcing a focal point. Plus the pools are not very deep. I am 6'1 so standing I take up half the depth of 12 foot pool. When I go to surface it take me a second or two and I am on the surface. Doing skills on the bottom in 12 feet is only natural.

Now with all that said, I think it is a bad way to go. When I progress to my OW in the quarry, we all went down to a platform and if I remember correctly just did it standing on the platform.

Reading how some of the others have indicated they train is a good idea. I didn't really get any buoyancy under control until I started diving and had an opportunity to do more than skills on the bottom.

Once I was diving I went on a trip somewhere, migth have been either the Keys or Mexico and I saw a referral student do skills standing on the sandy bottom just off the reef. While I might not remember which location I will never forget that a shark came along the bottom and passed between her legs (she was standing spread leg on the bottom for stability) as she was doing reg retrieval!
 
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