Is being able to swim mandatory for those taking up the Open Water courses?

[Progen]

Was just wondering whether it's right for non-swimmers to be able to sign up for the Open Water courses.

 

[gcarter]

Here we go. There are swimming requirements in the standards. If you can manage them you are good to go although you can brace yourself for an onslaught of posts saying that those who are not strong swimmers should not be allowed to be certified. At the end of the day it will be up to you and your instructor, but if you can meet the minimum requirements they have to certify you.

 

[Stoo]

I don't know what current agency standards are as far as swimming requirements go, but really??? Not being able to swim if the excrement hits the oscillator seems like a precursor to disaster.

When I was still actively teaching I would occasionally have a non-swimmer show up on the first night of class. When it bacame apparent to me and I questioned them about it, as often as not, it was because they had had some traumatic event involving water in their childhood, which resulted in a fear of the water, and so never learning to swim.

At that time NAUI had some fairly rigid swimming requirements so I was easily able to thank them and send them to the adult learn-to-swim course...

Assuming you are asking for yourself, may I ask why you don't swim? And is there a reason that you wouldn't want to learn how to, before you try to take up diving? I think it would make it a lot more enjoyable for you!

I've heard the argument that you don't need to know how to fly to take up sky-diving... but wouldn't sky-diving be a heck of a lot safer if you could fly?

Here we go. There are swimming requirements in the standards. If you can manage them you are good to go...

I define a non-swimmer as someone who can't swim. I true non-swimmer would never be able to complete even minimal standards. A "poor" swimmer is a fish of a different colour...

 

[DevonDiver]

Here are the latest PADI requirements for swim (watermanship) assessment:

Watermanship


Before Open Water Dive 2, have student divers demonstrate that they can comfortably maintain themselves in water too deep in which to stand by completing a 10-minute swim/float without using any swim aids.


At some point before certification, have students complete a 200 metre/yard continuous surface swim or a 300 metre/ yard swim with mask, fins and snorkel.


If conditions warrant, students may wear an exposure suit as long as they are weighted for neutral buoyancy.

This requirement is further amplified in the PADI Guide to Teaching (manual that directs instructors on how to conduct their training courses)..

Watermanship
The overall objective of the 10 minute swim/float is for you, the instructor, to see that student divers have reasonable swimming ability. If conditions warrant, student divers may wear an exposure suit as long as they are weighting for neutral buoyancy.

Advise people who appear weak and uncomfortable in the water to improve through lessons or practice before engaging in dive training. Advise those with marginal water skills to practice and strengthen their skills for participation in the open water dives.

It is quite clear that (1) 'being able to swim' and (2) 'water comfort' are both requisite capabilities for Open Water certification.

 

[261311]

The two make all the difference in the world. You could get by as it being classed as a disability, if you indeed do have a disability but if you don't know how to or have a fear of swimming, this would be a bad activity to start without getting that nipped in the butt. Even divers with disabilities (ie. amputee) do some sort of modified swimming under buddy supervision so putting yourself in a situation that requires the very basic of task loading is dangerous. I'd argue it's more dangerous than if you had a visible disability because people would lack understanding and thus assistance (come on bro, it's just swimming bro [if you know what I mean]). If something goes wrong you want to know that only you can depend on yourself to get yourself out a sticky situation (will likely include swimming).

 

[DevonDiver]

Even divers with disabilities (ie. amputee) do some sort of modified swimming under buddy supervision...

Regardless of disability, all student divers have to meet the same performance requirements - able-bodied or disabled. That includes the swim/watermanship test.

An instructor can empower the disabled student to achieve the standards, but the standards must be met nonetheless.

From the 'PADI Guide to Teaching':

 

[eelnoraa]

Agency standard aside, I think it is very important to be proficient in swim before doing scuba. The key here is to be very comfortable in water even you get your mask or reg kicked off from you, so that you don't panic. How one get so comfortable in water? It is to be very good at swimming.

 

[261311]

I'm glad you're enthusiastic but you just posted the exact thing I was talking about. If a diver with ex: no legs is unable to do a flutter kick for say the mandatory distance swimming they have to modify their technique (ie. webbed gloves and swimming with arms) so that they can complete their certification, or earn a lower level certification. This is done, you guessed it, under buddy supervision outside of class and inside of class both instructor and buddy, assuming the people in question care enough about the individual. Certification agencies are also minutely flexible in how their skills are done and the time it takes to do them. The concern is the ability and learning outcome, not precisely the path in which it follows. PADI doesn't tell you how to swim for watermanship, they tell you to swim for watermanship.

 

[Progen]

Way I look at it, being able to swim is important and mandatory so I did my equivalent of Spock's eyebrow up thing when I came across a friend who couldn't swim and had no confidence in the water but was allowed to join an Open Water course. I told her that there might come a day when the BCD failed and then what is she going to do with over 20kg of gear on her back? Fins or no fins, even if she could dump the BCD, tank, regulators and ascend, she's still going to panic and drown just below the surface.

 

[261311]

Join a course, or pass a course? By the end of the course you should know both basic swimming techniques with fins at the least (might not be a strong swimmer, but the basics are there) and some under water confidence. If she was allowed to pass please be a good friend and tell her to take proper swimming lessons and maybe take a refresher course just to make sure she got everything in her certification fine. If she still needs confidence and practice a private divemaster/ instructor would be best to help her build that. You raise a very good point, there may come a time when it hits the fan, and it comes down to life and death and the knowledge and ability to escape the later. There's little room for second guessing and panicking at depth, you act or you face death.

Sorry if this sounds dramatic, I just watched this week's Game of Thrones and I'm still in my dramatist persona.