More basics...kicks

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cyklon_300

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Since the board can't seem to get enough of the 'classic' threads (snorkels yes/no?, mask on forehead?, etc, etc, etc.) here's another for the Best Hits compilation...

If you only use a flutter kick, do you ever look behind you to see if your disturbing the bottom?

If you do look and see you're creating a silt cloud, do you DO anything about it or just continue on your merry way?

I just had what started as a lovely dive destroyed by a nice couple who moved what must have been several dozen cubic yards of lake bottom around...I had to turn my dive twice to avoid the avalanches of crud they were pushing down the ledge onto my line of travel. Meeting up with them later in the shallows, I tried to signal 'look' at the huge cloud trailing them, but by the time they turned around, we were all in zero vis and they put it into to turbo and hauled butt to clearer water...churning even more silt as they went. Sigh...

Here's a thought...if you don't know any other kicks, why not try and learn some...if you can't/won't investigate alternate finning styles, get OFF the bottom and swim in mid-water.

Mucking up the vis is really not a great way to endear yourself to other divers.
 
I was doing a dive at Three Tree with a couple of guys, and one of them stops, looks behind us and points unhappily. I look back, and sure enough, my flutter kick has left a billowing cloud-trail of silt behind us.

Next the guy gives me the "watch me" sign, like he's not too happy with me, and then performs a flawless frog kick. He then gives an adamant point at me, a firm order to do only this kind of kick - end of discussion. Obviously we were not going forward with the dive until I corrected my poor behavior.

I did, quite badly, a frog-ish kick for the remainder of the dive, and have done so on every dive since then. I think that was about two years ago.

It worked out well for me in spite of the rudeness of the diver, whose name I won't mention so as not to embarrass Uncle Pug.

:D
 
frogkick is still better than a perfect flutter...

In fact, that was the purpose of my dive today, to practice the frog. I have a few 'issues' with the technique I'm trying to iron out.
 
What do you say to a really nice person who swims right along the bottom at a 45-degree angle (feet down), leaving a cloud of destroyed reef behind them?
 
It IS possible to flutter kick without stirring up the bottom...
 
Diver Dennis:
It IS possible to flutter kick without stirring up the bottom...
Well, sure. A modified flutter helps, a sand bottom, good vis so you're ten feet above the bottom - just like in Puerto Vallarta.

Where we dive, if a kid spits in the lake it silts up.
 
You're right Rick. The slit factor is a huge one. On sand you can be a couple of feet off the bottom. What Gilda Radner used to say as Rosanne Rosanadana? "Never mind".
 
Well ya know...had I not read about just that here, I’d be merrily, merrily silting along. So yep, I went out and barely skimming the sand looking behind - one flutter and full on silt storm ensued. Experimented a bit finding I had to be 10 or 15 feet over with modified slow flutters to not leave a trail of ineptitude, went back to the computer and studied the kick video hyperlinks thoughtful posters provided (Mahalo).
Have to confess when someone silts up the place, I know better now and am frogging, a bit smug, merrily along.:D
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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