OW skills midwater?

[ae3753]

Based on a recent thread:

Knee pads
*http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=131668

And a recent class:

Back to basics - Long post
*http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=131657

I am curious if anyone requires OW students to perform skills midwater. In particular, mask clear and mask remove/replace.

If you do, I am interested on how you teach this? What is the progression of steps, and time involved.

Thanks.

 

[Kim]

I'm not an instructor so I can't directly answer the question. I do have one observation though. Most of the skills that you need to be able to do are most likely to be needed in a mid-water situation. If you can't do them there if you need to, then for all practical purposes you may have a serious problem.

 

[Walter]

I do. When I started teaching (will it really be 20 years ago later this year?), I, like everyone else at the time, taught skills kneeling on the bottom. Several years ago, I switched to the midwater concept. The transition was surprisingly easy and students had absolutely no more difficulty than when they were kneeling.

I teach mask clearing during the first pool session, long before I introduce SCUBA (3rd pool session), so many skills (flutter, frog, dolphin, sculling and scissor kicks, for example) are second nature to them by the time they first put a regulator on a tank.

When they are on SCUBA, I teach them three methods of clearing a regulator (bubbles when the reg is out of the mouth) and two methods of regulator recovery before they put their heads under water.

Next (not wearing fins), I demonstrate how when stretched out prone, I rise and fall with my breathing and have them practice. They now have the basics of diving - buoyancy control, 5 kicking techniques and mask clearing - all before they put on their fins with SCUBA. Now we swim around the pool practicing buoyancy. Once they start getting it, I have them practice other skills (reg recovery, reg clearing, mask clearing, no mask swimming, mask replacing, etc.) while continuing to practice buoyancy. They get more time practicing buoyancy control without losing practice on other skills and they learn it all at least as fast as students did before I switch methods. The only skills for which I put them on the pool bottom are doff & don, bailout and equipment exchange while buddy breathing.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

Thanks Walter. Good write-up. I'm always looking for cleaner ways of doing things like this.

Steve

 

[Walter]

You're welcome.

 

[ae3753]

Walter, thanks for sharing your experiences. It's motivating to hear how this can be done.

Hopefully you're not the only person training skills in midwater. Any others?

 

[DiveTeacher]

Hear, hear. I started doing that (some skills midwater) about 5 years ago, but I start on the bottom, and work them into midwater, and now try to do everything possible midwater if the class can handle it. I also like Walter's method of "having everything you need" before you even don the gear, and although I have done buoyancy drills, I think I am going to borrow the mask method too (I'm sure he doesn't mind, does he?) from here on out. I don't subscribe to teaching the 5 kicks, because my personal opinion is students need to get complete control over their buoyancy before they start doing anything esoteric, and that takes some time. Plus, I want them to "get off the bicycle" as quickly as possible...ha...thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Web Monkey]

When they are on SCUBA, I teach them three methods of clearing a regulator (bubbles when the reg is out of the mouth)

OK, you got me . . .

1. Air from the tank (purging)
2. Air from the diver (blowing)
3. Air from ???

Do I get a hint?

Terry

 

[oly5050user]

OK, you got me . . .

1. Air from the tank (purging)
2. Air from the diver (blowing)
3. Air from ???

Do I get a hint?

Terry

I believe he meant to initiate a freeflow and then place regulator in mouth...you can also "swish" the water through regulator while in mouth..swish like water is mouthwash..I only teach the primary 2 methods though/

 

[Mitchell]

Walter How deep is your pool that you practice in? How many pool sessions do you offer? You said that you introduce Scuba during the 3rd pool session. How much do you charge for OW. Curious, I think you might be on to something.

thanks