Pool drill recommendations...

[Kug]

Our PSD team has the pool reserved and I'm looking for suggestions on drills to do in the "safety" of a pool. All of our training dives in our waterways have next to zero viz., so this will give us an oppurtunity to actually be able to see, although we may do some blackout drills. Any details on suggested training would be greatly appreciated.
Kug

 

[tc]

Entanglement is always good.

Set up some restrictions and let them try to use good buoyancy skills to get through.

And if you get bored a bit of underwater hockey is a good for team building and cardio.

 

[PCBCaptChris]

Because most of you engagement is in zero viz I would do the entaglement, and any other drill, with a blacked out mask. Practice like you play, because your going to play the way you practice.

 

[oem3105]

We usually run a 1/2" line from the deep end up to the shallow end with 3 stations along the way. The divers run this drill completely blacked out. The first station was nick-named "The Pipe Fitter's Nightmare" by our instructor. The diver encounters a 3/4" x 10" bolt with multiple washers and nuts on it. The diver must disassemble everything and then reassemble it exactly back to the condition when it was found. This is done with the divers wearing 5 mil gloves. The trick to this is having one of the safety divers change the order of the washers and nuts on the bolt so the divers can't simply watch and memorize the order of things.

The second station is designed to test the diver's ability to handle restrictive entries/confined spaces. We took a clean plastic 55 gallon drum (most car washes have tons of these they will give you for free) and cut both ends off with a saws-all. In the pool, we run the 1/2" line through the barrel so it floats just a little off the bottom. Following the line, the diver must doff their BC, push it ahead of them, and swim though the barrel. On the other side, they must then don their BC before they can continue to the third station. This also helps the diver work on their buoyancy skills.

The third station is the entanglement station and sits on the bottom of the shallow end. We purchased a heavy-duty hammock that is perfect for this drill. We have two team members hold the hammock over the line. Once the diver swims to the right spot, they simply push the hammock down and onto the diver. They will hold the hammock down with a fair amount of force for 15-20 seconds. This will pin the diver on the bottom of the shallow end. They then relax and it is up to the diver to figure things out and untangle themselves.

A couple of key points to remember for these types of drills. Have at least one safety diver follow the diver running the drill. Also, the two team members running the entanglement station must monitor the diver in addition to the safety diver. Their vantage point may offer quicker assistance if the diver runs into a problem that they cannot manage. The good thing about this station is that if things get too bad, it is only a couple of feet to the surface.

We have had good success with these drills and they are a huge confidence builder for the divers. Hope this help and BE SAFE!

 

[Kug]

Thank you fellow TN diver, (I thank the others too).
Kug

 

[tc]

We build a couple of PVC boxes for them to swim through with lots of loose line hanging in them. Goal is to make them cut their way out. Good confidence builder since they know a safety diver is right there keeping an eye on them. Blacked out masks of course.

 

[RescueDiver2407]

We do a couple pool sessions per year. December is our swimmer fitness test as per IADRS. Along with that I throw in an underwater swim (the length of the pool), knots for rope and webbing, as well as 4 throwbag throws (2 bag, 2 coil). January is our "confidence course". I run a line down one side of the pool, across the deep end, and back up the other side. Along that I have snow fence that we'll drop on the diver that he has to cut through, a "Men of Honor" drill where we put together various PVC pipe fittings (some with bolts) to create a manifold, a cut box with fishing line, picture cable, etc, a plastic drum that you need to doff your gear to get through then put it back on, a lift bag, and an out-of-air drill at the end where the diver finishes on his redundant. I know it seems like a lot to get through, but it only takes our guys 10 or so minutes a piece. Of course, everything is blacked out and we have multiple safety divers in the water as well.

Like anything else, just use your imagination and try to be "evil creative". I believe that the harder you make things in the "safety" of the pool, the less stressful a real emergency becomes.