question for padi instructors

[Frosty]

A question my daughter just asked me I can't think of a logical answer to.-So reverted to "
just cos "
Why are you required to do the surface swim and 10 minute float portion of your OW training in just your togs?
(not refering to the fin/mask/snorkle option)
Im never scuba diving without my wetsuit so why take it off for this skill?

 

[Dr. Lecter]

A question my daughter just asked me I can't think of a logical answer to.-So reverted to "
just cos "
Why are you required to do the surface swim and 10 minute float portion of your OW training in just your togs?
(not refering to the fin/mask/snorkle option)
Im never scuba diving without my wetsuit so why take it off for this skill?

While I'm not an instructor, the simple fact is a lot of people do dive without a wetsuit -- and thus without the inherent buoyancy it provides at the surface. If a student cannot do the swim/float without its assistance, there's a good argument they don't belong in the water.

 

[Mikko Ilari Laakkonen]

Some people might think that swimming is a prerequisite skill for starting dive training.

Thw swim test however may be done with exposure suit if conditions require it. Diver must be weighted neutral if exposure protection is being used.

- Mikko Laakkonen -

 

[DevonDiver]

You take the swim test in appropriate exposure protection, weighted for neutral buoyancy (no cheating).

 

[FinnMom]

You can imagine how much closer the panic button is to a person who knows they can't swim well enough to pass a test like that. A person needs some level of comfort in the water to be able to dive calmly & safely.

The more anxious the diver, the less they can remember anything they've been taught. That's why it's good to practise skills not just to a "can remember & execute" level but to an instinctual, muscle memory level.

 

[Peter Guy]

A couple of possible answers to this have already been given. Another is that the "float test" (i.e., water safety) may well be because this is to approximate falling into the water (from boat, dock, etc.) before one has gear on. If one falls into the water, one should be picked up within 10 minutes.

I actually use the 10 minute float to judge the comfort of the student in the water. It is a pretty good test in my experience.

 

[oly5050user]

Just this past week I did a module 1 for 2 female college students in a Friday-Saturday-Sunday course that they could not do Friday night. So I did mod 1 with them on Wednesday and they join the weekend course with another instructor..First thing I ask of them in the pool before I put any gear on them is to simply swim to the end of the pool and back.Any speed, any stroke, just show me you can swim a bit..One made it to the other end and hugged the side of the pool for a few minutes before swimming back. Its only 45' from one end to the other. The other student could not swim at all!. These people are told when they sign up for a course that they must be able to swim and be comfortable in the water..I finished up module 1 and told them that if they wish to participate in the class here in the pool, they can, BUT must learn to swim before any type of OW dives are done. Funny thing is they did not do too bad on confined water skills for mod 1 after I put gear on them in shallow end.. I gave them contact information for a swim instr nearby. I did not go to work at the LDS this weekend to see if they returned on Saturday. I'll find out on Tuesday. I clued in the instructor on the non swimmers so that he had no surprises. I'll never understand why a non swimmer can even think that they can get certified when they cannot swim. Big waste of time and $$$.

 

[Frosty]

hey folks--to be clear. My daughter swims like a fish but she diddn't get why she'd done all her other skills wetsuit on and had to get "all cold" just to float around for a few minutes. You can guess it was dear ol dad who was the buddy swimming with her from the boat to a buey and back but I wasn't hanging around when there was hot tea waiting for me on the boat

 

[Diver0001]

A question my daughter just asked me I can't think of a logical answer to.-So reverted to "
just cos "
Why are you required to do the surface swim and 10 minute float portion of your OW training in just your togs?
(not refering to the fin/mask/snorkle option)
Im never scuba diving without my wetsuit so why take it off for this skill?

It's a watermanship requirement. It basically proves, along with the swim that you have some basic ability not to drown in water too deep to stand up in. It is, after all, a water sport so it's logical to want divers to have some basic swimming ability.

R..

 

[DevonDiver]

hey folks--to be clear. My daughter swims like a fish but she diddn't get why she'd done all her other skills wetsuit on and had to get "all cold" just to float around for a few minutes. You can guess it was dear ol dad who was the buddy swimming with her from the boat to a buey and back but I wasn't hanging around when there was hot tea waiting for me on the boat

This is a quote from the PADI Instructor Manual 2013:

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

I guess the dive instructor/operation concerned didn't feel the conditions warranted it....?!?