Question regarding AAUS training

[sierrakilo]

Hi,

I hope this is the correct section to post my question. From reading the AAUS training standards, I understand that in order to pass, candidates will have to swim 25 yards (little less than 23m) underwater with no swimming aids.

While I believe I can do it, it seems to be a tough requirement considering most people's water proficiency. Can anyone elaborate on the thinking behind the requirement. I cannot really see the application to scientific diving or rescue-training. If you run out of air, you'd still have your fins on hopefully? Wouldn't the time spent training for this, be better spent on CESA-training - or better yet, just learning good gas management and bailout procedures

Anyway, I'd also be grateful for any insights into how instructors working under the auspice of AAUS conduct this exercise, and coach people through the training?

Best regards,
SK

 

[smellzlikefish]

I've done more freediving for science than scuba and, while not strictly covered by AAUS, it is a crucial skill to maintain that displays a level of comfort in the water beyond what is expected of open-water students. We never spent time training for it, we were just thrown in the water and tested. I have to guess, but the fins off aspect is probably due to the limited length of most pools.

 

[Thalassamania]

Hi, I hope this is the correct section to post my question. From reading the AAUS training standards, I understand that in order to pass, candidates will have to swim 25 yards (little less than 23m) underwater with no swimming aids. While I believe I can do it, it seems to be a tough requirement considering most people's water proficiency. Can anyone elaborate on the thinking behind the requirement. I cannot really see the application to scientific diving or rescue-training. If you run out of air, you'd still have your fins on hopefully? Wouldn't the time spent training for this, be better spent on CESA-training - or better yet, just learning good gas management and bailout procedures Anyway, I'd also be grateful for any insights into how instructors working under the auspice of AAUS conduct this exercise, and coach people through the training? Best regards, SK

If someone expects to do underwater science at a professional level then a 25 yard breath hold should be trivial. While it is easy to teach someone to do it, I've always viewed that as an course entry requirement, no a graduation requirement.

 

[g1138]

You can swim 25yds in under 30 seconds. You should be able to hold your breath for 30seconds.
It's honestly more mind over matter.

The trick with the 25yd swim is to keep yourself calm and swim effectively. Glide through the water with a minimum amount of strokes and stay a few feet below the surface to minimize drag.
If your heart rate is pumping, you'll be screaming for air before you even get halfway. Keeping your heart rate low and you can spend what seems like an eternity in shallow water.

The 25yd underwater swim shows you have in-water comfort. AAUS classes prepare you to perform heavy task loading scientific dives. One of the aims of the class is to put diving safety and basic skills into your second nature, so you can focus on the science collection methods at hand rather than your dive safety.
Water comfort is a stepping stone to making that possible. Candidates should be efficient in that regard before taking the class. Otherwise they won't benefit fully from the training.

And for what it's worth, the Basic Open Water class at my uni has to do this just to test into the class. To graduate the class, they have to do a full skin ditch and recovery.
After 8 pool sessions of failing or getting close, all will pull off a full skin D&R when test day comes. It's not pretty, but they're able to do it. Those who take their sweet time underwater tend to do better and look much calmer upon surfacing.

 

[Thalassamania]

Free diving doff and don is the one that does it, all right. Full gear, including suit and mitts. ; Jackknife down 15 feet mask on the bottom; roll out of your belt leaving it neatly on the bottom; transition to a flared buoyant ascent with slow exhalation of bubbles (not required ... but shows good form), then one minute to recover at the surface and it's pike dive back down, against the buoyancy of a full 1/4" Rubatex suit; roll into your belt and buckle it, slowly, without haste; and calmly pick up your mask, don it, clear it, put your snorkel in your mouth and make a controlled spiraling ascent with your hand raised. Just before you surface, clear your snorkel by displacement and rest at the surface showing no sign of exertion, no panting or any such. And you want to talk about a 25 yard swim? Sorry, if you want to do this you need a significant attitude adjustment.

 

[rickthompson]

It really is mind over matter. Don't rush through it either. Most people I've seen fail it do so because they try to swim as fast as they can instead of allowing for a good glide period after every stroke.

 

[cappyjon431]

I was recently hired as a DSO and I just completed my AAUS training a couple of weeks ago. To be honest, I was somewhat nervous about both the UW swim and the 400 yard timed swim. While I've been an instructor for over 20 years, its been a long time since I was required to do these types of swims. I've also been out of the water for two years (took a sabbatical from diving to teach English at a local community college). The fact that I'm over 50 only made me more nervous. Most of my AAUS training was easy, but I psyched myself out for the swims.

On pool day I decided "screw it," I was going to do my best, go at my own pace, and if I needed to repeat the swims I would do it until I got it right.

I truly believe it was mind over matter. I managed to relax myself, swam slowly/deliberately, and easily passed. Take your time and don't stress.

 

[Adventure-Ocean]

I chaired the Dive Safety Control Board for the University of Guam for over 7 years and was a member since we started it in the eighties. We were required to create our own Dive Safety Manual and have it approved by the AAUS. Students come to the University Marine Lab for different reasons. Some may require snorkeling only and some may require minimal diving. Others come for large thesis projects that require them to be diving a lot for a couple of years. The larger projects had us requiring the student to train up to Scientific Diver.

The AAUS has clear requirements to be learned before you'll reach that level. Once they reach that level they will have freedoms to conduct the dives they want as often as they want. They will lead their own dives. They can have the lab boats take them anywhere around the island and do the dives they want as long as their dive plans are signed off by the DSO. The criteria is very important to the university and the insurance companies that cover all university activities.

We found for the most part that the students having big diving projects were very comfortable in the water and have been diving for years. The underwater swim, ditch and don, night skills, underwater navigation and all others were very easy skills for them. They'd fly through the skill checks and reach Scientific Diver quickly so they can get in the water and start their projects.

We had other levels of training that required less skills and gave the students less freedoms. They all had to arrive at the lab with OW certification already taken care of.

It's easy to think a lot of the training and skill checks are excessive and not needed. I would agree to that but can also say that if a student went through all these hoops, we had confidence they were prepared and ready to safely conduct their work. Adventure-Ocean