SCUBA skills enhanced by snorkeling

[FreeFloat]

Free diving, snorkeling and skin diving are 3 terms for the same activity.

That may be true, but I myself use the convention that if I stay within 3' of the surface and/or hold my breath for 15 seconds or less, I log it as a "snorkel". If I dive deeper than 3' - typically 15 - 40', and for me that typically requires a minimum breath-hold of 30 seconds, I log it as a freedive and also put into play my usual safety conventions - such as proper breathe-ups, mask equalizing, proper weighting, fin techniques, etc etc. But that's just me.

 

[quimby]

The most graceful divers by far that I have ever seen are skilled, experienced cave divers...and it isn't even a close race and I doubt that this skill level can be attributed to a free diving background

Sorry but from wreck and open water background, someone who is a accomplished freediver is much more capable in the water because he is more aware of his body. Freediving is a complete education in breathing and in body control. What you consider the major skill as far as bc, is important thats given, but isnt as key to the diving I am used to as the confidence and control gained by freediving in a ocean environment with wave action, currents etc.

IMO, the most important "scuba" skill and the one most "blown past" in typical training is buoyancy control. The ability to control your position in the water regardless of what you're doing IS diving and free diving doesn't teach it. It also doesn't do anything to teach breath control (even when handling a problem) because you're not breathing.

I just have to say, I did a lot of freediving and spearfishing (without scuba) and most before bouyee fenzy even hit this side of the pond. I will never believe someone who is a accomplished freediver is not in better control of his body in the water than someone who hasnt. They are more tuned to the demands of their lungs, and more ready to deal with any situation with or without equipment. When I was teaching the most important point to me was how well acclamated a student was as well as acomplished in his skills and I dont remember any who did even a fair amout of freediving ever disappointing me.

 

[archman]

I agree with Quimby for the most part. However I must add as a caveat that I happen to know one "accomplished" free diver that is not a particularly good scuba diver. Too much freediving and not enough actual scuba I suppose.

 

[pelicanluv]

I may be new to the scuba world, but my instructor hammered into our head--being a great free diver makes you a better diver. It doesn't work the oter way around, you can be the best diver in the world, but still be a horrible free diver. He encouraged practicing free diving and our first 3 pool sessions in Basic were free diving only. The diving program at my university also offers a free-diving class. So if you have the time and desire---get in the water and practice what you can--in a pool or ocean, just get wet.

 

[grazie42]

Maybe I´m a bit off here but isn´t in-water comfort one of the prereqs for scuba training?! I´m pretty sure my PADI instructor said something to that effect...
I couldn´t imagine even being interested in Scuba if I wasn´t already comfortable in the water...maybe it´s just me and all my diving friends that work this way though...
I could understand if you come from some place where there´s no available water to play in but otherwise I just don´t understand...Maybe I´m just stupid...

 

[MikeFerrara]

Sorry but from wreck and open water background, someone who is a accomplished freediver is much more capable in the water because he is more aware of his body. Freediving is a complete education in breathing and in body control. What you consider the major skill as far as bc, is important thats given, but isnt as key to the diving I am used to as the confidence and control gained by freediving in a ocean environment with wave action, currents etc.

ok show me a cave diver who isn't confident in the water. You want to talk about current? Check out the flow in Jackson Blue...only don't look sideways cuz it'll take your mask off. LOL


I will never believe someone who is a accomplished freediver is not in better control of his body in the water than someone who hasnt. They are more tuned to the demands of their lungs, and more ready to deal with any situation with or without equipment.

I just don't buy it. I know too many cave divers who are amazing in the water who probably never did a free dive in their life except fo maybe a little during training or just plain swimming.

In fact of all the great divers that I know none of them have ever been a sereous free diver. Maybe because I'm in the midwest, I've only come accrossed a couple real free divers in all the time I've been diving. That was a couple guys I ran into inside the plane at Gilboa sans tanks. They were certainly comfortable in the water but the one who was outside the plan waiting for his two buddies to come out was sitting on the wing of the plane. We just hovored while we watched. The water's cold and with a heavy wet suit an free diver is a little negative at that depth if he has enough weight to get down in the firstplace. We don't need to sit on things. LOL

As I said being comfortable in the water is important but you don't need a snorkel to develop that. Control in scuba come with body position, balance, finning technique and buoyancy control using breathing to control it in large part. Except for being in the water it's a almost totally defferent skill set.

As a side note I've had more than one student who was a competative swimmer and yet sucked on scuba.

But to settle the arguement, you grab a few of your free diving buddies and I'll grab a couple of my cave diving buddies and we'll go see who has greater control in the water on scuba ok? LOL

 

[MikeFerrara]

Maybe I´m a bit off here but isn´t in-water comfort one of the prereqs for scuba training?! I´m pretty sure my PADI instructor said something to that effect...
I couldn´t imagine even being interested in Scuba if I wasn´t already comfortable in the water...maybe it´s just me and all my diving friends that work this way though...
I could understand if you come from some place where there´s no available water to play in but otherwise I just don´t understand...Maybe I´m just stupid...

You would think so but in 4 years of owning a shop I'll bet half the people who walked in the door wanting to learn to diver were people who hadn't been off the couch in many years. Many could barely swim and a few couldn't swim at all. I even had a lady who was a competative swimmer but was scared to death to be under the water.

Now days most of the people who want to learn to dive are people who have been sold on it by the pretty colored adds. They want to see the fish and coral more than they really want to learn to dive.

Why do you think that skills like mask clearing and replacement are such a big deal for so many people? People who are used to the water are not afraid to get their face wet.

 

[miketsp]

The only problem I found after thousands of hours snorkelling against much less time scuba is to control automatic reactions. A couple of years back I was floating in the water face down relaxing enjoying the view, prior to a scuba dive, snorkel in my mouth, alongside the boat while the rest of the group kitted up. When the yellow face plate of a reserve regulator started sinking in front of me, dropped by somebody on the boat, I instinctively put my head down, threw my legs in the air and went after it.
10 seconds later I couldn't understand why I wasn't descending beyond 2m in spite of vigorous finning vertically. It took me a few seconds to remember that I was in scuba gear with an inflated BC, which I had completely forgotten I was wearing!
Boy did I feel stupid when I got back to the surface exhausted, without the face plate.

But we do learn from our (own) mistakes. A similar incident happened recently and remembering the above I automatically de-inflated and swapped from the snorkel to the regulator while descending.

 

[durian]

If I dive deeper than 3' - typically 15 - 40', and for me that typically requires a minimum breath-hold of 30 seconds, I log it as a freedive and also put into play my usual safety conventions - such as proper breathe-ups, mask equalizing, proper weighting, fin techniques, etc etc. But that's just me.

You log it? Ok, This will prove my ignornace. If I freedive does that count as a dive toward a higher certification. I mean before doing the DM you need 40 logged dives. Can a freedive count toward that. I am 99% sure that it can not-but you mentioned logging the dive. I guess that is for your own personal reference.

 

[quimby]

eh righttttt