Special Training to do Swim Throughs?

[BDSC]

There is another thread going about overhead environments that made me want to ask the following question:

Do you believe that divers should have special training beyond say OW or even AOW before going into a "typical Caribbean swim-through"?

Here's the reason I ask. I would imagine that most of us with at least a few years of diving behind us have found ourselves in various Caribbean destinations, like Little Cayman for example. A lot of times the sites found there will have various swim throughs. Some may be a few feet in length. Some may be 30 to 40 feet in length. Some are pretty wide open where folks can pass side by side while some can be smaller that would only allow single file passage. The majority of the time a DM is in the water guiding the way. There's no telling how many successful dives like this are done each day where the divers only have OW or AOW training.

Thoughts?

 

[Hawkwood]

Interesting question. My wife and I have looked at it a bit differently. She will not go through a swim through. As a result, we "follow" the group over top using the bubble trains and navigating out to were the other side is.

Training would/could also include simple procedures for a buddy pair to follow should they decline to go through a swim through.

 

[nimoh]

I think a feet feet is no big deal, as pretty much any problem can wait until you get to the other side. However, your buddy should have the presence of mind to look back once out of the swim through to make sure you got out OK.

With longer swimthroughs, things can happen that you may or may not be prepared for. An example of the top of my head is, what if your yoke clamp hits the overhead and dislodges your o-ring leading to not only draining your tank, but possibly a wet reg? How far would you be able to swim before being able to resolve this issue?

 

[patrickusaf08]

I think that there should be some type of training. You are in an environment that if it is single file could go from good vis to horrible vis rather quick if people do not watch buoyancy control and kicks. Also if someone in front panics in a narrow space then that could obviously lead to other issues as well. Maybe have an add on to AOW such as a swim through part. Its not quite cave diving so I do not think you should go that deep but it is an over head environment. When I took my AOW with my instructor there is a pipe about 40 feet long he likes to use with using a wrek reel. he goes through first and attaches both sides then you go through with decent vis to get a comfortable feel. Then he mucks it up for low vis and you take the reel end and wind it up as you go through with low vis. I feel it helped me with being in a low vis situation as well as doing a swim though with bouncy control. I am always comfortable with instructors who want to teach above what the base line is because that will only help prepare you for the real world.

 

[nimoh]

I think that there should be some type of training. You are in an environment that if it is single file could go from good vis to horrible vis rather quick if people do not watch buoyancy control and kicks. Also if someone in front panics in a narrow space then that could obviously lead to other issues as well. Maybe have an add on to AOW such as a swim through part. Its not quite cave diving so I do not think you should go that deep but it is an over head environment. When I took my AOW with my instructor there is a pipe about 40 feet long he likes to use with using a wrek reel. he goes through first and attaches both sides then you go through with decent vis to get a comfortable feel. Then he mucks it up for low vis and you take the reel end and wind it up as you go through with low vis. I feel it helped me with being in a low vis situation as well as doing a swim though with bouncy control. I am always comfortable with instructors who want to teach above what the base line is because that will only help prepare you for the real world.

no real need for a pipe, could achieve the same with a reel or spool and closing your eyes.

 

[keyshunter]

BDSC,
Perhaps you should propose the idea to Padi. Let's see: Padi Caribbean Swim Through Specialty Course--Six swim throughs on air and 6 swim throughs on nitrox.

Actually, I see no need for special training for these baby swim throughs beyond impressing upon divers the need to be aware of their position in the water so as not to damage the coral rock of the swim through or stir up the sand/silt which usually lies at the bottom.

 

[OkByMe]

As a big swim through fan, the only answer is that buoyancy control is critical. You don't want to be bouncing off the walls. Other than that, why does everyone have to be "taught" everything. Diving is like any other sport where you have figure out a methodology and safe practices. A swim through is not a cave, but could be harboring some critters that might pose a threat. Situational awareness could be a plus.

Kind of like skiing... I see people who never get off the groomed runs or the black diamond sign scares them because they have not been shepherded through that skill level by some "training". How does anyone expect to improve their skill if avoidance of difficulty is the premise of methodology?. I have friends that bow hunt as I do, yet they only stand in front of the target to warm up before season. I practice from a tree, sitting next to a tree, shooting from cover, laying on my side or from my knees. All of those situations can be encountered and have taking game from some of them that I probably would have missed or not taken the shot had I not trained myself for it.

Don't miss out waiting for some training that you can do for yourself.

 

[Insta-Gator]

I've done the "follow the DM" swim through before. Now that I'm more experienced and confident in making my own decisions, if we're in a group I will go through if I can see the other side. Otherwise I swim over. I do not mind a short over-head when I'm in charge, but I do mind stupid/inexperienced divers who crash around inside, silt up the viz and basically bunch up like scared bunnies. The divers worry me, not the environment. Therefore I do not seek out swim throughs.

 

[Akimbo]

I think basic OW should turn out competent enough divers that the requirement for a “swim-through” merit badge would be absurd. Failing that, the statistics don’t seem to justify it. I can’t imagine how many swim-throughs have been completed for decades without major incident.

 

[Lorenzoid]

No, there should not be any special training for OW divers. It's either a true "swim-through" that's within agency-accepted OW/recreational parameters or it's an overhead environment. If you're not sure where a particular underwater feature lies, err on the side of don't do it.

There SHOULD be training for OW divers that includes:
- reiterating what the parameters are;
- encouraging them to question DMs during the pre-dive briefing as to the extent (length, width, depth, etc.) of any swim-throughs;
- encouraging them to question DMs during the pre-dive briefing as to the DMs plan for ensuring the group stays together, including the last person through the swim-through;
- encouraging them to request during the pre-dive briefing that the DM only take the group to swim-throughs where there is an alternate route for those who decline to do them; etc.

I suspect that there are many newly minted OW divers who don't even know that it's okay to ask the DM questions or, in the case of swim-throughs, what they might consider asking. The first time a DM took me to a swim-through, I'm pretty sure I didn't even know what a "swim-through" was and had never even heard the term! I may be an extreme example of ignorance, but I suspect many new OW divers just don't know how to handle the situation pre-dive. That's where some additional "training" could be useful.