Stamina Skills

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Which fins do you guys think are better?

Well, I'm an avid Skin Diver....been doing it all my life...I can still spend a whole day in shallow, clear water and never don a rig.....

I have a separate skin diving kit....full foot splits, mask and big bore snorkel in a nifty streamlined bag...when I did my 800, I used my skin diver kit....I can motor faster with those, with less effort, than I can with my OMS Slipstreams and 5 mil booties.
 
Thanks again. Will try full foot and large bore, as I own these. Joe--Have you ever dived S. Padre Island?--the jetty? the rigs?
 
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Never did any diving or skin diving....but back in college we used to go down there for spring break with my fraternity.....did some surfing by the jetties, rented boards from Pop's....and we used to go crabbing there as well. The water was murky so I was not tempted to do any diving at all.
 
Re the 15 min. float: If you do the 15 mins. but can't keep hands out the last 2 is it a 4? I can't seem to find the PADI requirements. I have tried pretty much every approach to keeping the hands out--my feet just sink like a stone. I need my hands to keep afloat (though pretty comfortably--I think I could have gone well beyond 15 minutes).
 
No, it's a 3.

Can you try the "egg beater" style of kicking with your feet/legs? Or using the kick for the breast stroke while your hands are out?

Get your Instructor to show you how to do this....
 
As Joe-Diver mentioned, completion with hands in the water is a 3. From the instructor manual:

Performed satisfactorily = 5
Stayed afloat, but hands not out of water entire 2 minutes = 3
Used side/bottom for momentary support no more than twice = 1
Used side/bottom for support more than twice = incomplete

If your a good skin diver with decent breath holding abilities, one of my instructors that I DMC'd for mentioned that he accomplished the hands out of the water while his head was under the water. His hands were out of the water and that was it. Apparently, he was a major sinker, but he could hold his breath for over two minutes, so he got a 5. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. I'm not sure how that counts as floating.
 
As Joe-Diver mentioned, completion with hands in the water is a 3. From the instructor manual:

Performed satisfactorily = 5
Stayed afloat, but hands not out of water entire 2 minutes = 3
Used side/bottom for momentary support no more than twice = 1
Used side/bottom for support more than twice = incomplete

If your a good skin diver with decent breath holding abilities, one of my instructors that I DMC'd for mentioned that he accomplished the hands out of the water while his head was under the water. His hands were out of the water and that was it. Apparently, he was a major sinker, but he could hold his breath for over two minutes, so he got a 5. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. I'm not sure how that counts as floating.

Yes. I can do that. Thanks a ton. As you said, not pretty but it works. Do you know if all 4 stamina tests must be done the same day?
 
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There's nothing in the instructor manual that says they have to be completed together, although one would hope that a prospective DM can accomplish all of them back-to-back.

We were able to get the swims done back-to-back, but the tread had to wait as other classmates were forced to redo the swims (one because of cramping and another due to a leaking snorkel replacement). By the time everyone was finished, we were kicked out of the pool. We couldn't do the tow as our instructor wanted the tow to be done in full gear for our environment which meant drysuits and normal weighting.
 
Depends on logistics and the Candidate....if we're at a place we can do all the swims and the Candidate is up to it, sure....if not, we'll do what we can.
 
Does anyone have handy the metric times for the skills--particularly the 400? I know it's posted somewhere but can't find it. Thanks in advance.
 

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