Swimming Skills Assessment

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm not the greatest swimmer but not the worst either. I passed the 200 yard no problem but I would have to work at the 400 to pass DM. I can do the 15 minute tread no problem and the 2 minute hands out of water no problem.

I was actually scared of water when I was kid, but then by junior high something changed (puberty) and I loved water and my step brothers and I would always be swimming around in the lake on our ranch.
I never really learned any proper technique so I have to resort to a few different styles of swimming like side stroke and breast stroke. The crawl to me is a learned competitive stroke and needs to be done properly to be efficient, which I never really properly learned.
I'm thinking of joining a local pool though and getting lessons for the crawl so I can do a fitness routine. I'm a sinker and my breathing routine gets all screwed up so I end up wearing myself out trying to muscle through it.

The thing is, competitive swimming and diving are two different things. The fitness gained from lap swimming helps make diving easier and safer but it's not really related muscle group wise because diving is all leg work and swimming is upper body. Actually, I think fin kicking laps are a much better training for diving than competitive swimming strokes because it gets the muscles in shape that you actually will be using. Maybe a combo of both would be the ultimate training routine.

I also believe that there is a lot more to being a good diver than how good of a lap swimmer you are in a warm pool.
There are waves to contend with, cold water, thick wetsuits, heavy gear, etc. Competitive lap swimming won't really directly train you for the unexpected things that can happen out in the ocean, but rigorous fin kicking laps will by getting your legs in shape so they don't cramp up when you're fighting a current and getting pounded by surf and you need that leg power the most.
Some weight training is also good.

I think the best pre training for scuba diving is still strong freediving / skindiving skills in the actual environment you'll be diving in not just a pool. I freedove for about 2-3 years for abalone in Northern California before I got scuba certified and I just breezed through thanks to my comfort level from skindiving.

 

[FireInMyBones]

WSIT and LGI. I love to swim. I have never swam on a team, but do triathlons from time to time.

While I do agree that good swimming skills and water safety are important overall, underwater the game changes. I feel that the things that transfers the most from swimming to diving are comfort, good breathing ability, and some kicking technique (at least as the basis).

I wish that more time was taken before the OW class started to emphasize in water safety and comfort. With class times being as short as they are, I do not see this changing on the grand scale. I feel that those who add more to their classes will see the fruit of their labor.

 

[ajtoady]

I can see were as the swimming skills would help. Being fit and exercising is always a good thing. However as I recall, seeing all those French divers sucking on cigarettes and drinking wine between or before their dives is just a little contradictory to the swimming thesis.

 

[FuzzyNutz]

I grew up near the ocean and with a ton of friends and family with pools in their backyard. I was never a competitive swimmer, but I have beaten some friends in swim races and they have won championships. Not so much anymore, but I was very athletic as a youth (well, I'm still only 25, but I don't work out anymore... it goes in spurts), but I can still certainly hold my own and am 'above average' on most strenuous activities I do. I wrestled and played football from a young age all the way though senior year of high school, and practically lived in the weight rooms when not practicing. I honestly don't see one relation to swimming or muscular strength while scuba diving. Even if you have a long surface swim, you are equipped with what is practically a glorified life vest - it just may take you longer to get where you want to go. Underwater, you literally just go with the flow, and going fast is usually counter-productive. The key is to go slow and not swim, just a little kick and glide action. The only benefit I can see if you're a swimmer, is just general overall comfort in the water. And strength only enables you to not rightfully complain about lugging tanks around.

 

[rongoodman]

OK, I confess. If I wasn't diving, I doubt that I would even own a swim suit. It's just something I don't enjoy, even after lessons with some good instructors(Total Immersion) and have no interest in pursuing. If I ever retake Fundies, I'll do the swim test on my back or side.

 

[divad]

However, I've never been able to master the Australian Crawl but I always end up with water in my mouth after a short time. So, I swim with my face up.

It's because you're trying to keep your head above water and looking foward. If you barely turn your head, there is a trough of air created by a pressure wave.



You have to give in to water. You can't defeat water. Unless you're Mars.... which would suck.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, for sure. I got an Otterbox and waterproof headphones and solved most of that problem. I also enjoyed the time to think.

I don't know how much lap swimming really helps though. I have always been a strong swimmer, but I grew up playing in the ocean all summer long. Surfing, snorkeling, playing in the waves, whatever. I think when I am diving if I need to draw on swimming to stay comfortable that is the type of swimming I rely on. Laps in the pool not so much as I can't swim that way with my gear on. The only thing that helps with is water on the face.

More than just comfortable, I think you need to be competent in the water. How you measure that I don't know, I guess if you are you feel it, if you are not you know it as well.

I do not understand people who are uncomfortable in the water and still dive. Just too easy to fix that issue and, well, anxiety is really no fun at all and causes a lot of little troubles to turn into big ones.

I strongly agree with everything you say. I'm also pleasantly surprised at the number of posts that seem to agree that (lap) swimming and diving are distant cousins at best.
I have had many arguements with folks who say that really strong swimming ability is almost a necessity in being a good diver. On the other hand, I couldn't imagine even thinking about doing OW if I couldn't swim well and wasn't "comfortable" in the water since childhood. Yet apparently quite a few folks do.

 

[lulubelle]

An interesting debate.

I didn't answer the poll either as I didn't seem to fit into any of the categories. I was swimming before I was walking and grew up thrashing about the Atlantic. I pulled a kid out of a riptide the first time when I was ten. But I quit lap swimming before that.

Diving here in NC, I do use my swimming abilities. Nothing like knowing how to power through a current or a tough surface swim when you need to although we generally avoid the need for surface swims.

But as for lap swimming, I just got back into the pool after a 35 year absence. I hate chlorine. But my ex runner's knees needed a break. It was pretty ugly the first time or two. WTF, you mean I have to turn my head to breathe? But it's only been a couple of weeks and I've already passed my DM times although I'm not doing DM training. I don't think it is going to make me a better diver. My air consumption is already very good, and I handle myself well in waves and strong currents. I'm doing it for general fitness training.

I guess I'd put my stake in the ground that someone should have good general fitness (I don't care what they weigh if they can comfortably do the work), decent swimming ability, but most importantly, comfort in the water and knowledge of how to work with the situations one is in.

 

[Rhone Man]

I dont think Cousteau is what divers should aspire to. Instead, we should aspire to far more. Divers shouldnt need to swim like they used to and they certainly shouldnt interact with the environment like Cousteau did--it can be harmful.

Probably a subject for another thread, but that is a pretty major understatement. Many of the things [Jacques] Cousteau did, he would go to prison for now. When he went to Belize to film the Blue Hole, he couldn't get the Calypso in, so he cleared a path through the reef with dynamite.

The fact that he had a supply of dynamite on board tells you a lot. They don't say very nice things about him in Truk Lagoon either.

:focus:

 

[TSandM]

I'm an average swimmer. I like the water, am comfortable being in it, and can swim quite a long way if allowed to do so slowly. I passed my GUE swim tests (although barely squeaking by with the C2 one). I don't like the crawl, and a beat up shoulder doesn't make it any more palatable.

I don't think strong swimming is the issue; I think cardiovascular fitness is. If you can swim at all and aren't nervous in the water, and you're generally fit, you can swim briefly against a current or in choppy water. I'm not fit enough. I admit that.