Swimming Stroke

[shotthebreeze]

Tom,

Give your instructor a call. I only had to do the 300 meter snorkel, no swim involved whatsoever. Its either or.

 

[scubadale]

Tom,

Give your instructor a call. I only had to do the 300 meter snorkel, no swim involved whatsoever. Its either or.

Either or depends on the agency. My understanding is that PADI and SSI let you do either or. NAUI requires a swim, snorkel, tread, and underwater swim.

As for your shoulder there are some skills that might be difficult with a right shoulder injury. You should start searching for your scuba instructor now and discuss your injury and limitations with them prior to starting.

 

[laurelgsc]

Due to a kayaking injury I actually had my right shoulder replaced. I have some chronic pain and somewhat limited mobility in that shoulder. It is much better after the surgery and most days it's only a minor nuisance. I have not had a bit of trouble SCUBA diving, I actually find that swimming the breast stroke and crawl make my shoulder stronger so I try to swim 3x a week. I would work on your range of motion, the only skill that was difficult for me was reaching behind me to grab the reg hose in the recovery skill. I did it, but it hurt. Other than that I haven't had a bit of trouble. Have fun, shoulder injuries are much better than weight bearing joints (if you have to pick one) : )

 

[bsumner]

You will probably need to ignore the "proper" way to do each stroke and find a modified version that doesn't hurt.

I would suggest starting with side stroke on the left side. Don't worry about which leg is on top - it only really matters for rescue technique. Either hang the right arm without using it, or see if you can modify the stroke by doing a small pull across the chest.

Elementary backstroke is another good possibility (arms only raise to shoulder height). If that doesn't work, try frog/whip kicking on your back and sculling (arms at sides with hands doing figure 8s).

Just get yourself a strong flutterkick and leave your arms at your sides on either front or back. On your front, if you need to breath, try taking a single stroke with your left arm only. (If done right, the stroke pulls along the center line of the body - so theoretically you could do a one armed crawl. In reality, it is hard to avoid pulling to one side or the other.)

Good luck. There is no time limit - so just kick your way along to get through the qualifying test.

Thanks, old post or not!

This is a good idea for me...just had right shoulder surgery and will have to adapt a different swimming technique for a while until rehabilitation is finished.

 

[rstofer]

You might Google for Navy Seal Combat Swim and watch some videos. This is a side stroke that probably works best with fins but I have seen it done without. Only one arm is used and when that arm is tired, the swimmer changes sides. In your case, don't get tired.

Since that combat swim is intended for fins, you might want to take the 300m option. It's a lot more like surface swims when diving.

Remember, there's no time limit for PADI.

Richard

 

[Scubadam]

With PADI, I did do the 300 Meter swim with mask, snorkel, and fins which made it really easy to glide in the water. I certified in Aruba so the water, although rough at times was very warm and nice for swimming at the surface. I had no problems doing the front stroke, although with your shoulder, I don't know if you have or could atempt to do a front stroke. If you can't do the front stroke, try a side stroke. A side stroke will allow you to use primarily your good shoulder and just glide with the bad shoulder.

 

[Scott]

With PADI, I did do the 300 Meter swim with mask, snorkel, and fins which made it really easy to glide in the water. I certified in Aruba so the water, although rough at times was very warm and nice for swimming at the surface. I had no problems doing the front stroke, although with your shoulder, I don't know if you have or could atempt to do a front stroke. If you can't do the front stroke, try a side stroke. A side stroke will allow you to use primarily your good shoulder and just glide with the bad shoulder.

Ahh hum if you were doing the swim using a front stroke with mask, fins and snorkel then you were not performing the test correctly.
The swim is with out aid. no fins, no snorkel.
The snorkel swim is done without using strokes.
You can't mix and match.

 

[turtle05]

I just finished my first pool dive and I too was worried if I was a good enough swimmer for the sport. I found that most of the swimming you do is done with your legs with your hands to your side or right in front of you. You feel wieghtless under the water it is an awesome experience. I also found that split fins help you move through the water much smoother and faster!!! Good Luck!!

 

[I Dive]

Is there a swimming technique or swim stroke that would be easier on the shoulder joint?
Tom

Doggie paddle

 

[jeremylederle]

Tom

I am a little confused with your shoulder pain doing the Breaststroke. Whoever is helping you should beable to modify that to make it pain free because done right most of the stress and pull is done by the forearm and elbow. You can also just keep your hands in front and do a small scull. When I teach Breaststroke a lot of the time the kick is the problem followed with timing of the stroke. Just my two cents as a Red Cross Water Safty Instructor and Swim Coach.

I live in Prior Lake Mn if you want some help email me

Jeremy