The State of Diving

[FrogManMike]

what tickles me most is watching an inexperienced diver or snorkeler who put on their fins shore then walk out waist deep water high stepping and flaying their arms to and fro like a orangutan out of a tree

as many times as I have seen that I bust out in laughter every time I see it *snickering to self*

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
When I took my Fundamentals class, I looked at the instructor with my jaw dropped . . .

What is a Fundamentals class?

 

[ptyx]

What is a Fundamentals class?

A class offered by GUE emphasizing buoyancy control - both during the dive, ascent and exercises; propulsion techniques and teamwork. UTD has a similar 'essentials' class. Both classes are highly recommended, but since they're offered by DIR agencies they have strict gear requirements.

Search the boards or the web ("GUE Essentials", "UTD fundamentals", "GUE basic 5", "S-drill") for more info, there is plenty around.

 

[k374]

I don't know why people flap their hands in the water, it just drives me nuts. I had a woman at Molokini hit my face and nearly take my mask off because of this. Basic buoyancy control is taught in the course and I know that using your hands is not allowed when doing the exercises like the fin pivot. How did these people pass the course?

 

[spectrum]

How did these people pass the course?

The bar is frequently not as high as you seem to believe. If it were there would be fewer instructors and even fewer new divers.

In this fish bowl we call ScubaBoard are many motivated divers who take their diving seriously. We also have a number of vocal instructors that from what they describe are head and shoulders above much of what I have experienced.

As a diver or instructor you can strive to do your best and be a role model but you can't expect the world to follow with the same dedication and focus.

Pete

 

[ff1diver]

Practice does not make perfect...
Practice just makes you better!

As many others have noted...the divers in the video seem to be inexperienced...as they are showing all of the classic signs...
I have been showing videos in my classroom about sculling, flailing, being a dirt dart, being a surface bobber, pressing the highway to heaven button to ascend, what happens when you wear too much weight...and the students love the video...

It helps them remember on what not to do during their pool/open water sessions and they work really hard to correct these problems because they DO NOT want to look as goovy as
THEIR INTSTRUCTOR on her 1st open water ocean dive...

 

[Diver Tim]

It seems to me that sculling is probably an unconscious act for most people while under water; being still new, I need to purposefully concentrate on NOT sculling. As I only have a limited amount of concentration to use, if I focus on something else (coral, fish, buddy, why my surface float line is tangled around both my fins and my first stage, etc) I will often find myself sculling. Because I read ScubaBoard, self-flagellation and depression follow.

 

[aquaregia]

It seems to me that sculling is probably an unconscious act for most people while under water; being still new, I need to purposefully concentrate on NOT sculling. As I only have a limited amount of concentration to use, if I focus on something else (coral, fish, buddy, why my surface float line is tangled around both my fins and my first stage, etc) I will often find myself sculling. Because I read ScubaBoard, self-flagellation and depression follow.

I scull when I absolutely need to go backwards because I can't figure out how to kick backwards with fins on. Similar self-flagellation occurs, but I figure looking like a tosser is preferable to smashing myself into stuff.

Hopefully further classes and experience will help with that. The smashing, that is; I imagine the self-flagellation gets worse.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I scull when I absolutely need to go backwards because I can't figure out how to kick backwards with fins on. Similar self-flagellation occurs, but I figure looking like a tosser is preferable to smashing myself into stuff.

Hopefully further classes and experience will help with that. The smashing, that is; I imagine the self-flagellation gets worse.

A handful of classes teach various propulsion techniques, including the back-kick. It took me quite a bit of practice , which included laying on a pouf in our living room while my fiance moved my legs and ankles around to acquaint me with the motions. I have no idea what any neighbors who happened to see us through the window thought!

 

[aquaregia]

A handful of classes teach various propulsion techniques, including the back-kick. It took me quite a bit of practice , which included laying on a pouf in our living room while my fiance moved my legs and ankles around to acquaint me with the motions. I have no idea what any neighbors who happened to see us through the window thought!

Unfortunately, as far as I know, these techniques aren't taught in most OW classes. Looking at course descriptions in my area, I only see it in TDI's Intro Tech description, which is unlikely to appeal to general recreational divers. ScubaBoard has made me aware of GUE and UTD's offerings, both of which appear significantly more expensive than the NAUI/PADI/TDI courses and both of which appear to require specific gear choices.

I'm extremely inexperienced, so I'm likely to be wrong on the facts, but those are my impressions. The vast majority of the rec divers that I've asked if they could show me their back-kick had never heard of such a thing, and barring that, I'm not sure how anyone could *not* use their hands for maneuvering.