Use of hands when diving.

[AfterDark]

Ok so do fish have only tail fins? And is that all they use? NO and what about seals, frogs, whales etc...

I have four appendages that function and serve me well above water and underwater in different ways and circumstances. Moving in a straight line my legs work great but for directional changes or positioning underwater nothing beats the hands.
But if you want to use only your legs thats ok too.

See post #13 for the purists or I as refer to them as fanatics answer to that question.

 

[Scarborough Diver]

It all boils down to the style of diving that you've decided to adopt. Personally, I dive in a GUE/DIR style which involves having your hands outstretched in front of you and your body completely flat with legs bent using a non silting kick (usually frog kick). Use of hands is a big no no as we have our can lights on our hand which is used for signalling. If i start finning with my hands, my buddy sees my light sliding side to side on the ground which is an indication of distress. If you have good buoyancy control and trim, you should never have to use your hands to fin. Using the hands will usually result in silting and loss of trim. If you have access to a swimming pool, spend some time just practicing forward propulsion however you do it, back kick, helicopter kick and a simple hover. If you can master these, you'll never need your hands.

 

[AfterDark]

It all boils down to the style of diving that you've decided to adopt. Personally, I dive in a GUE/DIR style which involves having your hands outstretched in front of you and your body completely flat with legs bent using a non silting kick (usually frog kick). Use of hands is a big no no as we have our can lights on our hand which is used for signalling. If i start finning with my hands, my buddy sees my light sliding side to side on the ground which is an indication of distress. If you have good buoyancy control and trim, you should never have to use your hands to fin. Using the hands will usually result in silting and loss of trim. If you have access to a swimming pool, spend some time just practicing forward propulsion however you do it, back kick, helicopter kick and a simple hover. If you can master these, you'll never need your hands.

Really?

 

[DaleC]

It all boils down to the style of diving that you've decided to adopt. Personally, I dive in a GUE/DIR style which involves having your hands outstretched in front of you and your body completely flat with legs bent using a non silting kick (usually frog kick). Use of hands is a big no no as we have our can lights on our hand which is used for signalling. If i start finning with my hands, my buddy sees my light sliding side to side on the ground which is an indication of distress. If you have good buoyancy control and trim, you should never have to use your hands to fin. Using the hands will usually result in silting and loss of trim. If you have access to a swimming pool, spend some time just practicing forward propulsion however you do it, back kick, helicopter kick and a simple hover. If you can master these, you'll never need your hands.

In the context that you've described I agree (especially about the canlight/distress issue) with what you have said. However, adhering to one regime to the exclusion of all others does come with the consequence that useful tools, outside of that regime, may be overlooked. As the bard once said "There are more things in heaven and earth... than are dreamt of in your phylosophy".
I sometimes use my hands to momentarily scull in a downwards direction or push off when I need to rise in the water column a few feet to clear an obstruction. I could futz around with a backkick/frogkick/inflate/vent BC (if I have one) to be cool but there's no one around usually to notice anyways. No loss of bouyancy control or trim yet...
What kick do you use to rise while remaining horizontal in the water column?

 

[Quero]

What kick do you use to rise horizontally in the water column?

DaleC, I'm trying to figure this out--do you mean rise vertically in the water column? Or maybe rise in the water column while maintaining horizontal trim?

 

[DaleC]

swimming along horizontal, meet an obstruction, rise a couple of feet, continue swimming.
This may seem odd to a tropical diver but in low vis I am often pasted to the floor, frogkicking and only able to see 4-5' ahead of me.
In this situation one can either use breath control to rise (which I do), go vertical or remain horizontal and use a modified backkick to try to rise. I sometimes do a scull outwards which lifts my head and chest and follow it with a forwards kick to return to horizontal but a couple of feet higher, or just strategically push up and off.

 

[Blackwood]

swimming along horizontal, meet an obstruction, rise a couple of feet horizontally, continue swimming.
This may seem odd to a tropical diver but in low vis I am often pasted to the floor and only able to see 4-5' ahead of me.

Couple feet, I just breathe a little deeper/longer.

...or angle the scooter up a smidgen

 

[DaleC]

I tried using a scooter once but those little wheels kept digging into the sand and my leg got sore from pushing. How do you guys do it?

 

[Blackwood]

You're doin' it wrong. Spin the scooter around its front axle like a propellor.

 

[DaleC]

And you try to tell the young people of today that... they won't believe you.