Why aren't more people taking up scuba diving?

[daniel1948]

... I am extremely skeptical that you can take a non-swimmer and have them swimming "well" in a matter of minutes....

I, too, am skeptical. I learned to swim as a young child (my mom insisted, for which I am eternally grateful) and have always been an okay swimmer. A couple of decades ago, as an adult, I decided to improve my form by taking a swim class at the local university. This was a one-semester class that taught five basic strokes. Learning to swim five basic strokes with reasonable efficiency took the whole semester.

Fifteen to twenty minutes might be enough to demonstrate all aspects of proper form in one stroke (say, the crawl, which I would say is the most basic stroke) but that's only the first baby step toward teaching someone to swim. The student then needs to learn how to make their muscles do what they've been shown, which sounds simple but is not a trivial matter, then needs to practice, with constant corrective feedback, until muscle memory makes the movement instinctual. And then, to be a strong swimmer, the student needs to build up muscle strength by regular swimming over a period of time, though this last need not be in class.

 

[FinnMom]

You can't transform a non-swimmer to a swimmer in minutes, but maybe in a few hours you can make them believe they won't drown and give them good reason to feel this new confidence. A nation where everyone with the physical aptitude has learned how to dog-paddle would be a worthwhile & wonderful achievement.

I don't know how to crack this problem because I know funds are short everywhere. It would be great if the schools offered swimming as phys. ed. to everyone, but pools are laughably far down the priority list for public school systems on their budgets. It might also be harder for any group or individual to offer a swimming site or even just free swimming lessons in the USA (compared to Canada or Europe) because of liability and/or insurance issues.

As long as any group isn't even swimming as much as others, they aren't likely to be out diving as much as other groups. Obviously image, cost, role models etc. are all also going to have an effect (in this case all negative), but the swimming isuue is a big one.

 

[boulderjohn]

I would like to remind people that this discussion as to whether a person can be taught to swim at a passable level in a certain amount of time began with the contention by some that people need to be able to swim at the skill level of a professional lifeguard in order to scuba dive. For some of those people, there seem to be only two categories: 1) Professional lifeguard ability and 2) non-swimmer.

 

[Akimbo]

You can't transform a non-swimmer to a swimmer in minutes, but maybe in a few hours you can make them believe they won't drown and give them good reason to feel this new confidence….

Sure you can convince someone that they won’t drown in a few minutes… like in the time it takes to put on a 7mm wetsuit and jump in the deep end of the pool.

Now if we could just imprint that in diver’s minds so they remember to dump their lead when things go wonky.

 

[cerich]

I would like to remind people that this discussion as to whether a person can be taught to swim at a passable level in a certain amount of time began with the contention by some that people need to be able to swim at the skill level of a professional lifeguard in order to scuba dive. For some of those people, there seem to be only two categories: 1) Professional lifeguard ability and 2) non-swimmer.

Not quite.

In my view...

To be a diver a person should be a comfortable competent swimmer.

To be an instructor they should be an excellent and strong swimming skills and have some lifeguarding skills

 

[TMHeimer]

Not quite.

In my view...

To be a diver a person should be a comfortable competent swimmer.

To be an instructor they should be an excellent and strong swimming skills and have some lifeguarding skills

Agree-- there is a middleground. A diver should have a recognized proper stroke and be able to do it at least for a little distance. I've mentioned my position that this is true not just for divers but for anyone dealing with water over their head or close to it. I suppose an instructor or DM should be somewhat of a stronger swimmer, but I am more interested in what they can do with fins (mask & snorkel) on since the Rescue Diver course suggests these should always be accessable in case needed. One can do proper swim strokes (yes, using one's arms) while wearing fins, so for the pro, good form is also needed.
I think the DM course 800 meter m/f/snorkel test should be maybe 1200 meters but allow use of arms.

 

[RJP]

I am extremely skeptical that you can take a non-swimmer and have them swimming "well" in a matter of minutes. They may be able to survive in the water but will not be good, confident swimmers.

You can't transform a non-swimmer to a swimmer in minutes,

I, too, am skeptical.

I didn't say that they would be swimming well in a matter of minutes... I said they could be taught to do so in a matter of minutes. Of course they would need to then practice and get good at it to swim well.

But it only takes a matter of minutes to teach proper technique.

 

[scubadada]

I didn't say that they would be swimming well in a matter of minutes... I said they could be taught to do so in a matter of minutes. Of course they would need to then practice and get good at it to swim well.

But it only takes a matter of minutes to teach proper technique.

They will not be competent, skillful, confident swimmers in a matter or minutes. hours, days, or weeks, maybe if they keep on with effort, in a matter of months.

 

[RJP]

They will not be competent, skillful, confident swimmers in a matter or minutes. hours, days, or weeks, maybe if they keep on with effort, in a matter of months.

I'm not sure what your definition of "skillful" is. In my mind it's a long way from "competent."

Competent: having suitable or sufficient knowledge,experience, or ability to do something; adequate but not exceptional (synonyms: adequate, satisfactory, acceptable)

Skillful: (skill) the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well; excellence in performance; expertness; dexterity (synonyms: expert, accomplished, consummate, virtuoso, talented, gifted)

Frankly, I don't know a single person who hasn't been coached as a competitive swimmer who is "skillful" in the true sense of the word. I see avid "recreational swimmers" every morning who are quite confident... in their abysmal swimming skills. They would, however meet the "competent" criteria needed to become scuba divers. There's no reason for a scuba diver to need to be a "skillful" swimmer.

The fact of the matter is... it's not hard to teach or learn how to swim reasonably well, assuming the person doing the teaching knows what they are doing. To be a "skillful" swimmer takes actual work and coaching. My skills have been consistently improving over the past 40years... and I still have room for improvement.

If someone is reasonably coordinated and comfortable in the water... "a matter of days" is doable to become a reasonably capable swimmer if they have time to apply and practice. A few weeks is easy.

 

[dmoore19]

This is all real interesting. The question remains why more people aren't taking up scuba. Maybe it's because nobody can even agree on what should be required to scuba dive. Thousands of gear combinations, hundreds of places to dive with all kinds of conditions. As it is with all the discussions here on Scubaboard, there is no absolute answer to the question. Hell, you guys just spent a couple of hundred posts on what level of swimming skills one should have.