Snorkling Skills And Rescue Techniques (1972)

A face mask to permit clear visibility underwater. A snorkel to allow breathing with a face underwater. Fins for swift propulsion with minimum effort. All are valuable life-saving tools because they can make search and recovery of submerged victims faster and more efficient. [Music] On all three items, a mask, snorkel, and the fins, probably the most important feature to look for is a good fit and comfort. The mask should mold easily to your face to form a good seal and feel comfortable. The things to look for in choosing a mask should be a soft, flexible rubber skirt that won't leak. It should be a tempered face plate glass instead of plastic. And you should have a corrosion proof metal band to hold the glass in place. Ultimately, an adjustable strap in the back with a center divided back to offer firmer security when the mask is on top of your face. Now, you can find masks in all shapes and sizes. And the most important thing is to choose one that fits most comfortably on you. Some masks feature a purge valve device, one that makes uh makes it a lot easier for you to clear the water out of it. Some masks even have a nose pinching equalizer that allows you to pinch your nose for clearing your ears. You can see it in here. It pinches on your nose. Those that don't have a nose pinching device have a rubber pad on the bottom and all you have to do is squash that pad up against the bottom of your nose and then blow against your nose and accomplishes the same thing. You can even find some masks that have a prescription lens glued or ground right into the face plate for those of you that wear glasses. Now, if you want to test the mask for a proper fit, you simply put the mask against your face without the strap and inhale. And if the mask stays on your face, it's a good fit. Now you'll be able to feel if it leaks or is uncomfortable. And you prevent fogging of the face plate most simply by just spitting into it and rubbing the saliva on the glass. And you want to rub the saliva firmly with your fingers on the glass till till you hear a squeaking noise and then ultimately rinse it off and your mask should stay clear. Of course, whenever we're considering the mask, we're automatically also talking about the snorkel because these two items always belong together as one unit. Don't just stick the snorkel under the strap and and hope it'll stay there because it won't. You'll leak water into the mask and ultimately you'll lose your snorkel. Instead, the snorkel should be attached to the mask strap with a small snorkel keeper. Now, this keeper will keep the snorkel in place and maintain a sher angle for your snorkel so the two are always together. the mask and the snorkel. >> Dawning the mask is done by first placing it on the face, then pulling the strap over the head. This method keeps the hair from between the mask and the face and avoids overstretching the strap. Always double check for snugness. >> It's loose and tight. >> To avoid leakage, readjust the strap for a comfortable, snug fit. For safe breathing, a snorkel should have a large diameter barrel shaped to permit unrestricted air flow. The mouthpiece should be of soft rubber and should fit comfortably. Fins should be carefully chosen to match the user's kicking strength. Some fins come with adjustable heel straps. Others fit like shoes. Some will float, others are non-boyant. Regardless of the type of fins you're using, you'll find they're easier to put on if you wet them first. Then you should check the fins for fit and comfort by kicking with them gently in the water. >> Ready to go. Walking backward is the proper way to move with fins on land and in shallow water. You should practice clearing the snorkel without wearing a mask. In chest deep water, take a breath, submerge, and allow the snorkel to fill. Surface and blow through the barrel to clear it. Then resume normal breathing. Again, take a breath, submerge, let the snorkel fill, [Applause] surface, and clear the snorkel. The same technique should be practiced with the mask in place. Here's an alternate method of clearing the snorkel. After you've submerged, tilt your head back by lifting your chin and blow the barrel clear just before surfacing. Then quickly drop the chin to expose the barrel above the surface and resume normal breathing. Clearing your mask is another important skill to learn. After purposely filling the mask, tilt your head back, press on the top of the mask, and exhale gently through the nose, forcing the water out at the bottom of the mask. Some divers prefer to tilt the head to one side and press on the high side of the mask. Exhaling through the nose will then force water out of the lower part of the mask. With a purge valve, drop your chin and press the mask firmly against your face. Then blow the water out through the one-way valve. >> When teaching classes, a lookout or lifeguard is a must. This incident from one of my classes illustrates why. I didn't see the student swim off, but his buddy did. >> Hey, son. Let's get back to class and stay with your buddy. Now, >> the mask here, look at your buddy and make sure that that strap is hanging over the ears. That the snorkel fits comfortably in your mouth. >> I'm teaching this class the three proper methods of entering deep water when wearing mask, fins, and snorkel. Always use one of these techniques. >> Okay, class. Now, this is going to be the giant stride. And uh let's hold on to our mask. Let's put our elbow in tight. Elbow in tight. Stand up straight. And we're going to try to step on top of my head. Go ahead. Number one. Get that loose hand behind us. Number two. Good. Number three. Number four. Very good. Don't jump. That's okay. Number. That looks very nice. Go ahead. Get together and look at each other and make sure that you're okay. Check each other out. As soon as you are, then snorkel right on back to the shore. Snorkel right on back. Put your head down. Relax. And snorkel right on back. Buddy team. Stay together. Nice and relaxed. That looks very good. class. The second entry is going to be called the forward roll. And our position is going to be the same. We we hold on to our mask like we did before with our elbow in tight and our chin tucked. We bend way down. Put the elbow in between your knees and go ahead and roll forward. Try to hit on the back of your neck. That's good. Number one. Go ahead. Very good. Two. Two. Go ahead. Very nice. Number three. That was good. Four. Five. Good. Six. Now find your buddy. Now find your buddy. Give each other. Make sure you're okay. Hold your snorkel clear. And then together let's go back to the side. Okay students. This is going to be the sit in entry. The sit in entry. Now we simulate the forward roll except we go in backwards. So go ahead and turn around. Turn around and we bend way down. Put our elbow between our knees and just fall on backward. Go ahead. Number one. Good. Very good. Two. Very good. Three. Four. Six. Very nice. Next one. Good. And next one. Get together with your buddy. Get together with your buddy. Very nice. That was a sitting. Those are the three types of entries we have is skin diving. You always want to stay together. You want to >> You notice we emphasize the use of the buddy system and with good reason. >> Let's go down. In this class, we're practicing feet first surface diving, and one of the students inhales water, chokes, and panics. Her buddy spots the trouble and helps her to the surface. As the instructor, I come over to assist. All right, relax. You're good. Okay, class. Come on up. You're all right. That's fine. [Applause] [Music] Another technique to practice is porpusing to get used to your equipment and to gain skill and confidence in surface diving and clearing the snorkel. [Music] And let's snorkel toward me. Come on, keep your head down. Nice, easy kicks. Good. When wearing fins, the kick should be slow and deep with an exaggerated knee bend. Maximum power is achieved by keeping the fins in the water. Even when kicking at the surface, the arms are kept at the sides. When all these skills are learned, you'll find a new sense of excitement and enjoyment, but more important, it will be easier for you to locate, recover, and perhaps save the life of a submerged victim. In this rescue situation, the rescuer keeps his face in the water to get a good view of the bottom. When he sites the victim, he dives and approaches from the side to grasp one arm. Since the bottom is soft, he simply swims to the surface instead of trying to push off. On a solid bottom, the recovery can be made easier by pushing off with one or both feet. This makes the ascent faster and less taxing. Here is a group search in water with clear visibility. At one end of the line, the leader sets the pace. Notice they shift their vision to cover the maximum area and stay in good alignment. When one diver spots the victim and signals, both she and her buddy dive to make the rescue. [Applause] The others stand by to assist if needed. [Applause] In murky water, the group remains in good alignment, but this time they use the porposing technique, surface diving and swimming near the bottom for short distances and continuing this procedure until the victim is spotted. Again, the rescue is made by a team while the others signal to shore and stand by to help. Finally, remember this. These skills and techniques will help you become good lifesavers, but they won't make you expert skin divers. A full certified course in skin diving is strongly recommended for those interested in this sport. [Music]