[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_id=”article-section” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” locked=”off”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ module_class=”article-container” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ width_tablet=”90%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”35px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.0.9″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]Have you ever wondered what kind of diver you are? Are you the one that swims quietly or the one that moves quickly and energetically? Did you ever consider that one option might be better than the other?<\/p>\n
We explain our students that diving is like shopping. While shopping we pass by the stores slowly, looking at each shop window and stopping to see every piece of clothing that catches our attention. Underwater it is similar. We must swim very slowly, look at every single hole, underneath each rock and investigate which beautiful creatures are hiding there. That is the best way to be able to enjoy all the wonders of the underwater world.<\/p>\n
Most divers totally agree with this comparison. But in reality, do we all swim in a slow manner? Did it ever occur to you that you felt you lost sight of your guide or buddy while not kicking with your fins for just a short sequence?<\/p>\n
Being honest, diving slowly is one of the most forgotten skills of our beloved sport. Fast swimming is spreading through the diving industry. Professionals, experienced divers and newcomers, all of them, seem to have forgotten that we should leave the stress on the surface and be able to enjoy a moment of tranquillity, silence and magic wonders underwater.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_text_color=”#0db4d5″]<\/p>\n
Being a technical diver does not mean to go 150m (500ft) deep on your first day. Not even in your first year. Technical divers are made, not born. It is a path that begins with a first course. With experience and new training, you will go along that path.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]What are the advantages of swimming fast?
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″]<\/p>\n
We have been thinking a lot about the answer and the truth is, we struggle to find any advantages. We do not say that in special circumstances we do not have to swim fast, but as for a normal dive, there are no reasons that validate fast swimming as a good option.<\/p>\n
1 \u2013 Do we go further?<\/strong>\u00a0No. Well, in theory, when swimming faster it would be logical to think that we can visit more parts of the reef. But in practice, a fast swimming diver increases drastically his\/her air consumption. This would end up in running low on air for the fast swimmer much earlier while the relaxed one, depending on the profile, could enjoy the dive for anther decade. Just because of swimming slowly and breathing in a calm pattern a diver could stay longer underwater and reach further spots.<\/p>\n 2 \u2013 Does it get you in shape?<\/strong>\u00a0Yes. That\u2019s for sure. But to get in shape you go to the gym. Diving should be many things, but not a method to get fit.<\/p>\n 3 \u2013 Wouldn\u2019t you see big stuff longer?<\/strong>\u00a0Well, this is a difficult one to answer. We all know this moment of swimming fast just to stay beside a whaleshark or other fantastic animals. The truth is, there are particular cases in which we all decide to swim fast. But as a general rule, a fast approach to any animal might be threatening for them (do not miss 7 tips to approach and remain near the fish<\/a>) and therefore it ends up being counterproductive.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]What are the disadvantages of swimming fast? 1 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0It affects your breathing and does not allow you to remain calm. [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]So, why do professionals and many expert divers choose to swim fast? Lack of buoyancy control, often caused by overweighting, induces us to swim faster. When we feel that we are going to hit the bottom, instead of breathing in or inflating the BC, we instinctively swim forward. Learn how to dramatically\u00a0improve your buoyancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]Stress As we mentioned, bad\u00a0buoyancy<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0diving overweighted<\/a>\u00a0induces us to swim fast. If unfortunately, nobody ever corrects us, over time, even though our buoyancy improves, that bad habit of swimming fast to avoid hitting the bottom becomes our \u201cnormal way to dive\u201d. So like this we have been diving always, why should we change?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]Little Experience Sadly, there are experienced divers and professionals who learn to dive once and since then they already believe they\u00a0know everything. They dive and dive. And they may even have thousands of dives and decades of time spent in the diving industry. But they have simply repeated 1000 times the same (wrong) action. They have never evolved. Probably they have never\u00a0tried new things<\/a>. Never done courses like a cave training or\u00a0technical diving<\/a>\u00a0that push your diving skills to new limits. Or simply they haven\u2019t learned from other divers or professionals. Sadly, there are many recreational experts and professionals who do not have the desire to improve, to learn, to surpass themselves, in short, to evolve as divers.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_text_color=”#0db4d5″]Many divers learned to dive in their open water course, that\u2019s where their ability to improve remained.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]<\/p>\n
2 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0You consume and waste much more air.
3 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0It is more likely to loose your buddy.
4 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0The risk of getting cramps increases.
5 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0You miss a lot of life and corals hiding between rocks, covered by algae or sand.
6 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0You might lose your fins.
7 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0It is more likely that you run out of air due to high consumption and poor air control.
8 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0You might get lost in a dive site due to speed and limited orientation.
9 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Difficulty of feeling an \u201cagainst current\u201d that doesn\u2019t allow us to return to the exit point
10 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0It increases our metabolism \u2013 higher risk of DCS!<\/p>\n
\nPoor Buoyancy
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]<\/p>\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″]The fact of starting a dive with doubts or fear makes us swim and breath faster. This is something that we see very often when we train new divemasters. In spite of being exceptional divers with a fantastic buoyancy and that usually swim calmly,when we add the task for the first time to guide a group of divers, due to the stress that this entails, they run as if they were racehorses.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]Bad Habit
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″]<\/p>\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]Whether as a professional or as a recreational diver, if you swim fast it is simply because you have not yet experienced swimming slowly. And you really don\u2019t know what you\u2019re missing! Well, it is one of the most addictive sensations of diving.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]Lack of overcoming spirit
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]<\/p>\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]So, should we swim slowly? Yes, definitely!!!<\/strong>
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]And how do we know if our speed is right? There is no \u201cadequate speed\u201d. What for Michael Phelps is slow, surely for another diver will be dramatically fast. We just recommend you the following: When in doubt, go slower. As far as enjoying is concerned, it is better that you do not swim at all than moving too fast.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”heading text” _builder_version=”4.0.9″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]There are\u00a0no disadvantages\u00a0of swimming slowly:
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]<\/p>\n