Leg Kicking

[hbh2oguard]

Tigerbeach

Have one question do you know if you can still get the regular duck feet not the udt version in the gum rubber? If so do you know where?

[lottie]

Running, weightlifting and stretching is just the beginning.

Running and stretching I can handle (which reminds me, I need to go running again this weekend

Weightlifting...me???? you have got to be joking !!!!!!!!!!!

[Tigerbeach]

Tigerbeach

Have one question do you know if you can still get the regular duck feet not the udt version in the gum rubber? If so do you know where?

Sure. I don't know where you live, but any surf shop in California will have the blues or navel oranges. Maybe about 30 dollars.
Try Jack's surf shop in Huntington Beach.
Have fun!

ASW

[hbh2oguard]

I already have those and use them daily on rescues. A while back they were made out of gum rubber, extra stretchy rubber. Just wondering if you knew if they still made those.

[Tigerbeach]

No idea.
Check out Voit's website and see.

ASW

[amtrosie]

Well i tried the frog kick - and it seemed to go okay, felt a bit weird to start off with, but like y'all said, it required less energy -
But saying that, I had problems equalising - I didn't want to go through not having to dive for another 8 weeks ue to bursting it again - i was only under for 29 minutes!!!!!

The kick will come around with practice, relax!! Using a good fin will do wonders for improving your technique.


As for the equalizing, you have mentioned this problem before. First are equalizing "early and often"? This is MOST important!!!! You should start equalizing the very second you start your descent, and continually equalizing on the way down. If you wait until you feel the discomfort in your ears, you are already too late. You must stay in front of this. There are several methods for equalizing. 1. The val-salva (sp?) method: plugging your nostrils and blowing GENTLY!!!!. 2. Move your lower jaw back and forth. 3. stretch your neck from side-to-side. 4. If you are wearing a hood, pull the hood away from your ears and allow the water into that space.

Good luck, keep working at it, and don not over-extend yourself or your abilities

[acelockco]

You know I keep telling you about that mask with the ear protection, but really amtrosie really has the best idea. Equalizing should be practiced as much as you can, it should become second nature. I rarely have to even think about equalizing any longer. It seems like it just happens on it's own for me.

I just asked my wife, and she said the same thing, that it just happens on its own. Once in a while she will have to try to equalize, but most of the time it just does it on its own.

I think you just have to take amtrosie's advise and get some dives in.

[lottie]

Amtrosie.
Thanks for the info - I made sure that I equalised as soon as I got under the water and kep equalaising every 30 seconds or so....I'm probably being too careful - but better to be safe than sorry. I think a couple of times, I tried to equalise, i thought that I hadn't equalised (if that makes sense?). I also tried wiggling my jaw and yawning as well....

I was chatting to one of the other DMs as I gave him a ride down and he mentioned that as it was a deep drop to the dive site that might have been another factor as well (if i'd told the DM on the boat, we might have started at the more shallower end of the reef and finished at the deep bit).

Oh well...practice makes perfect

Ace - you sneaked that response through without me knowing

[hbh2oguard]

every 30 sec isn't often enough unless you're dropping extremely slow. It seems to be a second nature doing it and I don't realize I'm doing it, but I'm equalizing all the time untill I hit the bottom

[rubber chicken]

Lottie, you can never be "too careful" Try equalising on every breath during your descent and at the first sign of trouble STOP descending, go back up a metre or so and try again. Like so many things, your body seems to get used to it after a while and it becomes easier over time.