Do You Need To Learn How To Swim To Scuba Dive Reddit

GF can barely swim. Safe to dive?

Title.

My girlfriend has only learned to swim a few months ago, and I mean "but." She loves it and practices every 24-hour interval. She can breathe underwater and swim about i lap without stopping.

Nosotros're hit the Phils next week. Is it safe to take her diving? Or should nosotros stick to surface/snorkelling?

Edit: 200 1000, or iv laps. Got information technology, thanks!

level 1

Guys, SHE Tin Breathe UNDERWATER. Nosotros ARE MISSING THIS Epic Piece OF Data.

level 2

Sigh....have your upvote.

level 2

She can breathe underwater

No need for SCUBA, then. Just send her in.

level 1

If yous can't swim, y'all can't swoop. One lap doesn't cut it.

level 2

I can't swim... I doggy paddled my 200m for my PADI cert. That said, I grew upward on the beach and know how to go myself out of a difficult situation. Don't ask me to ever do laps though as I expect about as elegant as a cat in a bathtub.

level two

Got it, thanks.

How much swimming does information technology have, to exist able to swim?

level 2

I dunno, I somehow got away with it and my swimming ability is pitiful. I definitely demand some practise and stamina for when I go for divemaster.

level ane

Padi Certification: Bladder or tread water for 10 minutes in deep h2o. 200 meter/m continuous surface swim or 300 meter/yard swim with mask, fins, and snorkel.

level 1

Right. Then in that location's a minimum requirement of beingness able to swim 200m, which is beingness tested just to varying degrees. If everything goes swimmingly, meaning there's nothing bothering her and the equipment works as advertised, she may have a good ready of dives. I'd be seriously worried what happens if something goes wrong - people that don't have much swimming experience tend to not react well to having to hold their breath for another xxx or and then seconds if things go south and they need to surface (or think hard to fix any is incorrect). I'd suggest yous have her snorkelling and nudge towards parting from surface for just a bit, and when she tin can spend a minute or so nether water, information technology'due south fine to take her scuba diving regardless of the altitude she tin can swim.

level 1

With regards to your edit:

Edit: 200 one thousand, or iv laps. Got it, thanks!

This is a bare minimum and shouldn't be taken lightly. Stronger swimming skills = more confidence in the water = better diving experience. And by ameliorate diving experience, I mean for everyone in the group, not just your girlfriend.

Good luck and enjoy the water!

level 1

Dive Instructor here. Yes PADI has a very easy to meet standard on swimming and should probably be college. In saying that you can scale dives to exist appropriate to her condolement level and skill level. So a shallow bay with no current would be an ideal dive only much more so that and your really pushing it.

level ane

The big thing a swim test tells us is does the student stress out in the water. If they do this on the surface they 'might' exist worse underwater. In that location is nothing that transfers from surface swimming to underwater swimming but relaxed in the water is everything.

level 1

At that place's a big divergence between existence comfortable/calm in the water and being able to swim. If she feels ok existence in the water, without any flotation devices/help, she'south probably ok to dive.

I know people that tin can swim, but still panic in the water if their feet can't touch on/they can't see the bottom/feel too far away from shore. I would suggest that these people /not/ go divers.

level 1

I would be careful about annihilation other than flat, calm water. IMO it'due south two-fold: Flailing about at the surface is dangerous for the diver. Flailing virtually under the surface is unsafe for the reef and perhaps other divers. However if y'all/she really, really wants to consider it go out to your LDS and exercise a scuba discovery form before your trip. They'll give her the absolute nuts and then toss her in the pool with an instructor. That might give everyone a clue as to how she'south progressing. Hope you have fun on your trip.

level 1

I wanna try and get my gf into diving but she tin't swim at all. Before I even think about it I'm going to train her to exist as strong as swimmer as I was when I started my grade. The way I call up it is if u are every bit comfortable in h2o as u are in land in whatever state of affairs ur fix for scuba merely seek other advice and padi recommendations

level 1

I would argue that in club of the amount of swimming skill and physical exertion needed: swimming > snorkeling > scuba.
I would recommend working on treading h2o for 10 minutes, and then add together a slight modification to "tread h2o with a management". Then do 200 chiliad swim.

level 1

I wasn't a potent swimmer when I started scuba. I slowly slowly crawled my way through the 200m (300m with a snorkel would have been a cakewalk) It was by and large that I was uncomfortable with my face in the water. I passed information technology with a back stroke so I could keep my confront out of the water.

100+ dives later I'g more comfortable with water, but I still don't similar surface swimming without a snorkel. I think the pond tests are more nigh comfort level in water than annihilation. What is keeping her from swimming 200m? Is it conditioning? That y'all might want to wait on. Simply comfort level? Maybe you can have her try with fins and snorkel or backstroke like I did and see how far she gets.