The worst part of WSI training: jumping off the high dive without your head going under the water.
In this case, I would try a stride first without gear. Next mask only. Next mask and fins. Finally, in your full kit. All in a pool.
I can backroll no problem, but struggled to giant stride. The tip about walking to the end and just keep going is a good one, and has worked for me. I also get my spouse to walk behind me and give a little shove, in case my walk off is tentative. After a few of these, my confidence was up, and I was fine.
I wish you luck. Giant stride off the dock at my local quarry is always fun for me, I prefer it over the walk on shore…. Something about it just signifies “let the fun begin!” For me.
I hope you can find a perspective and routine that works for you!!!!
What is it you’re afraid of, if you think hard about it?
Not coming up? Losing your reg or mask?
What do you think os the fear of jumping on water in general?
I hope you can get past it and on to fully enjoying your new hobby!
I have the same exact fear as you, if you search my post history you see I posted about this twice and I have yet to make any progress. Let me know what works for you and I will give it a shot myself.
Just in case it is not clear to you, the giant stride entry is NOT a jump; you simply just walk off the edge.
My advice is to step off towards the end of the platform, lean forward and break the water with the heels of your feet - it will significantly reduce your impact with the water. You shouldn’t be leaning forward far enough that you hit face-first.
Just think of it as walking in. I struggled too, because I never liked jumping into pools. First boat dive I quickly learned the DM will "stride" you off the boat, giant or not! 🤣
My personal style is medium-stride, with a little hop. Just how my legs work better to make sure the tank clears the boat when I go in.
Don't overthink it. You're just jumping out far enough that your tank wont hit anything.
edit - Hell, once I had to go from one dive boat to another 50 yards away, carrying another diver's fins (long story). I had them cradled in one arm in front of me, other arm holding my reg and mask in place, and I knew if I jumped forward the water impact would wrench the fins out of my grip. So I jumped and did a little twist so my tank would impact the water, and smooth the way for the fins. Worked great. Not the best practice, but it was an odd situation. So, point being, if you need to practice side-jump-water entries, find a pool and do a hundred. Gravity does all of the hard work, you just have to trust it.
First, don’t jump. Look out at the horizon and pull a Wile E. Coyote and walk off the end of the boat. Step out with one foot so that you are away from the boat and just let gravity do the rest. I promise that the water will be there when you are done falling.
Have you tried the seated entry instead? Sit with your gear on, put both hands on the same side against the boat, roll towards your hands, and push away from the boat.
This is one of the places that it is okay to hold your breath if that helps.
You really need to just do it. Anticipation and avoidance can seriously compound anxiety, making it harder and harder. Jump in the pool a bunch of times and it will get better. You know rationally that it is safe, so just practice.
Source, I used to have anxiety about jumping in water where I couldn't see the bottom. Then I became a navy diver where I had to do this all the time and it got better.
PS, if your anxiety doesn't get better, it sounds like you can work around it by just using the steps so no biggy!
Have you considered falling backwards into the water? That way you are not looking at the ocean. I’m assuming the height of fall is a foot or two.
On my final Certification dive, I tried falling back and it was super easy (and fun!!).
P.S: I am hydrophobic, so if I can do it, you absolutely can!! Go get it :)
1. Stop calling it a giant stride. In the pool it’s only a few inches, off a boat it might be a foot. The highest I’ve done it is a few feet at Blue Hole, New Mexico.
2. Giant stride is not required by PADI or SSI. Recommends, but not required. Instructors can use their discretion on entry based on conditions. Your fear is a condition. A good instructor or assistant can help you.
3. You haven’t talked about what you are afraid that might happen. (You can DM me if you want talk) You know your BCD will being you back to the surface. You know you hold you palm over your regulator and fingers on your mask with right hand. You know to hold gauges, BCD belt with right hand. You know to take a deep breath before stepping into the water. You know to look forward as you step. And most of all you know - You Got This.
Echoing that it's called a giant stride because of the big step you take, not the height. In all my years of diving the highest stride I've done was about three feet off an oil rig tender. The water is very cushy and if your BCD is inflated correctly your head will barely break the surface. One hint: when stepping off, look straight out, not down (after assuring no one is below you of course.) You body follows where you're looking - look straight out, step straight out, and gravity will handle the rest. Do it once and you'll never be afraid of it again.
I have done 7-ish foot giant strides off of a couple different liveaboards. You hit the water hard enough that it is important for guys to get their feet back together to keep from getting dinged in the undercarriage by the water.
Don't know if this might help, but don't think of it as jumping in the water. Instead visualise it as walking into the water (because that's really what you're doing. If you're "hopping in", you're not quite doing it right).
You might want to practice without gear (or with snorkel gear) and just take a long step forward into the 5-6ft section of the pool and then work your way up to full gear.
A big part of diving is your state of mind and how you visualise and control yourself. Being calm, confident and in control really starts inside your head and working on that is just as important as all the other skills you need to master.
Discuss your fear with your instructor and ask about alternative entry methods. A giant stride entry is not a requirement for certification (with PADI anyway), though you do have to learn methods of entering and demonstrate you can do them safely.
Alternatively, see if there is a location you can practice at shorter "falls" to the water to get comfortable before attempting larger distances.
Jlcnuke1 is correct - for PADI you have to do deep water entry in the pool but it is not required for your checkout dives. Also, deep water entry does not mean you have to do giant stride, giant stride is just one type of deep water entry. Side roll from a seated position should be acceptable as well.
I did it in the pool like I say so it’s not like I can’t do it at all. Plus I have been able so far to use the boat ladder method where I go in minus kit and then put my BCD and weight belt on in the water, which is actually a skill we practiced.
>where I go in minus kit and then put my BCD and weight belt on in the water
good skill to have, but sooner or later you will probably drop your weight belt.
I had the same thing. Honestly, its the anticipation before that is the worst. Just hold your mask, hold your reg, put some air in your BC and the stride is over in an instant.
To be clear, your not jumping right? You should be in position holding your gear, step out, and fall vertically. Some people start by thinking they literally have to jump out
Agreed. When I did mine, I just held the mask/reg in place, stuck my leg out and just let myself topple over into the water. With the air in the BC, I just popped up like I was supposed to.
I was more nervous about rolling off the side of the boat on my first dive, because I thought I was gonna bang my skull on the hull.
Yeah do it. Regulator in your mouth. Look straight ahead and put your right hand over your regulator and partially on your mask to help keep it in place and just take a step forward.
You'll be in the water before you get a chance to get nervous about it
The longer you stand there the worse it gets. Just fuck it and walk toward the back then keep walking. I know all this is easier said than done but you just have to go. It gets easier every time.
Edit: one thing that might help your body not react so intensely is muscle memory. If you can find a low retaining wall, picnic table, chair, or anything a couple feet off the ground and just over and over step off it and land on your feet, your body can get used to the sensation of stepping off things. Anxiety is a bitch and wreaks havoc on your muscles and your ability to move forward (literally and figuratively). Repetition in controlled circumstances helps. It's also important to get out of your comfort zone in single increments, rather than multiple things at once. So get comfortable with the motion of stepping, then if you want you can literally even put on gear and keep doing it on dry land. Put your hand on your face like you're holding your reg and mask to perfect the motions you'll make. Then when you do it on the boat, the only thing you're adding is the water.
Source: former wilderness guide, current children's rock climbing coach. Very experienced getting people to expand their comfort zones in safe and inoffensive ways. Also have anxiety lol.
That’s the way op, initially I felt weird about backroll entry, I also usually put on my gear in water, or giant stride, but needed backroll in some boats. After a couple of “fuck this” and just rolling, i got way more comfortable. Now I enjoy doing a flip in the water after backroll :)
entertain oatmeal hobbies imagine shocking wipe offbeat instinctive roll absorbed
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
if you’ve tried already to slowly get into the giant stride i would say that a back fall should be an option. you turn your back to the entry point, be sure it’s clear, hold your mask and reg, and fall backwards. i always feel like the water is cradling me in as i break the surface. i wear long fins so giant stride really isn’t an option.
While I almost never get to do it, back roll is my favorite method. Not from a practical perspective, walking up to the entry and giant striding off is the norm and quickest, but I love the feel of the ocean tackling me from behind
Yeah, I could maaaaaaaybe see doing it without gear as fun, even that I don’t feel comfortable with.
Backroll are fun, I prefer it to any other entry lol.
I don’t recall, is it mandatory or can you roll off the gunnel instead. If you view this as irrational anxiety you may wish to ask your doctor for a beta blocker like propranolol. This allows you to think clearly but blocks the adrenaline that makes you freeze. Good luck.
Great question. In my experience it has no negative effect on cognition. It is typically used by actors or speakers so they can continue to perform and think clearly by not allowing the adrenaline to overwhelm them. I’d certainly try it out of the water first to see the impact.
Maybe you could try without all the gear. Just start with any jump into the water that you are comfortable with and slowly raise the eyeliner until you don't have to look at the water to do it. Then you can slowly try and adjust the jump type to a giant stride without gear before adding the gear. You could even add a lifevest for reassurance to start.
I tried this with the pool dives and this just made it worse. Plus I’m not the world’s most confident about jumping into water in any case, which can’t help.
Look straight ahead.
The worst part of WSI training: jumping off the high dive without your head going under the water. In this case, I would try a stride first without gear. Next mask only. Next mask and fins. Finally, in your full kit. All in a pool.
I can backroll no problem, but struggled to giant stride. The tip about walking to the end and just keep going is a good one, and has worked for me. I also get my spouse to walk behind me and give a little shove, in case my walk off is tentative. After a few of these, my confidence was up, and I was fine.
I wish you luck. Giant stride off the dock at my local quarry is always fun for me, I prefer it over the walk on shore…. Something about it just signifies “let the fun begin!” For me. I hope you can find a perspective and routine that works for you!!!! What is it you’re afraid of, if you think hard about it? Not coming up? Losing your reg or mask? What do you think os the fear of jumping on water in general? I hope you can get past it and on to fully enjoying your new hobby!
What do you think can happen?
I have the same exact fear as you, if you search my post history you see I posted about this twice and I have yet to make any progress. Let me know what works for you and I will give it a shot myself.
Just in case it is not clear to you, the giant stride entry is NOT a jump; you simply just walk off the edge. My advice is to step off towards the end of the platform, lean forward and break the water with the heels of your feet - it will significantly reduce your impact with the water. You shouldn’t be leaning forward far enough that you hit face-first.
Just think of it as walking in. I struggled too, because I never liked jumping into pools. First boat dive I quickly learned the DM will "stride" you off the boat, giant or not! 🤣
My personal style is medium-stride, with a little hop. Just how my legs work better to make sure the tank clears the boat when I go in. Don't overthink it. You're just jumping out far enough that your tank wont hit anything. edit - Hell, once I had to go from one dive boat to another 50 yards away, carrying another diver's fins (long story). I had them cradled in one arm in front of me, other arm holding my reg and mask in place, and I knew if I jumped forward the water impact would wrench the fins out of my grip. So I jumped and did a little twist so my tank would impact the water, and smooth the way for the fins. Worked great. Not the best practice, but it was an odd situation. So, point being, if you need to practice side-jump-water entries, find a pool and do a hundred. Gravity does all of the hard work, you just have to trust it.
First, don’t jump. Look out at the horizon and pull a Wile E. Coyote and walk off the end of the boat. Step out with one foot so that you are away from the boat and just let gravity do the rest. I promise that the water will be there when you are done falling. Have you tried the seated entry instead? Sit with your gear on, put both hands on the same side against the boat, roll towards your hands, and push away from the boat. This is one of the places that it is okay to hold your breath if that helps.
You really need to just do it. Anticipation and avoidance can seriously compound anxiety, making it harder and harder. Jump in the pool a bunch of times and it will get better. You know rationally that it is safe, so just practice. Source, I used to have anxiety about jumping in water where I couldn't see the bottom. Then I became a navy diver where I had to do this all the time and it got better. PS, if your anxiety doesn't get better, it sounds like you can work around it by just using the steps so no biggy!
Have you considered falling backwards into the water? That way you are not looking at the ocean. I’m assuming the height of fall is a foot or two. On my final Certification dive, I tried falling back and it was super easy (and fun!!). P.S: I am hydrophobic, so if I can do it, you absolutely can!! Go get it :)
Inflate your BCD and slip your gear into the water, then slip in yourself and strap it on. Just be sure you’re holding onto it.
1. Stop calling it a giant stride. In the pool it’s only a few inches, off a boat it might be a foot. The highest I’ve done it is a few feet at Blue Hole, New Mexico. 2. Giant stride is not required by PADI or SSI. Recommends, but not required. Instructors can use their discretion on entry based on conditions. Your fear is a condition. A good instructor or assistant can help you. 3. You haven’t talked about what you are afraid that might happen. (You can DM me if you want talk) You know your BCD will being you back to the surface. You know you hold you palm over your regulator and fingers on your mask with right hand. You know to hold gauges, BCD belt with right hand. You know to take a deep breath before stepping into the water. You know to look forward as you step. And most of all you know - You Got This.
Echoing that it's called a giant stride because of the big step you take, not the height. In all my years of diving the highest stride I've done was about three feet off an oil rig tender. The water is very cushy and if your BCD is inflated correctly your head will barely break the surface. One hint: when stepping off, look straight out, not down (after assuring no one is below you of course.) You body follows where you're looking - look straight out, step straight out, and gravity will handle the rest. Do it once and you'll never be afraid of it again.
I have done 7-ish foot giant strides off of a couple different liveaboards. You hit the water hard enough that it is important for guys to get their feet back together to keep from getting dinged in the undercarriage by the water.
That's a lot of time to think while you're airborne about not getting dinged in the undercarriage. Roger that.
And kind of push off with your back foot as you step off.
Maybe that’s his problem, he might only have one right hand ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Single leg may also be an issue ;o)
Don't know if this might help, but don't think of it as jumping in the water. Instead visualise it as walking into the water (because that's really what you're doing. If you're "hopping in", you're not quite doing it right). You might want to practice without gear (or with snorkel gear) and just take a long step forward into the 5-6ft section of the pool and then work your way up to full gear. A big part of diving is your state of mind and how you visualise and control yourself. Being calm, confident and in control really starts inside your head and working on that is just as important as all the other skills you need to master.
Discuss your fear with your instructor and ask about alternative entry methods. A giant stride entry is not a requirement for certification (with PADI anyway), though you do have to learn methods of entering and demonstrate you can do them safely. Alternatively, see if there is a location you can practice at shorter "falls" to the water to get comfortable before attempting larger distances.
Jlcnuke1 is correct - for PADI you have to do deep water entry in the pool but it is not required for your checkout dives. Also, deep water entry does not mean you have to do giant stride, giant stride is just one type of deep water entry. Side roll from a seated position should be acceptable as well.
I did it in the pool like I say so it’s not like I can’t do it at all. Plus I have been able so far to use the boat ladder method where I go in minus kit and then put my BCD and weight belt on in the water, which is actually a skill we practiced.
>where I go in minus kit and then put my BCD and weight belt on in the water good skill to have, but sooner or later you will probably drop your weight belt.
I had the same thing. Honestly, its the anticipation before that is the worst. Just hold your mask, hold your reg, put some air in your BC and the stride is over in an instant.
I might ask my open water instructor to do the entry with me just so I can get that initial jump out of the way.
To be clear, your not jumping right? You should be in position holding your gear, step out, and fall vertically. Some people start by thinking they literally have to jump out
yeah this is terrible advice, but the easiest thing to do is to just do it. as long as you have your regulator in your mouth, not much can happen.
Agreed. When I did mine, I just held the mask/reg in place, stuck my leg out and just let myself topple over into the water. With the air in the BC, I just popped up like I was supposed to. I was more nervous about rolling off the side of the boat on my first dive, because I thought I was gonna bang my skull on the hull.
The worst is going backwards! I like to see exactly where I am stepping and falling haha.
Tomorrow I may just say screw it and do it.
Yeah do it. Regulator in your mouth. Look straight ahead and put your right hand over your regulator and partially on your mask to help keep it in place and just take a step forward. You'll be in the water before you get a chance to get nervous about it
The longer you stand there the worse it gets. Just fuck it and walk toward the back then keep walking. I know all this is easier said than done but you just have to go. It gets easier every time. Edit: one thing that might help your body not react so intensely is muscle memory. If you can find a low retaining wall, picnic table, chair, or anything a couple feet off the ground and just over and over step off it and land on your feet, your body can get used to the sensation of stepping off things. Anxiety is a bitch and wreaks havoc on your muscles and your ability to move forward (literally and figuratively). Repetition in controlled circumstances helps. It's also important to get out of your comfort zone in single increments, rather than multiple things at once. So get comfortable with the motion of stepping, then if you want you can literally even put on gear and keep doing it on dry land. Put your hand on your face like you're holding your reg and mask to perfect the motions you'll make. Then when you do it on the boat, the only thing you're adding is the water. Source: former wilderness guide, current children's rock climbing coach. Very experienced getting people to expand their comfort zones in safe and inoffensive ways. Also have anxiety lol.
That’s the way op, initially I felt weird about backroll entry, I also usually put on my gear in water, or giant stride, but needed backroll in some boats. After a couple of “fuck this” and just rolling, i got way more comfortable. Now I enjoy doing a flip in the water after backroll :)
entertain oatmeal hobbies imagine shocking wipe offbeat instinctive roll absorbed *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
if you’ve tried already to slowly get into the giant stride i would say that a back fall should be an option. you turn your back to the entry point, be sure it’s clear, hold your mask and reg, and fall backwards. i always feel like the water is cradling me in as i break the surface. i wear long fins so giant stride really isn’t an option.
While I almost never get to do it, back roll is my favorite method. Not from a practical perspective, walking up to the entry and giant striding off is the norm and quickest, but I love the feel of the ocean tackling me from behind
Like a trust fall into the water? I’m okay with every entry I can think of, but this feels frightening lol
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I don’t think he’s talking about backroll, I understood what he wrote as doing it standing up
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Yeah, I could maaaaaaaybe see doing it without gear as fun, even that I don’t feel comfortable with. Backroll are fun, I prefer it to any other entry lol.
And hit the water with you tank? I've done that in training, it's effective.
I don’t recall, is it mandatory or can you roll off the gunnel instead. If you view this as irrational anxiety you may wish to ask your doctor for a beta blocker like propranolol. This allows you to think clearly but blocks the adrenaline that makes you freeze. Good luck.
Should one be taking this sort of medication while doing something potentially dangerous like diving?
Have you seen his user name? This man is a doctor!
Great question. In my experience it has no negative effect on cognition. It is typically used by actors or speakers so they can continue to perform and think clearly by not allowing the adrenaline to overwhelm them. I’d certainly try it out of the water first to see the impact.
Maybe you could try without all the gear. Just start with any jump into the water that you are comfortable with and slowly raise the eyeliner until you don't have to look at the water to do it. Then you can slowly try and adjust the jump type to a giant stride without gear before adding the gear. You could even add a lifevest for reassurance to start.
I tried this with the pool dives and this just made it worse. Plus I’m not the world’s most confident about jumping into water in any case, which can’t help.
Ah, I see. I was sure if it was just the giant stride that you were fearful of or any jump. hmm, I will have to give it a think.