Fining Backwards

[Andy Phillips]

OK, I've tried this a few times and all I manage is a sort of strange movement which means I a) look very silly and b) go nowhere.

How on earth can you do this, you've got to tell me it's driving me nuts.

Andrew

[Dominic]

I either go nowhere or my feet suddenly go rocketing upwards. Even wearing jetfins doesn't help.

I'm sure there's really no such stroke. They just point themselves into the current and wave their legs around as they drift backwards.

[KimH]

<font color='#000080'>Andy,
It's all in the positioning and rhythm - sounds strangely familiar!

A good way to crack it, and give your mates a laugh, is to practice out of the water supported on a coffee table or something similar. Lay face down with your torso supported and lower legs bent up at 90 degrees with toes turned out, vaguely resembling a sky diver. You can then get someone to guide you through the movement and feel when to apply the pressure and get the timing right. It's a sort of sculling movement combined with reverse ankle rotation if that makes sense.  It is easier with help - honest.

Soft fins will definitely not help as you get less purchase using fins backwards when they were designed to move in the opposite direction.  When you crack that you can go on to the helicopter spin - 360 on the spot.

Good Luck.

[peter k]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (andyp @ Oct. 09 2003,00:23)]OK, I've tried this a few times and all I manage is a sort of strange movement which means I a) look very silly and b) go nowhere.

That sounds like me trying to impress the chicks with my dancing.

Peter

[Andy Phillips]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]I'm sure there's really no such stroke. They just point themselves into the current and wave their legs around as they drift backwards.  

Snicker,

360 deg turns, no problem, though usually I use the standard wreck divers technique of making use of the nearest protruding bit of metal that is not holding the ceiling up. I have to be honest for the type of diving I generally do, fining backwards has no pratical perpose, it is just something to do in the pool whilst waiting for a student to work out what the thing in his / her mouth is for.
It has now got to such a point where it is driving me nuts. I WILL WORK IT OUT.

Andrew

[Bob Cooper]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (andyp @ Oct. 09 2003,22:12)]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]I have to be honest for the type of diving I generally do, fining backwards has no pratical perpose,

So how do you manage to maintain face-to-face contact with your buddy during ascent, deco and gas switches?

Granted, there are other methods to achieve this, but a pair of divers who have both mastered backwards finning can keep face-to-face and monitor each other with ease.

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Bob Cooper @ Oct. 10 2003,21:26)]

So how do you manage to maintain face-to-face contact with your buddy during ascent, deco and gas switches?

Granted, there are other methods to achieve this, but a pair of divers who have both mastered backwards finning can keep face-to-face and monitor each other with ease.

Strange but true we have never had a problem with that.

Helecopter turns are prety easy too but backwards finning is prooving a bit hard.

I will start a little compo with Andrew to see who can master it first just to kill time on the deco hangs. Mind you If I end up with cramp like I did last time I tried it I might just give up

I am doing the DIR intro thing on the 29th November so I will ask the man there to do a demo for me.

ATB

Mark Chase

[Andy Phillips]

Hi Bob,

Not really found it a problem, but I have to be honest, after about half an hour you start to play silly games like follow the speck of crap as it hangs 1&quot; in front of your face, or perhaps how far can I actually see downwards (see 1&quot;  from face above). I can only bear to look at Marks face for so long.

I Guess the theory is you are in the same current moving at the same speed, you can move in a bit, but you just move away, not really thought about it. Also, you got to bear in mind we've done a few dives together at this point, we dive very similar rigs (more by luck than judgment) things like watching on gas switches involve saying to yourself, which reg has he got? oh that one! I am not saying we are complacent, more that it becomes automatic. Lean left, rich right, it does work, honest it does.

Andrew

[Chris Hall]

<font color='#728FCE'>It is not difficult and is very handy way of watching students. But then.............!

[Mark Chase]

Several divers have told me it is impossable with Avanti Quatros??

Is this true?

I know its imposable with split fins

Mark Chase