Propulsion Techniques
One of the first things you learn when you get into scuba diving is that you should never use your hands when you swim – because you don’t need to. Your fins create more forward momentum as you glide through the water than using your hands could ever accomplish. Propulsion techniques are essentially the different ways you can kick in order to move through the water more effectively. Different propulsion techniques are going to be better for different situations. In this post I’m going to explain some of them to you. So, without further ado here are some different propulsion techniques you can use on your dives.
The Flutter Kick.
This is the most common and most probably the first propulsion technique that you will learn in your Open Water course. The Flutter kick is widely used with divers and as well snorkelers which is a basic way of using your fins to propel yourself through the water. This kick uses the movement of your legs kicking up and down slowly and fully to get a nice and gentle pace in the water. The best type of fin to use for this type of propulsion is a more softer and flexible fin to easily kick up and down.
The Fog Kick.
These are the first kind of kick any technical diver should know. This kind of kick is well liked because it uses up your body’s energy in an efficient way, although it can be a little bit difficult in order to master. In order to do this kick, you’re going to want to bend your legs slightly, so they face upwards, with your feet flat, like a frog. Then bring your feet outwards and opening up your hips while flexing your ankles to thrust the water backwards as you close your legs and straightening them out. Once your feet are at the lowest point of the rotation, you’re going to want to bring them together and upwards, back up to the starting position. This way the kick generates force by pushing back the soles of the feet in a sculling motion.
Reverse Frog Kick
In order to go backwards, you basically need to kick backwards. This kick is good to know for any diver, because if you go up to an obstacle, you’re going to want to know how to go backwards from it without needing to turn around completely. Essentially this kick begins when your legs are extended out fully behind you. You then move your legs upward, and bend your knees, before extending your legs outwards behind you again. Like magic, you’ll be moving backwards.
Modified Flutter Kick
The regular flutter kick is the most common kick, used by most divers, but it can be tiring and if you’re diving in an enclosed environment, it can create a draft which can stir up silt on the ground – lowering visibility. The modified flutter kick is also a good option if you are passing through a smaller more restricted area. Start by bending your knees upward, keeping your fins parallel with the surface. Then keeping your knees stationary as possible, start by gently shuffling your feet in small movements up an down, keeping the ankles loose and flexible. This kick is done with just small bursts of kicking to preserve your energy. This kick carries with it a surprising amount of power, with a lower energy usage than the normal flutter kick.
Helicopter Turn
Sometimes you just need to turn around, and the helicopter turn, as the name suggests lets you turn your whole body so you can swim in the other direction. To do this, you do a variant of the frog kick, but with only one leg. By doing it at a particular angle you’re able to rotate 360 degrees while only taking up the area of the length of your body.
By learning different kicks, it’s possible to gain more of a mastery over diving so that you have more options for how to navigate and move through different dive sites. The best way to learn these techniques is to practise them as much as possible, especially while scuba diving. Learning propulsion techniques is a great way to improve your overall diving experience.