4.3.6 Surface Dives
Surface Diving is a necessary skill for swimmers to learn so that they may:
- go underwater to do searches
- duck under oncoming waves
- swim under objects or underwater
- evade oncoming dangers such as boats
- retrieve a fallen person or object
- snorkel
There are two forms of surface dives: Head First & Feet First
A Head First is often referred to as a “duck dive” because it mimics the action of a duck going under water head first. From a forward facing or treading water position, the action requires the swimmer to rapidly bend or pike at the waist and then tuck the knees into the beginning of a somersault. As the swimmer’s body starts to somersault over assisted by the arms sculling and is a quarter of the way through the rotation, the swimmer straightens out the legs vertically above the body. The weight of the legs in the air, combined with the body being in a vertical streamlined position with the hands in front drives the body downwards. This surface dive is used in clear water where the swimmer can see where they are going head first.