Water Entry for Scuba Diving

There are several ways a diver can enter the water, and which method you use will depend on the comfort, circumstances and location of your dive. Here are four of the most common methods for water entry.

 

WADING

Wading is the simplest type of water entry, and is done from the shore. With all your scuba gear on, except your fins, you just wade out to deeper water with a partially inflated BCD. When you reach swimming depth, you fully inflate and put on your fins. Dive boots are recommended to protect feet from injuries on rough rocks, and shuffling your feet as you wade will startle and scare off any creatures – like rays – on the bottom.

 

GIANT STRIDE

This common method of water entry is most used on boats and piers. Wearing all your scuba gear, you step on the platform, put your regulator in your mouth,hold your mask in place with your palm, then lift one leg in front of you as if taking a giant step, and jump into the water. As soon as you surface, give the OK signal to your fellow divers and boat captain. Fully inflate your BCD and wait for all the other divers to join you before descending.

 

BACK ROLL

Use the back roll method of entry when you are on a small boat without a platform. Wearing all your scuba gear, sit on the edge of boat, facing inward. Place your regulator in your mouth and hold it and your mask in place with your left hand. Hold the back of your head with your right hand to prevent it from hitting the first stage regulator when you enter the water. Tuck your chin in toward your chest and just let yourself fall backwards Think of it like a somersault into the water. Be sure to give the OK signal when you pop up.

 

SEATED

When the water is too shallow for a giant stride, your boat or platform is almost touching the water, or the platform is unsteady, the best choice is the controlled entry. With all your gear on, put your regulator in your mouth, sit on the edge of the platform and, using both hands, push yourself up and out into the water. Really shove off so your tanks don’t bang on the platform. This is certainly the least common method of the four here, but it’s a good one to know, especially for new divers who haven’t yet mastered the others.