Tips on boot camp and dive prep?

FutureND · 04-06-2014, 10:09 PM

Boot camp was easy, even in an 800 div. you'll get up early and do some extra pt, mostly stroke development and running. Use the pipes in the laundry drying room to do pull ups at night. Buy a 25 lb plate and tread while holding it to your chest, you'll do that a good bit in prep. Just spend a lot of time in the water, get super comfortable... And then spend more time in there. Once in prep start practicing your IWPs, that is what gets most people. We had 21 in our class, 1 med drop and 12 failures. The 8 people who made it to dive school all graduated, prep is where they weed people out.

ND · 04-07-2014, 06:02 AM

Okay. I've heard about the 25lb tread in prep, how long do you have to do it for? Two minutes? And as for IWPs, how can I get to that level? I know doing a ton of flutter kicks with rocket fins helps, and doing different treads like hands out with head above the water for ten minutes with fins, and different stuff with weight. I can do a tread for five minutes with a ten pound diving block over my head, though my head is leaned back in the water.

FutureND · 04-07-2014, 08:53 PM

Tread, tread, and tread some more. Tread with that 25 lb weight, if you don't you will regret it. I did a lot of work with the 10 lb block and it doesn't cut it at all. You will get a sheet with iwp instructions when you first get to prep, we would do dry runs in our rooms with each other to get everything down, they have to be 100% perfect. What got most of us who didn't make it is the treading and just getting flustered with what to do. 95% of the ones who didn't make it failed iwp. Just relax, the more you practice the more natural it becomes.

ND · 04-08-2014, 05:35 AM

Okay, I will make sure to take a 25lb plate with me to the pool each day and work my ass off treading with that and fins. Is there any specific pass/fail test related to treading without fins as well? And if so, what is that like?

Also, I've just bought a snorkel and such. I know there are gonna be specific water evolutions like mask clearing, snorkeling, and underwaters. Tell me about those if you can.

Thanks!

frosty1823 · 07-16-2014, 01:41 PM

hi, my son is in diver prep school right now & just wondering if there is any special way to practice treading with holding a 25 lbs. plate.... how long does he have to do this in order to pass treading?
thanks.

FutureND · 07-16-2014, 08:01 PM

Just hold it on your chest with both arms crossed on top of it, shoot for 4-5 mins. If he's already at dive prep it won't be long till he starts doing it. I'm sure the guys from the classes ahead of him can help him out if he asks.

frosty1823 · 07-17-2014, 08:02 AM

He has been in prep school since 7/9/14...they started with 29 & now, down to 18... my son worries the most is that treading with holding a 25 lbs. plate... i don't think he can lasts as long as 4 to 5 minutes...

if he doesn't go for 4 to 5 minutes, do you think they will drop him from the program?
either tomorrow or monday, they are planning on doing a full blown PT & he worries that the instructors are going to drop him because of this issue...

FutureND · 07-17-2014, 08:20 AM

They have already lost 11 people after only a week and haven't even done a full pt session yet?!?! That's crazy, we had only lost 4 up until the last week.

The first time we did weighted treads with the plates we were all put in 5 lines in the pool and were just treading. The first person in each line would swim up and grab the weight and tread for a minute then woul go to the end of the line. This would continue to rotate through until everybody went through 5-6 times depending on how we did. Everyone is treading the entire time either with or without the weight. The next time we did this we would tread with weight for 1:30, then 2 mins, it would kind of go like that. If he can't tread for the full time yet he has some chances to work on it. Make sure he is in the pool on his off time too, we would go fairly regularly on our own time.

04-06-2014, 10:09 PM	#1
FutureND Active Duty Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: California Posts: 756 Rep Power: 0	Boot camp was easy, even in an 800 div. you'll get up early and do some extra pt, mostly stroke development and running. Use the pipes in the laundry drying room to do pull ups at night. Buy a 25 lb plate and tread while holding it to your chest, you'll do that a good bit in prep. Just spend a lot of time in the water, get super comfortable... And then spend more time in there. Once in prep start practicing your IWPs, that is what gets most people. We had 21 in our class, 1 med drop and 12 failures. The 8 people who made it to dive school all graduated, prep is where they weed people out.

04-07-2014, 06:02 AM	#2
ND Newbie Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Okay. I've heard about the 25lb tread in prep, how long do you have to do it for? Two minutes? And as for IWPs, how can I get to that level? I know doing a ton of flutter kicks with rocket fins helps, and doing different treads like hands out with head above the water for ten minutes with fins, and different stuff with weight. I can do a tread for five minutes with a ten pound diving block over my head, though my head is leaned back in the water.

04-07-2014, 08:53 PM	#3
FutureND Active Duty Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: California Posts: 756 Rep Power: 0	Tread, tread, and tread some more. Tread with that 25 lb weight, if you don't you will regret it. I did a lot of work with the 10 lb block and it doesn't cut it at all. You will get a sheet with iwp instructions when you first get to prep, we would do dry runs in our rooms with each other to get everything down, they have to be 100% perfect. What got most of us who didn't make it is the treading and just getting flustered with what to do. 95% of the ones who didn't make it failed iwp. Just relax, the more you practice the more natural it becomes.

04-08-2014, 05:35 AM	#4
ND Newbie Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Okay, I will make sure to take a 25lb plate with me to the pool each day and work my ass off treading with that and fins. Is there any specific pass/fail test related to treading without fins as well? And if so, what is that like? Also, I've just bought a snorkel and such. I know there are gonna be specific water evolutions like mask clearing, snorkeling, and underwaters. Tell me about those if you can. Thanks!

07-16-2014, 01:41 PM	#5
frosty1823 Newbie Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 6 Rep Power: 0	hi, my son is in diver prep school right now & just wondering if there is any special way to practice treading with holding a 25 lbs. plate.... how long does he have to do this in order to pass treading? thanks.

07-16-2014, 08:01 PM	#6
FutureND Active Duty Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: California Posts: 756 Rep Power: 0	Just hold it on your chest with both arms crossed on top of it, shoot for 4-5 mins. If he's already at dive prep it won't be long till he starts doing it. I'm sure the guys from the classes ahead of him can help him out if he asks.

07-17-2014, 08:02 AM	#7
frosty1823 Newbie Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 6 Rep Power: 0	He has been in prep school since 7/9/14...they started with 29 & now, down to 18... my son worries the most is that treading with holding a 25 lbs. plate... i don't think he can lasts as long as 4 to 5 minutes... if he doesn't go for 4 to 5 minutes, do you think they will drop him from the program? either tomorrow or monday, they are planning on doing a full blown PT & he worries that the instructors are going to drop him because of this issue...

07-17-2014, 08:20 AM	#8
FutureND Active Duty Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: California Posts: 756 Rep Power: 0	They have already lost 11 people after only a week and haven't even done a full pt session yet?!?! That's crazy, we had only lost 4 up until the last week. The first time we did weighted treads with the plates we were all put in 5 lines in the pool and were just treading. The first person in each line would swim up and grab the weight and tread for a minute then woul go to the end of the line. This would continue to rotate through until everybody went through 5-6 times depending on how we did. Everyone is treading the entire time either with or without the weight. The next time we did this we would tread with weight for 1:30, then 2 mins, it would kind of go like that. If he can't tread for the full time yet he has some chances to work on it. Make sure he is in the pool on his off time too, we would go fairly regularly on our own time.