Do a Surface Dive
Diving down towards the bottom of a pool (or other body of water) doesn't have to involve diving boards or even getting out of the water! This article explains how to do a surface dive, which is a dive from the surface of the water to the bottom of the pool. There are two methods, these will be explained in the following steps.
Contents
Steps
- Begin by floating or swimming face-down, with your arms extended out in front of you.
- Sweep your arms back, bend your knees, tuck your legs toward your chest & bend your waist forward, so your head is pointing toward the bottom.
- Straighten your legs and your body until you're upside-down & perpendicular to the surface, with your legs sticking up out of the water. Extend your arms towards the bottom & point your toes.
- Once in this upside-down position, the weight of your legs in the air above will push you underwater.
- Or,
- Tread water in the deep end of the pool.
- While treading water, kick your legs faster and take a breath of air. This will raise you up a little and provide momentum.
- Stop kicking and keep your body straight.
- Push the water up with your arms, then slide them back down. Repeat until you reach the bottom or run out of breath.
Tips
- While doing the second method, blow air out of your nose to prevent water from getting in.
- Surface diving may be preferable to a normal dive into the sea (off a jetty, for example), if the water depth is unknown, as it will prevent spinal injuries from a dive into shallow water.
Warnings
- Do not wear earplugs when diving deep. The water pressure can drive the earplugs deep into the ear canal, damaging your eardrum or worse.
- Stop diving and come to the surface if you can't blow air out of your nose anymore. This means you don't have any more air and risk drowning.
- Do not wear goggles when diving deep. The water pressure can be damaging to your health. A swimming mask that covers the nose is acceptable however, because you can blow air into the mask, equalizing the pressure.
Related Articles
- Dive off a Starting Block
- Do a Springboard Back Suicide Dive
- Backflip Into the Pool
- Swim the Breaststroke
