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You can also use the dolphin kick when diving. When doing the dolphin kick, keep your legs together and knees relaxed and alternately bend forward from your hips and then arch your back (figures 3-11 and 3-12). This movement causes your body to move through the water just like a dolphin. You will learn these and other ways to kick with fins so you can change kicks if your legs get tired. Also, you will learn how to kick with one fin in case a fin strap breaks or you lose a fin. If a strap on your fin works loose during a dive or pulls free, you must be able to remove the fin, correct the problem, replace the fin, and continue with your dive. It is usually easier to correct a fin problem under water than at the surface. If you need to fix a problem at the surface, be sure to establish buoyancy by inflating your vest or buoyancy compensator (BC) so your need to kick is eliminated. When replacing a fin in the water, use the same figure four position you used to don your fins. This position eliminates muscle strain on the large muscles in the back of your leg and might bring your foot into position where you can see what you are doing, though this is not essential. You should learn to don and remove gear by feel alone. Breathing through Your Snorkel Breathing through your snorkel while face down in the water will help you conserve energy, as well as the air in your cylinder. You breathe slowly and deeply when using a snorkel so you get good air transfer through the snorkel tube. Be sure that the end of the snorkel is positioned at the back of your head to keep the open end out of the water. Also, remember to keep your body in a horizontal position when swimming at the surface. Surface Diving There are a number of dives you can use to get under water. These dives are called surface dives. To perform a good surface dive, you must be weighted so you are neutrally buoyant at the surface. The key to a successful surface dive is to get as much of your body out of the water as possible. The weight of your body out of the water will help push you beneath the surface of the water. Head First There are two common headfirst dives: the pike dive and the tuck dive. The tuck dive causes less splash, and is less likely to scare fish. With either dive, you want to get your legs as far out of the water as possible in a straight, vertical line. The weight of your legs carries you well below the surface. The steps for the pike dive are: 1. Lie horizontal at the surface. NAUI Scuba Diver 52 Diving Skills FIGURE 3-11. WHEN YOU DO THE DOLPHIN KICK, YOU START BY BENDING FORWARD AT THE HIPS. FIGURE 3-12. WHEN YOU ARCH YOUR BACK, YOUR LEGS RISE IN THE WATER.


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