Not sure if already shared..but freaking sweet

[Gatordev]

I'm okay with having to be in the water without the LPU because what happens if your LPU rips? The far more annoying issue is why can't I use my helmet to help me float? I was taught that years ago at a water survival class and it's crutch. Put the helmet under your butt and you float. Genius.

I get the "you don't want to lose your helmet" argument, but honestly, if I'm taking waves over my head, I'm probably going to remove my helmet anyway (but hang onto it and attach it to my gear somewhere.

 

[Gatordev]

Ninja'ed.

 

[AllYourBass]

I'm really just dramatically whining about how badly I hate the tread. By the time I get to the float—a very useful skill—I'm absolutely tapped out. But I suppose a minute or two (I forgot) of treading might get you as tapped out as you would be if you just completed an egress? Dunno. And that's assuming you swam away in perfect health from your ditched ride...

 

[Brett327]

Depending on your body composition, the trick is to float more and tread less. My technique (I'm a slim individual) is to take breaths and hold them to maximize flotation from my inflated lungs. I then rapidly exhale/inhale - repeat as necessary. Same breathing technique as drown proofing, except your face isn't in the water. This significantly reduces the amount of arm/leg work required to keep my mouth hole above water. I could sustain it for hours if I had to.

 

[wink]

What is the tread water requirement now? I seem to remember it being much longer than two minutes back in the late 70s. If I recall it was 1 or 2 minutes no hand tread, 5 minute tread with hands and then 25 minute drown proof for a 30 minute exercise done in flight boots and flight suits. That sound right to the old guys?

 

[Flash]

Am I the only one who actually enjoyed the dunker? I love the water and the dunker was a cool challenge.

 

[Pags]

I grew up swimming, surfing, lifeguarding, and kayaking. First time through the dunker I thought it was a hoot. Second and third times? Less of a hoot.

Love it or hate it, the dunker isn't impossible. It gets a lot of API hype because of the scare factor, but once you go through the training, the actual event is pretty anti-climactic. I actually always disliked the SWET trainer more than the dunker. The worst part is having sinuses that are filled with chlorine for the next few days.

 

[nittany03]

Am I the only one who actually enjoyed the dunker? I love the water and the dunker was a cool challenge.

Nope.

I actually always disliked the SWET trainer more than the dunker. The worst part is having sinuses that are filled with chlorine for the next few days.

This. The dunker was fun. F that SWET trainer. "Sir, we need you to go again; you went the wrong way . . ."

 

[AllYourBass]

Nope.
This. The dunker was fun. F that SWET trainer. "Sir, we need you to go again; you went the wrong way . . ."

Ugh. The chair was way worse than the dunker. The first time I went through, I had to redo it twice because I went the wrong way. Stupid chair.

 

[nittany03]

Ugh. The chair was way worse than the dunker. The first time I went through, I had to redo it twice because I went the wrong way. Stupid chair.

I consciously had to make myself think "everything is backwards now" every time they flipped me over, or I was hosed. Subconscious did not want to get onboard for the big win.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Was terrified of the dunker early on. By the time I was over 40, my laziness overwhelmed my fear. This sucks, and I may drown, but at least I'm sitting down.

For perspective, oil rig helo pilots and workers have to do the dunker every 3 years until they retire (no HEEDS bottles either). Also, the military would not accept the civilian dunker, the oil companies (at first) would not accept the military dunker. Drown, drown and drown some more - the only redeeming feature was the water survival specialists in Lafayette were coeds from the local university's swim team.

 

[zipmartin]

What is the tread water requirement now? I seem to remember it being much longer than two minutes back in the late 70s. If I recall it was 1 or 2 minutes no hand tread, 5 minute tread with hands and then 25 minute drown proof for a 30 minute exercise done in flight boots and flight suits. That sound right to the old guys?

I kind of remember 5 minutes total of treading, the first minute of which was without hands, then 25 minutes of drown proofing. I went through in '76 and was pretty much a non-swimmer when I showed up. This exercise just about killed me at the start. By the time I was done, I could almost doze off during the drown proofing. Many great and humorous memories now which were nightmares at the time.

 

[Gatordev]

I consciously had to make myself think "everything is backwards now" every time they flipped me over, or I was hosed. Subconscious did not want to get onboard for the big win.

I mentioned it earlier, but they've finally fixed the SWET to be useful. It truly was negative training but now you actually flip with a window that flips with you and there's no more box to get lost in...or in my case, to wonder out of and wonder where I am.

 

[Jublov]

Hahaha, the mighty SWET, scary as heck..

 

[CommodoreMid]

Depending on your body composition, the trick is to float more and tread less. My technique (I'm a slim individual) is to take breaths and hold them to maximize flotation from my inflated lungs. I then rapidly exhale/inhale - repeat as necessary. Same breathing technique as drown proofing, except your face isn't in the water. This significantly reduces the amount of arm/leg work required to keep my mouth hole above water. I could sustain it for hours if I had to.

Concur. I was swimming in an old quarry this weekend and I used that technique for a long time. I was literally totally upright with only my face out of the water, just being totally supported with the air in my lungs. That and being a chick and having natural built in floatation devices probably helps