On the last day of a GUE Fundamentals course I completed several years ago, I caught up with one of the two instructors in the parking lot as we were packing up and asked him exactly how I could go about acquiring the skills I had seen him demonstrate in the water. Perfect horizontal trim, ascent control and precision finning, including backward and helicopter kicks. What would it take?

He and some friends, he said, after taking the course, decided to meet after work every Tuesday at the local quarry and practice these kicks and other skills until they had them mastered. They did this over a period of twelve weeks. These we call “Workout Dives”.

The fin kicks taught by GUE and by many other instructors who incorporate them into their teaching and diving – instructors like Duane Johnson, where I live here in the US Midwest – include the frog kick, modified frog kick, modified flutter, backward kick and helicopter kick. Each designed for specific situations and tasks, and to maximize efficient movement through the water with the least amount of drag.

The backward kick – designed to move you straight backward – the helicopter kick – designed to rotate about the horizontal plane without paddling with your hands; these are enormously useful moves, helpful when handling gear, cameras, an SMB, a lobster bag, and for simply maneuvering efficiently. (Read Duane’s article on the value of the backwards kick here). These kicks however require a damn bit of practice to become natural, but once learned these and other refined skills truly become “tools in a toolbox” – used interchangeably and on-the-fly as needed.

The very next week, a few of us who took Fundamentals began planning our “workout” dives, and we started right away – at the quarry or lake, every weekend. Through the Chicago winter we rented the high school deep diving pool ($15 for 3 hours) on Sunday nights and kept going.

And it became routine for us to focus a part of each regular dive on practicing one or more skills. Regular workout dives continued over the next four years, with participation growing to a network of divers with the same objectives, from divers working out the basics through technical- and cave-certified divers practicing with stage bottles, testing new equipment and keeping skills sharp.

The secret is that these dives are great fun; and invaluable for sharing information and tips, and learning from more advanced divers.

Here’s an example of an actual workout dive combining several target skills in sequence. A team is two or more divers.

Simple Workout Dive #1: A team leader and SMB diver is designated at the beginning of the dive. Team slowly descends in unison, facing each other, and keeping horizontal trim at all times during the dive.

Team stops from a direct descent one foot off the bottom, without touching or disturbing the sediment. Hold position off bottom for one minute. Team moves in direction indicated by leader for about 50 feet, maintaining one foot from bottom, using an appropriate kick style.

Reverse direction with helicopter kick, move another 50 feet, stop, and kick backward for about 25 feet – maintaining one foot distance off bottom. Bottom sediment must not be disturbed during the exercise.

Re-group 5’ off bottom; SMB diver deploys bag with team timing deployment to target time of 1 minute. Leader calls dive, initiates ascent, with 1 minute stops each at 40’, 30’, 20’ and 10’, with 30 second ascents between stops. Divers ascend together,  maintain trim, face the team, and time their own stops. Final 10’ ascent must be slow to the surface. Each diver is critiqued by the team for improvements and advice.

This is a simple drill dive, but it reinforces basic planning, coordination, communication, control and situational awareness. It highlights individual and team skills that need to improve. As the team advances, greater complexity can be introduced, including multi-tasking and simulated emergencies – for example an out-of-air plus lost mask scenario.

A workout dive can be as simple as you and your buddy working on a single skill, like perfecting a backward kick, or as complex as a simulated technical dive with your full team. From simple to more complex, workout dives can progress through:

• Devoting the entire dive to practicing an individual skill (finning technique, SMB deployment, buoyancy control)
• Performing a structured sequence of skills (like the dive drill above)
• Introducing multi-tasking and simulated emergencies (combining all mastered basic skills with additional task loading)

Some of the basic drills on our list that we mix and match on our workout dives include:

1. Mask management (remove & replace, spare mask deployment, mask loss with buddy assist to surface, hand signals)
2. Finning technique (multiple kick styles)
3. Out-of-air drill with long hose/backup & buddy breathing
4. Coordinated descents & ascents (drysuit management, shallow stops, team formation)
5. Buoyancy control & trim management (fixed distance off bottom, travel in confined space, ascent stops)
6. SMB deployment (timed to one minute deployment)
7. Laying a line
8. Simulated low visibility (touch communication, team positioning)
9. Communication drills (hand signals, light signals, number drills)
10. Navigation & compass drills
11. Valve drills

The key is to include all these drills in rotation over many dives, focus on the areas you need to improve with individual practice, and most importantly to have fun doing it. Be sure to do all your workout dives in a calm, shallow water environment and take your time.

So I encourage you to grab several of your buddies, the ones who care, and practice the things you need to work on, starting with the basics. A structured, routine approach to mastering core skills will pay off with greater confidence and control in your diving.

In the end, you will become a better, safer diver and contribute more effectively to your team. Skills refinement will also lay a foundation for more advanced and technical training, if that is your goal.

Have fun and dive safe.

Jim Costopulos is a Chicago-area executive with an industrial products distribution company. He began diving as a teenager growing up in Southern California, with great shore diving and of course the Channel Islands.  Currently diving in Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and local quarries – and back out to California whenever possible.