Entry & Surface Skills:
Start and End Every Dive with Confidence
Diving doesn’t begin underwater. Solid entries, good surface positioning, and proper communication at the surface help set the tone for the entire dive—and can make a huge difference in comfort and safety.
Giant Stride Entry
The go-to entry from most dive boats and docks. Learn how to do it cleanly, keep your gear protected, and recover smoothly on entry. Covers common mistakes like poor hand placement, unstable gear, and failing to check water clearance before stepping off.
Back Roll Entry
Used from RIBs, small boats, and sometimes even low piers. Covers timing, posture, group coordination, and how to manage a clean back roll without slamming your tank or losing your mask — especially when guided by a divemaster.
Seated Controlled Entry
Stable, low-impact entry used from floating docks, low piers, or pool edges. Learn how to keep your gear clear, stay balanced, and enter the water without awkward scrambles or losing control. Ideal for calm water, training environments, or anytime you want a clean, deliberate entry without standing.
Shore Diving
A different skillset from boat diving. Covers walking in with fins, navigating uneven bottoms, and dealing with waves, surge, or slippery rocks. Also includes how to time your entries and exits, and why pre-dive path planning matters everywhere from ocean coves to inland quarries.
Inflating and Deflating Your BCD at the Surface
Surface buoyancy is a safety skill, not a comfort option. Learn how much air to add (and when), why overinflation can make you unstable, and what to do when your power inflator fails — no matter where you’re diving.
Surface Swimming Techniques
Whether you're crossing a calm spring basin or heading for a downline in current, swimming on the surface takes real technique. This section covers posture, efficient kicking, cramp prevention, reg vs. snorkel, and how to move without wasting energy.
Using a Snorkel at the Surface
Snorkels have their place — but that place is limited. Learn when they’re helpful, when they’re not, and why keeping your reg in is often the smarter, safer option in real-world surface conditions.
Tired Diver Tow
If your buddy can’t make it back under their own power, do you know how to help? Learn push tows, valve tows, and underarm support — with clear criteria for when and how to use each. Includes real-world guidance on reg control, body positioning, and what not to do.
Surface Signaling (Hand Signals, SMBs, Whistles)
Visibility and communication are everything once you’re on the surface — especially in low vis or open water. Learn what works (and what doesn’t), how to signal for help, and why some gear is more useful in theory than in practice. Also: the truth about mask placement.
Exiting the Water (Ladders, Shore, RIBs)
More divers get hurt exiting the water than entering it. Learn how to get out cleanly, whether you're climbing a boat ladder, scrambling up rocks, or pulling yourself into an inflatable. Covers three-point contact, spacing, reg safety, and how to avoid falls — especially when you're tired or top-heavy.