Water Survival Training

Hi Gang,

Yesterday I went to a pretty neat training class - water survival training. It's for folks who work in offshore construction and engineering.

Some of the stuff we learned and did:

How to swim in a type I PFD

How to put one on in the water

How to make your pants, tshirt, or coveralls into a flotation device

How to get into and out of a life raft

How to survive a helicopter crash into water

That last one was the kicker. They had a simulator set up where they would buckle you in, flip you upside down underwater, make you wait for the "cabin to fill" and then get out! They gave us scuba masks and helmets to wear - but in real life I'm sure it wouldn't be so easy. I really hope I never have to experience a helicopter crash.

Here are a few photos:

Cheers

James

Some cool over, under, and over/under shots!

When I was at Georgia Tech (a long time ago - Lyndon Johnson was President, if you remember that far back), male freshmen had to take and pass the infamous "Drownproofing" course.

We hated the course, but it was probably the most valuable course most of us ever had. To this day, I have confidence that I could survive all but the most extreme water emergencies. I'm not overconfident, but the Drownproof course did give people the skills and know-how to survive in the water. And we were very proud to pass the course. Many of us still carry our cards!

When I took the SCUBA certification course in 1987, the instructor told us that we had to be able to swim one mile in the pool or he wouldn't let us take the course. When I started using the Drownproof swimming method, he made me stop and use any other stroke. He was familiar with Drownproofing, and he thought Drownproofing made it too easy!

I digressed badly - sorry, James. Nice photos.

In 1966 I wasn't even a glimmer...

So tell us Jimbo, what exactly is the Drownproof stroke that makes swimming a mile easy?

Cheers

James

And while we are on it, how does one make their clothes a personal flotation device?

Drownproofing was a technique that Georgia Tech swimming coach Fred Lanoue developed in the early 1950s. The purpose of Drownproofing is to expend an absolute minimum amount of energy while floating or swimming. He wrote a book about his technique, and he went all over the world teaching it, especially to the military.

Basically, you don't try to keep your head above water. The technique involves a slow bobbing that every few seconds puts your head above water - just long enough to exhale and inhale. You can float in place or swim. It's not very instinctive, but after 5-6 sessions, I caught on, and after that, it's like riding a bicycle - you never forget. I'm not a strong swimmer - I never was - but a few years ago, I practiced Drownproofing in a lake for about an hour with no difficulty.

I looked for a web page that would demonstrate Drownproofing, to no avail. And I don't think that Georgia Tech still teaches it, at least not as a required course. It's one of those things that you can read about all day, but one demonstration would make it clear in a few seconds.

In any case, it was certainly more useful than Thermodynamics!

Ah, don't ask about using your pants as a floatation device. That's basic Boy Scout stuff!

I learned drown proofing and survival floating using clothing in Boy Scouts in the 60s.

Joe

Thanks, joediver. And I found a website with a description of the Drownproof technique:

http://www.drownproofing.com/

Here is a link to some photos and short movies about drownproofing

Is it looks like what you learned?

Here is an excellent article written by our own member: Robert Delfs for Asian Diver magazine:

http://www.tabula-international.com/DIV/SMB3.html

Cheers

James

Here is a link to some photos and short movies about drownproofing

Is it looks like what you learned?

That certainly looks like the Drownproofing that I learned. One slight difference: In 1964, Georgia Tech was virtually an all-male school, and the few females were exempted from Drownproofing. Students were encouraged to... ah... dress minimally; i.e., no swimsuit. You could wear a swimsuit if you wanted, but anyone who did would get razzed a lot. Of course we all hated swimming naked, but if you complained, then - of course - you got razzed. We did, however, all wear our swimsuits when we had to make the "death dive" from the 10-meter platform, for obvious reasons.

That's probably more than you wanted to know...

B)

Here is an excellent article written by our own member: Robert Delfs for Asian Diver magazine:

 

http://www.tabula-international.com/DIV/SMB3.html

 

Cheers

James

Thanks, James. Excellent article about safety sausages and marker dye.

Great shots, James!

At work we have to do our sea survival course before we can work on ocean research vessels. I never thought of taking a camera along though!

Alex

Great shots, James!

James' photos were really cool. I'm afraid I digressed a lot with my Drownproofing experiences. Sorry about that, I didn't mean to detract from the original thread.