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- I kick hard but swim inefficiently
What is happening
A fast, wide flutter kick often stirs up silt, disrupts trim and makes breathing harder to control. You may feel that you are working hard but still falling behind, unable to stop or reverse without turning around.
Why it happens
Ordered from the most common cause down. Open one to see the mechanism behind it.
The flutter kick is often the only technique from entry-level training, but it can disrupt buoyancy, trim and breathing control. Without other kicks, you do not have the right technique for stopping, reversing or keeping silt off the bottom.
- you have not learned the frog kick
- you have not learned the back kick
- you have not learned the helicopter turn
Movement from the hips uses larger muscle groups. A small, fast kick from the knees uses smaller muscles and often produces less propulsion for greater effort.
- cadence that is too fast
- stiff ankles
- fins that are too stiff
In a head-up, feet-down position, you push water down and yourself up. You then need to vent or kick more instead of using your fins to move forward.
- weight carried too far forward
- an unbalanced BCD
- looking upward all the time
Arm sculling replaces the skill of stopping, turning or reversing with your fins. Trying to control buoyancy with your lungs leads to inefficient breathing and CO2 retention.
- sculling with the hands
- skip-breathing
- insufficient exhalation
Greater work at depth accelerates cylinder depletion and reduces your breathing reserve. If you keep pushing the pace, CO2 can intensify the feeling of breathlessness and panic.
- trying to outswim the current
- swimming too fast
- no glide
What to try on your next dive
One thing, not ten. Give it a full dive before you judge it.
Frog kick with a glide
- In shallow, controlled water, take a horizontal trim position and keep your hands still.
- Bend your knees, open your lower legs to the sides and push the fins back in a smooth semicircle.
- Bring your fins together and glide before the next stroke.
- Repeat at a slow cadence, watching whether you hold depth and keep the bottom clear.
- Practise the back kick in shallow, controlled water before using it beside a reef or wall.
- Record your frog kick on land or in a pool and check that your knees, ankles and fins move symmetrically.
How you will know it is working
| Published reference | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GUE recreational attitude | within 30° of horizontal and within 1.5 m of target depth | GUE Fundamentals Standards v9.1 |
| Cost of speed | doubling your swimming speed requires four times more energy and air | Scuba Diving — 18 Ways To Use Less Air |
Have your buddy or instructor observe trim and depth during steady swimming. After the dive, compare effort and gas consumption with previous similar conditions.
- Do not hold your breath or use skip-breathing to save gas or control buoyancy.
- If your breathing speeds up and does not settle, stop kicking, hold a stable handhold and rest before continuing.
- Do not try to outswim a current; exertion at depth can quickly deplete your gas.
- Learn new kicks in shallow, controlled water, not for the first time midway through a deep dive.