Hi, Allen: yes, that instructor was quite good at recovering his sidestroke arm with a minimum of drag - making good speed without fins. Imagine being out in the ocean and dragging that buoyancy-neutral but heavy pig of equipment into the surf zone of a coral reef. If the surf is big, you come against a good rip as you try to hit the channel rather than getting stuffed into coral heads... that side-stroking arm comes in handy for grabbing the water and fending off the coral. In this instance, the swimmer will have rubber and chafe-resistant diving gloves. This is the real life of a SEAL going to work gathering intel somewhere... perhaps an island in the PI or Indonesia, or the Carib coast of Columbia to mention a couple of real world examples. So, as a complete diver and open water swimmer it is a good technique to add to your stroke collection! Cheers, John
Hi, Allen: yes, that instructor was quite good at recovering his sidestroke arm with a minimum of drag - making good speed without fins. Imagine being out in the ocean and dragging that buoyancy-neutral but heavy pig of equipment into the surf zone of a coral reef. If the surf is big, you come against a good rip as you try to hit the channel rather than getting stuffed into coral heads... that side-stroking arm comes in handy for grabbing the water and fending off the coral. In this instance, the swimmer will have rubber and chafe-resistant diving gloves. This is the real life of a SEAL going to work gathering intel somewhere... perhaps an island in the PI or Indonesia, or the Carib coast of Columbia to mention a couple of real world examples. So, as a complete diver and open water swimmer it is a good technique to add to your stroke collection! Cheers, John
