To continue the subject of aquatics, which the Department took up last week, let us turn to the art of diving. Before learning to dive, the beginner should accustom himself to keep his head under water as long as he can hold his breath, and he should practise opening the eyes under water in order to become used to the appearance of things below the surface. Diving, even more than swimming, demands that a boy or man should have confidence in himself. Nobody should attempt to learn how to dive when alone; even more than when learning to swim, he should have some one near at hand in case help is needed.
To learn how to dive, the beginner should first squat down on the edge of the float or spring-board from which he is to plunge into the water, holding his hands out before him just as he does in the breast stroke in swimming (described in this Department last week)—that is, with the arms extended, the hands horizontal, and the fingers close together, the thumb tips and the forefinger tips touching one another. Then he should allow himself to tumble forward into the water, striking with his hands first. The eyes must be kept closed when plunging into the water, and should not be opened until after the head is immersed.
It is very dangerous to plunge into the water with the eyes open, and a number of people have been blinded by so doing. Always duck the chin a little in toward the breast just before the head strikes the water. As soon as the body has entered the water the hands should be bent back and the head raised to an upright position. The bending back of the hands sends the body upward toward the surface again. As I have said, the first trials at diving should be mere drops into the water off the edge of the float from a sitting position.
After the beginner has learned to do this he should lean from the waist over (as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 6), and likewise fall forward. When he has mastered this method he may stand upright, as shown by the figure drawn in heavy lines in Fig. 6, and as also shown in the photographic illustration No. 1.
