I noticed something new being offered by the HSA trained crew at the dive shop I was diving with on this last trip to Bonaire. He asked me if I wanted him to spin my body a little to the left as I did my seated forward roll off the swim step. I thought that was an odd question. Because I hesitated in answering, he suggested I try it and then decide if it is an improvement. This sounded reasonable.

Before more explanation of what happened next, let me first define what a seated forward roll off the swim step is. I am an SSI trained diver, not an HSA trained diver. At SSI (and PADI too) they teach a technique for entering the water to begin your dive. This technique is done (usually while wearing all your gear, but not always) from the seated position, on the swim step. For non-ambulatory divers like myself, I find this extremely convenient. I merely scoot myself over to the swim step, the crew brings me my BC (buoyancy compensator), I strap on and inflate my BC (with their assistance), I don my mask and regulator, check my air, hold my mask in place with my strong hand and then roll forward into the ocean. This is my normal procedure and it is exactly what SSI teaches. It is called a seated forward roll. With this technique, it is very important to fully roll as much forward as you can because then the tank hits the water first. When mastered, it can be done from some height off the waterline because the tank hits the water first. This is also how I enter when rolling off the end of a pier, which usually is quite a distance off the waterline.

What the HSA crewman offered is the same but with the added "twist" of him actually grabbing my tank and, instead of pushing straight towards the rear of the boat, actually twisting the tank in such a way as to cause me to spin, in this case counter-clockwise. Since he did not explain why HSA is teaching this now, I can only surmise that it may be because some handi-divers cannot fully complete a conventional forward roll and therefore when they attempt it, their head hits the water first instead of their tank. When I was learning,  I  can remember how much it hurts to have your head hit the water first. Sometimes it can be quite uncomfortable. Even more so if only your face hits the water first. This essentially drives your mask into your face. I've had this happen to me when I was learning the forward roll, so I know it can really hurt.

I suppose the HSA modified technique would work well for people that can only roll forward a little. The spin would make it so that their shoulder hits the water first, which is much less painful than having the mask driven into your face.

Unfortunately, since I am used to making the same standard forward roll that ambulatory divers make as part of their SSI training, I DO completely roll forward as I make this entry. Twisting my tank at the last moment causes MY EAR to hit the water first. Imagine getting hit in the ear with the ocean? That's not a great way to start any dive. Getting smacked in the ear is pretty painful and this is not a way I will ever be ambiguous about again. The verdict is in- this HSA technique is not for me.