Deep Water Object Recovery
Swimmers use a surface dive to recover objects from deeper water and return them to the side – a practical lifesaving foundation.
- Stages
- Stage 6, Stage 7
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Skills
- Submersion, Water Safety, Surface Dives
- Equipment
- Sinkers
- Age
- 8–99 years
- Group size
- 1–8 swimmers
- Time
- About 6 minutes
- In a lesson
- Skill Development 1, Skill Development 2, Game / Consolidation
- Shared by
- SwimShare Resource
Safety notes
- Deep water: swimmers stay within reach of the wall or a helper, with a noodle or float ready.
- One swimmer at a time; no breath-holding challenges; watch every swimmer surface.
What it develops
- Surface dive feet-first and head-first
- Improve stroke efficiency on all strokes
- Surface dives and object recovery
- Combine aquatic skills in a sequence
How to run it
- Place sinkers or a rubber brick in deeper water.
- Swimmer swims out, surface dives, recovers the object.
- Return to the side holding the object (on the back if heavy).
- Rotate swimmers.
Teaching cues
- Surface dive.
- Grab and push up.
- Return safely.
Make it easier
- Shallower water.
- Light sinkers.
Make it harder
- Two objects in one dive.
- Tow a float back while holding the object.
Common faults
- Swimming down at an angle instead of diving.
- Staying down too long searching.
Corrections
- Choose the dive that suits the depth.
- 'Look before you dive, not while you're down.'
Assistant / L1 role
- Supervise the recovery area from poolside and reset objects.