Naturally the best way to play Clumsy Climber is with timed taps as your climber grasps and lets go of ledges as he moves his way up into the sky, escaping the water below. When your hand is ready to grab it'll be orange, and once you hover it over a ledge and tap, he'll grab on, continuing his ascent. It requires precise tapping to climb up, and I recommend tapping just a split second before it looks like his hand will hover over a ledge - it usually works out...