Aow=bs

[Jersey Chris]

I love these threads... I have seen DM's that I would not want to be anywhere near them under water and divers with an open water card that have logged thousands of dives. Your C-card is just a starting point and a diver should not be judged on the cert level they have. I mean for gods sake, a Padi DM has to have 60 logged dives.. There is no replacement for experience under the water.

 

[jviehe]

So, people should not be judged by the cert level they have unless they are a PADI DM? You started so well, but couldnt resist...

 

[Beachlover]

Watch your step Beachlover.... I have a feeling Garrobo may actually be Chuck Norris...

Impossible....I'm Chuck Norris!! HA-HA!!

 

[24940]

So, people should not be judged by the cert level they have unless they are a PADI DM? You started so well, but couldnt resist...

How do you get this from reading the quoted post? From my perspective, he is saying a diver with an OW cert and 1000 dives would be more credible than a DM with the requisite 60 dives. PADI is a target, get over it.

While PADI seems to get the most knocks for crappy instruction and standards, it is not exclusive to PADI. My second time doing AOW was a complete joke. I learned a lot about the instructor, but not about the specialties I had signed up for. I'm just guessing, but I'm fairly sure my instructor probably received equally poor instruction when he did the specialties.

 

[fisherdvm]

I love these threads... I have seen DM's that I would not want to be anywhere near them under water and divers with an open water card that have logged thousands of dives. Your C-card is just a starting point and a diver should not be judged on the cert level they have. I mean for gods sake, a Padi DM has to have 60 logged dives.. There is no replacement for experience under the water.

Let see:

PADI DM requirement 60 OW dives

SSI Divecon requirement of 60 OW dives

Naui DM requirement of 50 OW dives

YMCA DM is only 40 OW dives

YMCA Assistant Instructor requirement is 60 OW dives.

Why are we picking on PADI??

Now if one were then to say, as SSI divecons and Naui DM are actually performing duties of a PADI assistant instructor (AI actually is a subset of Naui DM, right?).... And they require the same or less OW dives than PADI, then ACTUALLY, that makes PADI the agency with the HIGHEST requirement for their DM who is more restricted in their function than the other agencies.... Then why are we picking on PADI?

Actually, the requirements also allow an exception to the rule. One certifying agency actually allows an instructor to be certified with just 60 OW dives, like if he did a bunch of specialty courses to obtain those OW dives. I am not going to state who.... because I don't have time to find out if the rest of them also allow "exceptions"....

Don't pick on PADI until you've done your research with the other agencies...

 

[Tom Winters]

Well at least the guy was warm, got some exercise, and lost some weight on his vacation.

 

[Sas]

I don't think it's necessarily that he had ONLY 25 dives. I have only 21 dives, and I can do all the things you said he couldn't. I'm sorry, but by 25 dives, whether he was OW or AOW, he should know how to set up his gear. That just shows how he personally is, and not that he's got a limited number of dives.

You are forgetting he was very seasick Lisa. From my own experience, it is hard to concentrate on setting up gear when you are getting really sick like this guy was. I could set up my gear no worries from the first pool session but I struggled on my first boat dive as I was so seasick. I am wary of judging people's abilities when they are sick, or upset, etc...

 

[mig_diver]

IMO the AOW is just an introduction to the specialties. The course is aimed to give divers more knowledge about different kinds of dives.

 

[The_DivePirate]

Seems that alot of people here are putting PADI out on the line too dry. I haven't read ALL the posts, but it didn't seem anyone was saying which agency the op was affiliated with. Seems that there are some guilty consciences out there, and you know what they say about guilty consciences, there's usually a reason for it!! When I was getting my ow and aow certs., the wife of one of the shop owners who had too make such a big deal of getting a MASTER DIVER cert (which she had) but she couldn't even remember how too put together her gear by herself, let alone don her own drysuit. That was a wife of a LDS owner, and if that is the credentials to become a MASTER DIVER well than I don't plan on Putting Another Dollar In. I guess, if your gonna claim too be the BEST agency, and act as if it were the case, you should make sure your instructors were not putting out sub par divers. In regards too the statement above, most agencies will crossover other agencies pro's without major hassle, while others are just too proud (of what, is my question?)

So, in regards too the whole issue at hand, yes the instructor has a bit too do with it, but a student can take even sub par instruction and become a perfectly safe diver!!
Also, in that a student can take the greatest instruction and butcher it. My only hope, is that the students I train, will present themselves and my instruction with nothing other than being safe and well informed divers!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel it is my responsibilty too train safe and responsible divers, if not for them, for the divers they will be diving with as well as the loved ones they should be returning home too see. So, if your looking for a quick cert. that you probably won't remember, get a hold of someone else. I want too be remembered as an instructor who cared and gave his students his all, not the "cracker jack box" training facility.:no

Joe

 

[Diver Dennis]

You are forgetting he was very seasick Lisa. From my own experience, it is hard to concentrate on setting up gear when you are getting really sick like this guy was. I could set up my gear no worries from the first pool session but I struggled on my first boat dive as I was so seasick. I am wary of judging people's abilities when they are sick, or upset, etc...

Excellent point but if he was that sick, he should not have been diving. I know a few people who are miserable and get sick easily on the ride out but are fine in the water. They love diving so much they put up with being sick and just accept it as part of the package. Me, I don't know if I could do that.