OW Confined dive concerns/questions

[MauiScubaSteve]

I'm still wondering about the dive shop's original schedule for OW dives?

 

[daniel1948]

Debbie: You sound like a cautious and intelligent person. I think the best course would be to tell the shop or the instructor that having completed their pool sessions, you do not feel comfortable with the skills. If they don't immediately offer more pool instruction, then I'd tell them that the course is not really complete until you've mastered the skills, and you feel you have not. (But I'd let them make the offer before demanding.)

Don't give up on diving, but don't go on to the open water dives until you are comfortable with the pool skills.

(Having said that, my course consisted of alternating a shallow water skills session with an open water dive, until I'd completed the course. But I had a private instructor, and there was no pool available. We walked out to pool depth for the "pool" skills. And we did not go on to the next skill or item until I felt comfortable with the one completed. I was lucky to have an excellent instructor. The shallow sessions lasted only long enough for me to do the skills. The OW dives started with a few minutes of skills, and then we just swam around, enjoying the ocean.)

Edit: Cross posted with you. Sounds like you are going to do what I suggested.

 

[Colliam7]

The way the class I took worked was that on tues & thurs evenings (2 class periods) from 6:00pm to 9:00 pm we went over each chapter and the knowledge reviews then took a quiz (students were expected to read the manual and complete knowledge reviews prior to the first class). On the thurs class we took our final exam.

Not altogether uncommon, and the approach can be functional with prepared, enthusiastic learners.

Saturday we met at the dive shop at 8:30 and got our equipment, then went over assembly of the tank and equipment procedures ... at about 10:15 or so we got to the pool and did our 200yd swim. After the swim we checked out on each skill for ALL of the modules. (We watched the instructor perform the skill and repeated it for him 1 time) When I had a problem with the alternate airsource (put in my mouth upside down)I popped up to the surface placed the alternate airsource in my mouth resubmerged and swam away with my buddy (alternate airsource buddy swim portion). I was not asked to repeat the skill.

As I mentioned previously, that is not an approach that I would be comfortable with, and the responses of a number of others suggest the feeling is shared.

The original plan presented by the Dive Shop was that pool days were Sat & Sun from 9:00 -2:00 on Sat and 9:00 to 1:00 Sunday ... My problem/concern is that there were a lot of skills to be covered in the 5 pool modules, enough that the school originally shceduled for 2 class days, and a maximumly load class with one instructor managed to complete that 2 days of material in one 4 hour session.)

Even if both days were used as scheduled, that is precious little time (9 hours) to competently cover the skills in the five Confined Water dives, with 10 students and no certified assistant. Ideally, you should learn the skills, and then be given multiple opportunities to repeat them over the duration of the course, so that you become comfortable with them.

yes, we were asked if we wanted to continue on to the next days material (i personally felt like I didn't have a choice) ... I personally feel that more time should be spent on a particular skill than just a minute or two on each skill.

There are probably quite a few people on SB (myself included) who would completely agree with you on that point. It is unfortunate that you did not feel more comfortable speaking up, when asked.

As far as the instructor, he is an employee. I have no idea how he gets paid. I do know that he said a couple of times that he was tired and hadn't had a day of in over a month (He has a full time job, and is in the National Guard as well doing scuba instruction) and was trying to get us through so we wouldn't have to come back the next day.

Very often, Instructors are paid by the student, and by the work completed, NOT by the hour. In other words, the Instructor may be paid a certain amount, per student, for completing the Orientation, a certain amount for completing the Knowledge Development, a certain amount for completing the Confined Water portion, etc. That is not to say such an approach is universal, but I have encountered it across a number of shops. The unfortunate part is that such a scheme provides an incentive for the Instructor to NOT come back the next day, if he 'gets through' each required skill, and no student expresses a desire to do the second day pool session. While I appreciate the fact that the Instructor may have been 'tired', or needed a day off, whatever, his level of fatigue, or the need for a day off, is completely irrelevant - put another way, that is his problem, and he should not make it yours. You (and the other students) were paying for, and deserve, better instruction that what you have described. I would speak with the Instrcutor, and the shop owner.

 

[udtfire]

the answer is to master the skills you need in this course you are in and not buy another class because you need the time you already paid for

dido jim you are right on i evaluate all students befor i accept them in any advanced class

 

[pir8]

Wow, I just can't imagine getting through CD5 in 1 pool session with 10 students.
First night I'm happy to get the swims done and just start CD2.
I don't want more than 4 students in a pool by myself!!!

 

[thedebinator]

Update: I talked to the shop owner and the instructor- Both are willing to give me as much pool time as I need to be comfortable- the instructor called me to apologize and told me he would do whatever it took to get me to where I was comfortable with the skills. I am feeling much better about the whole situation. Thank you all for your help with this situation.

Debbie

 

[rstofer]

Update: I talked to the shop owner and the instructor- Both are willing to give me as much pool time as I need to be comfortable- the instructor called me to apologize and told me he would do whatever it took to get me to where I was comfortable with the skills. I am feeling much better about the whole situation. Thank you all for your help with this situation.

Debbie

I knew they would understand your concerns and I highly suspected they would deal with them. It's too bad the other students aren't as forthright about their concerns. It wouldn't surprise me if they are just as uncomfortable as you.

They would probably be well served by additional pool sessions just as you will be.

Congratulations on getting this resolved.

Richard

 

[cooperscuba]

Here in the Islands it is typical for the first day with the instructor to be a long day, completing all the Academics in the morning and all the Pool Sessions in the afternoon (if done in confined open water morning is better for skills - 2 half days). Your class got 6 hrs for academics; 2 hrs more than my typical (for half you class size) which sounds better than average to me.

Am I reading this right - 1 (one!) day for ALL theory and confined sessions?

 

[Robert van Brussel]

I am surprised that you did 4 OW cert dives in one day. WRSTC states no more than 3 open water certification dives may be done in a 24 hours period. Why were you rsuhed through the course?

WRSTC :: World Recreational Scuba Training Council

Open Water Diver PDF file

5.2.4 No more than three open water scuba dives may be conducted on a given day. These
dives may be a combination of required training dives and additional excursion dives.

Hi Scubanatic,

she is talking about confined water training not about open water training dives!!!

Nice Dives

Robert

 

[GrandpaScuba]

I can't speak for PADI or NAUI, but SSI standards specifically state no more than 3 training dives in 1 day.