Diving Education Today

[beester]

No Thal... my point is that this is a discussion that the average OW holiday diver will never read.

The average guy getting in touch with diving comes in contact with it true resort excursions... what will I do... go see the dolphins? Have a donkey ride? Scubadive?

This guy won't be helped by giving extended courses. He'll never do them. What he needs is get the basic skill set and this augmented with some practical safety skills (as mentioned) + some tools to make him reasonably happy in water (among which trim and proper weighing are very important ones). If he's happy he might get interested in the sport, and do it some more, and hopefully get beyond the AOW rubbish into some real diving training.

Will alot of people (% wise) progress... probably not, but you'll not improve them anyway because they are only diving once or a very limited number of dives a year.

I come from a certification agency who does it old school, but even they have to give in to market pressures. People no longer want to take up a hobby and do it the next 20 years. They want to taste something, and move on.

 

[Thalassamania]

I don't disagree, but let's stop calling them certified divers. Lets issue them some sort of card and patch that is pretty but meaningless, because they will need to redo it all next time they come down anyway.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Some people are happy with minimum achievement. Some are not.

Some people go to work and do the minimum. Some go to work and excel.

In diving, it may be fine for a person to be minimally trained and lead by a person who has the minimum experience, knows the minimum amount of information, and performs his or her job to the minimal standards. Those who follow this philosophy make the choice to be mediocre. Mediocrity is the standard by which we can measure excellence.

However, the problem in diving is that reported accidents and unreported personal observations and experiences with poor performance by those running dive centers and charters reduce the type and quality of adventure that is available to me after I've spent my life working hard to achieve excellence in this endeavor.

I find reductions on my diving unacceptable.

To improve the quality of my own diving dreams, I just want others better prepared to make their own diving dreams come true, because their nightmares impact my reality.

 

[Kingpatzer]

I don't disagree, but let's stop calling them certified divers.

What is the point of such a semantic game other than making sure only those who think their training is superior get the title?

The reality is that most of us probably learned a lot more from diving with friends and mentors than we've ever learned from a formal class in terms of diving skills.

It doesn't matter how long the course is. It matters if someone is going to be an active, engaged diver who is interested in pursuing this hobby in a more serious fashion or not. If not, that's ok -- vacation divers keep tank fills cheap for the rest of us

 

[Kingpatzer]

I find reductions on my diving unacceptable.

To improve the quality of my own diving dreams, I just want others better prepared to make their own diving dreams come true, because their nightmares impact my reality.

Then don't dives with the pleebs.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Then don't dives with the pleebs.

The fear of accidents and the concern for the abilities of divers unknown to operators have resulted in greater restrictions placed upon experienced divers even when the "pleebs" aren't in attendance.

 

[Thalassamania]

What is the point of such a semantic game other than making sure only those who think their training is superior get the title?

er ... honesty perhaps?

 

[rstofer]

Some people are happy with minimum achievement. Some are not.

Some people go to work and do the minimum. Some go to work and excel.

In diving, it may be fine for a person to be minimally trained and lead by a person who has the minimum experience, knows the minimum amount of information, and performs his or her job to the minimal standards. Those who follow this philosophy make the choice to be mediocre. Mediocrity is the standard by which we can measure excellence.

However, the problem in diving is that reported accidents and unreported personal observations and experiences with poor performance by those running dive centers and charters reduce the type and quality of adventure that is available to me after I've spent my life working hard to achieve excellence in this endeavor.

I find reductions on my diving unacceptable.

To improve the quality of my own diving dreams, I just want others better prepared to make their own diving dreams come true, because their nightmares impact my reality.

This is always going to be an issue. What must the tech divers think of rec divers? You certainly don't mean to imply that I MUST become a tech diver so that you can do tech dives from a charter boat, do you?

And you clearly don't expect me, as a rec diver, to wait around on a bobbing boat puking my lunch while you do multi-tank deco dives, do you?

There will always be differences in skill sets. I can never become a tech diver - simple as that. Old age, coronary artery disease and the other ravages I have endured (relished, actually) have me in a position where I need to do simple, shallow, dives. So let's not dive together...

Not everyone wants to excel. As I said much earlier, diving is a hobby and, for many, it isn't a very important hobby. It's just something to do, once in awhile. It won't be pretty but the diver will probably survive just fine. Divers here on SB tend to be a little more dedicated to the hobby.

When you are born, you get this virtual dance card. On it is a checklist of things to do. The goal in life is to check off as many boxes as possible. As a result, you simply can't spend your entire life on one item because you will miss the others. You have to turn and burn if you want to complete the list. And you DO want to fill up the dance card. You won't get another shot!

The real answer to getting to do the dives you want, in the places you want, with the buddies you want is to simply buy your own boat. It's pretty simple; they have a store, you know. Make it a sailboat and you can get to any destination you want. I recommend at least 40' - maybe a little more if you want enough deck space for a fill station. Hang an inflatable off the transom and you're good to go.

Don't have time to get your boat to your intended destination? No problem! There are hundreds of sailors that will take your boat anywhere you want. Sure, it costs a bunch but when you are ready to dive, the boat is ready to go. You could be a rock star! Fly in, dive until you're bored and fly back home!

Let the sailboat driver worry about getting the boat back. Or put the boat out to charter until you need it again.

It's probably cheaper to just fly to a destination and charter an entire boat with crew. Grab up a few friends (or pick up a couple locally) and you're all set.

Gotta fill out that card...

Richard

 

[DCBC]

I happened to have a great instructor -- a guy with a commercial diving background who's been a CD for decades and who is very serious about having the highest possible level of instruction in his courses.

Sounds like a really great guy!!

But really, the PADI DM course is ultimately about only two things: learning how to pimp for PADI and learning how to demonstrate the 20 water skills.

Which is frankly quite sad as the course could be so much more than that.

Interesting.

 

[DCBC]

...The goal in life is to check off as many boxes as possible. As a result, you simply can't spend your entire life on one item because you will miss the others. You have to turn and burn if you want to complete the list. And you DO want to fill up the dance card. You won't get another shot!

Gotta fill out that card...

Certainly that is one way of looking at life. There are millions of women in the world, you want to meet as many as possible. One answer would be to limit the amount of time you spend with any one to five minutes. Check off as many as you can. Gotta fill out that card...

When you're at the end of your life you will realize that you never really got to know one of them. You have never been loved, never had the joy of raising a family, never passed anything on to another generation, or have anyone to know that you ever existed.

The point is that although this may be your idea of a check list, it's not for everyone. You make a good point, but there is value that can only come through dedication.

I'm suggesting that seeing Mt. Everest by helicopter and climbing the mountain without oxygen isn't the same thing. Where is the latter on your check list? If it's not there, you've missed one of the most important check marks in life. The things that are most worthwhile require sacrifice, but that's only my opinion. The one with the most toys (or check marks) doesn't win.