Thalassamania:
I don't guess I'll bother beyond observing that some time on the Northern California coast or in the North Atlantic off of Newfoundland would provide you with an understanding of what DCBC and I are talking about.
Good, I'm glad you didn't... as soon as I posted that comment about being impolite, I regretted it. I really don't want the discussion to devolve into that.
I will quote myself from a previous post to DCBC
schaffld:
Yes, I suppose I can envision a scenario in which the conditions of an area were so inhospitible that the PADI standards would be insufficient to certify an entry-level diver.
Those geographical areas you describe may very well present the kind of environment that provides absolutely no possibility of safely conducting an entry level diving course within the PADI system as it is outlined in their open water course standards... I've learned that from this very informative discussion I've been having here in this thread.
Nevertheless, I won't concede that the PADI system is so inflexible that it can't be adapted to fit a vast range of environments outside of the tropical bathtub-like conditions that most recreational diving takes place in. There are tools and clauses in the PADI instructor manual and teaching system that a dedicated instructor has at his/her disposal to teach an entry level course in a vast array of environments. PADI didn't put those tools and clauses in there by mistake. They are there for the very purpose of providing
some degree of flexibility for their instructors. I don't need to be versed in legalese or twist words and meanings around to do it either. I agree, compared to the agency through which DCBC teaches, PADI appears more restrictive towards its instructors.
Yes, it would need a dedicated instructor. Yes, if run through a shop, the shop would have to be flexible enough to allow the extra time it would take to teach the course and potentially eat into its profits (or just charge more). Yes, it would take a motivated student that realizes the extra work involved is for his/her safety and won't just demand a c-card for completing the OW standards in the book. Yes, under PADI, I may even need to submit a waiver from standards so that I can add skills and knowledge components which can be formally evaluated before certification is given.
Whew, I'll admit, that sounds like a lot of work... but it is possible. Or, I could just refer them to you or DCBC who are already set up to teach that kind of course through your respective agencies. The right course for the right student... In the meantime, I'll head down to the Philippines with the group of students who just want to dive in much more pleasant conditions and look at fish. I'll never be ashamed to admit that this is what draws me into diving and motivates me to become an instructor so I can bring others into the same world. By the end of our time together, I know I'll be able to certify a group of students who are safe, responsible, and confident divers in those conditions... with a big dose of understanding that the learning doesn't end when they get their cards.