Should all instructors really have ALL their own equipment?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

The issue has been brought up since this post was asked, and since it's direct I'll answer it directly.
Yes I am living and diving and working in a third world country.
Yes I earn a barely enough to live month to month.
No there is no chance in hell I would be able to afford an entire new setup before I move on from this country.
Yes I have been provided equipment during all of my training and work, along with all the other employees local or foreign.

More importantly, I dive every day. I have more than 400 dives most of which involved assisting and teaching (I'd say 70-80% of them) students.

I bought my first set of equipment piece by piece in the Philippines. I was not being paid much... about $500/month retainer and comission if I recall. I had to pay my own living expenses so I lived in an unfurnished single room with a toilet with no seat, cold water shower and a ceiling fan. I slept on a cheap foam mattress on the floor covered by 2 mosquito nets. My neighbours were cows, cockroaches and a few thousand 'fighting cocks'. Took me a few months to get gear but I managed.

Talk to the shops and make sure you're getting a 'pro' discount. It helps enormously to actually bring a couple of guests to the shop before you talk about getting cheaper prices on gear.

Owning your own kit just makes sense as a diver. Rental gear gets abused. Regs degrade and ease of breathing is affected. Unless I'm taking care of the regs myself, I don't trust them much. Something as simple as a torn lug in a mouthpiece can really affect your concentration levels and you need to be on the ball- especially as you say that you're primarily with students.
 
During my rescue course was the first time I encountered the Aqualung buckle as I was using a different brand then. It took me extra time to figure out how to open the stupid buckle, time the victim would not have had if I had been in a real rescue scenario.


Unfortunate you chose to focus on the branding and not the real point of my post. There is enough of a functional difference between different brands and styles of equipment that an OW diver can/will benefit by being exposed to them. Otherwise I wouldn't have had an issue in that example. But I did, because I had not been exposed to those minor differences (and just as you mentioned I struggled through it even though it was a mock scenario). Yes, OW dive gear is all going to be fairly similar but taking a little extra time to expose a student to things that may seem minor like a difference in buckles, an Air2 set up, bungeed alternates and other things of that nature are only going to serve to benefit the student or another diver at a later date.

I think that we may be actually saying the same thing. I agree with you that seeing some minor variations in gear is a good thing in early training, and there should not be an expectation on the part of the OW student that every diver that he or she may ever buddy with will have exactly the same gear.

I just commented on your post because you seemed to be implying that your early training was lacking in that you didn't have specific experience with the Aqualung buckle, and that would have had real world implications in a rescue. But it's unlikely that an OW or Rescue diver would be trained on every possible gear configuration - better to have them understand basic principles and think flexibly, IMHO.

I still think that the variations between brands are pretty minor from a functional point of view. Every BC has a way to put air into the wing, to let air out of the wing, to secure it to the tank and the diver, etc... Some variations are a bit more than minor, but even with an Air2 or bungeed alternate, the basic principal is the same (i.e. here's something to breath from if your primary second stage has a problem, or if you need to share).
 
The issue has been brought up since this post was asked, and since it's direct I'll answer it directly.
Yes I am living and diving and working in a third world country.
Yes I earn a barely enough to live month to month.
No there is no chance in hell I would be able to afford an entire new setup before I move on from this country.
Yes I have been provided equipment during all of my training and work, along with all the other employees local or foreign.

More importantly, I dive every day. I have more than 400 dives most of which involved assisting and teaching (I'd say 70-80% of them) students.

I am not sure exactly what it mean to categorize Vietnam as a 3rd world country. It seems to me that it is a growing nation with many resources and economic opportunities. Based on the cost of scuba tourism (World Class Diver Training and Recreative Diving Pricing for Scuba Services 5 star - Dive Vietnam) it would appear to have a rather healthy industry. Prices are on par or higher than most Caribbean destinations I am familiar with.

Unless you have the option of continuing in your current position where your employer provides you gear, it may be time to bite the bullet and purchase a set of used gear. I know a wise shopper and experienced scuba diver can get a full set of gear (in the USA) for $200 to $300 and service it themselves for just a bit more. "New" gear is ridiculously priced compared to opportunities in used gear. I'd be looking for something like an old Scubapro Mk2/3/200 and some simple classic downstream regs like R190s or even 108s (for under $100). Add a BCD for $50 or so and you are just about there.

Good Luck
 
A quick example: I have an Aqualung BCD and they use a circular, push button release on the shoulder straps versus the more frequent 2 tabs on the side release, (think backpack buckle) that most other BCD's use. During my rescue course was the first time I encountered the Aqualung buckle as I was using a different brand then. It took me extra time to figure out how to open the stupid buckle, time the victim would not have had if I had been in a real rescue scenario.

For training it is a "teachable moment" and in an emergency you wouldn't screw around with a buckle, you would cut them out with a good line cutter, shears, or knife all of which are good items to carry. Oh yeah, all of which are available at the LDS, if you are so inclined.




---------- Post added June 8th, 2013 at 08:50 AM ----------

I CAN demonstrate the removal of a BPW (either by chicken-winging out of it or by pulling it over my head)

I used those techniques on all my jackets, I learned them before there were jackets and it never dawned on me that it wouldn't work on jackets.


Bob
--------------------------------------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet
 
I was with the majority of people here, until I read the OP's last post. If the shops have been fine with the OP doing DM work for them in their gear, I don't see why he couldn't do the IDC in the same.

Where I live, no shop would provide gear for DMs, so someone sitting for the IDC without owning gear would have had to rent repeatedly, suggesting a bare minimum of dives. Clearly this is not the case for the OP.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RJP
As a dive instructor you should have your own equipment I feel. It is a sign of professionalism and dedication. Saying that, we have instructors who all have their own equipment but on pool training sessions for example will wear shop gear to make it easier for the student to copy. I don't have a problem with that.
 
For training it is a "teachable moment" and in an emergency you wouldn't screw around with a buckle, you would cut them out with a good line cutter, shears, or knife all of which are good items to carry.

Totally agree that carrying cutting tools is a good idea (I have three on my gear), but not sure about that emergency protocol.

Better training would be to calmly release a buckle - even if it took a few seconds to figure out - than try to cut someone out of a harness while floating on the surface. Probably quicker, certainly safer (I have actually been somewhere where trauma shears resulted in the loss of a small finger).
 
I haven't seen a valid argument so far as to why and instructor should have his/her own equipment as a prerequisite to teach

Haven't read the remaining 7 pages of this thread so this may have already been covered.

As PADI instructor when I finish the I.E (and get the paperwork) I am good to go as an independent instructor. I do not need a dive shop to operate from. All I need is my kit and away I go. For that reason I need personal kit as I can't afford to be an independent who rents his kit every time he has a course to teach. That may be different with SSI.
 
Totally agree that carrying cutting tools is a good idea (I have three on my gear), but not sure about that emergency protocol.

Better training would be to calmly release a buckle - even if it took a few seconds to figure out - than try to cut someone out of a harness while floating on the surface. Probably quicker, certainly safer (I have actually been somewhere where trauma shears resulted in the loss of a small finger).

How long would you take in an actual emergency, a few seconds would be fine with me, but what about minutes; where is the line, that is the "teachable moment". The reason I led with the the line cutter is it is the best tool for the job, at least mine is, it will cut webbing like butter but minimize collateral damage.



Bob
-----------------------------------
There is no problem that can't be solved with a liberal application of sex, tequila, money, duct tape, or high explosives, not necessarily in that order.
 
How long would you take in an actual emergency, a few seconds would be fine with me, but what about minutes; where is the line, that is the "teachable moment". The reason I led with the the line cutter is it is the best tool for the job, at least mine is, it will cut webbing like butter but minimize collateral damage.

I guess, as in most things, the devil is in the details!

One thing - your initial approach might be a bit harder to practice in class. :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom