What people think of SCUBA training

[Littlerayray]

No doubt. Astonishing, in fact.



It's not just instructors. In general, when it comes to diving knowledge stuff like that, I think DMs have to know just as much as Instructors. The step up from DM to Instructor is not about learning more physics or deco theory.

The problem I see with saying that a DM can lead a DSD completely on their own is that you can be a DM with as little as 60 dives, total. Thus why I kind of lean towards the side of the fence that SDI has landed on - which is that DMs are not allowed to conduct DSDs (or, SDPs, in SDI terminology) on their own. There are obviously loads of DMs in the world that could very safely conduct a DSD. But, when it comes to establishing agency standards, they have to base it on the lowest common denominator.

This is the part that bothers me my instructor has been diving since the 60s he is in his late 70s here is one of his quotes "an OW card does not make you a diver" he would regularly tell us that he would not admit us to an aow training class till we had at least 50 divers under our belt. He has also been known to do over 250+ dives per year and we are in canada. my first summer I logged over 60+ dives he would call his students encouraging them to get wet he would take people out on charters and on one such occasion the instructor was doing an advanced openwater check out dive the dive consisted of the instructor and student diving down to aprox. 80 feet counting to 3 on their fingers and then ascending again.
My aow checkout dive was descending down to over 90 feet on 3 separate occasions while doing ndl dive and ascending safely

 

[TMHeimer]

Everything is relative it depends on the instructor and how much the instructor wants to know
An ow instructor afaic should know about all the different embolisms causes and preventions as well as the 4 laws Charles Boyle Dalton henry. As well as knowing the 2 different types of first stages how they work as well as how the second stages work and the main parts

Of course, we learned the laws in the DM course. I don't recall much about the DIN, other than what it was, that it screwed in and was a more secure seal than the yoke. Don't think I've ever seen one as they are not the norm here.

 

[Littlerayray]

I'm not talking about din I'm talking about a diaphragm first stage and piston style first stage din and yoke connections should be know as an OW diver

 

[ystrout]

This rant seems like something you already know the answer to. Of course people are deterred from diving when they find out there's a $500 price tag just to learn and it will take a few weeks.

As we all know, scuba diving is extremely easy. Breathing through a tube underwater isn't rocket science... But if you don't know the basic rules (don't hold breath, follow NDLs, ascending too fast) it can get dangerous.

These dangers aren't common sense. Most people think the biggest scuba dangers are running out of air or sharks. To understand the dangers, you have to understand the science behind them. It's not like skydiving or snowboarding where you can go splat or break a bunch of bones. So people say "hey, it would be fun to try scuba when we go to Hawaii next week", just thinking that they'll just be taking snorkeling to the next level. And even though that's essentially what scuba diving is, they're blown away to hear how expensive/tedious it is because they don't understand the risk involved.

 

[Littlerayray]

Yes a din screws on and the o ring is on the first stage rather then the tank valve. Din valves are designed to handle higher pressures. pressures greater then I believe 3500 psi yoke valves are good up to 3500psi. Yoke valves will work beyond 3500 psi but will leak and damage the o ring prematurely

 

[Littlerayray]

This rant seems like something you already know the answer to. Of course people are deterred from diving when they find out there's a $500 price tag just to learn and it will take a few weeks.

As we all know, scuba diving is extremely easy. Breathing through a tube underwater isn't rocket science... But if you don't know the basic rules (don't hold breath, follow NDLs, ascending too fast) it can get dangerous.

These dangers aren't common sense. Most people think the biggest scuba dangers are running out of air or sharks. To understand the dangers, you have to understand the science behind them. It's not like skydiving or snowboarding where you can go splat or break a bunch of bones. So people say "hey, it would be fun to try scuba when we go to Hawaii next week", just thinking that they'll just be taking snorkeling to the next level. And even though that's essentially what scuba diving is, they're blown away to hear how expensive/tedious it is because they don't understand the risk involved.

Unlike other extreme sports ie skydiving hang gliding. The ways to die are unbelievable. Before my course I was afraid of the bends. That's what I knew. After my course the bends were the least of my worries. Embolisms were my biggest fear. And this was confirmed almost 3 years ago when I went to rescue a diver who was In trouble who died of an embolism in less then 8 feet of water.

 

[Littlerayray]

And I learned those laws in my OW course had to memorize them

 

[ystrout]

Unlike other extreme sports ie skydiving hang gliding. The ways to die are unbelievable. Before my course I was afraid of the bends. That's what I knew. After my course the bends were the least of my worries. Embolisms were my biggest fear. And this was confirmed almost 3 years ago when I went to rescue a diver who was In trouble who died of an embolism in less then 8 feet of water.

Same. I surface very slowly and make sure I'm never coming up with inflated lungs. That's deff something I'm paranoid about.

 

[Littlerayray]

I was surprised to find out about how many divers let alone instructors who didn't know about embolism and the different types.
Here's an interesting embolism it's called a subdurmal embolism 1000 fake internet points to the first person to tell me how their caused

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm not talking about din I'm talking about a diaphragm first stage and piston style first stage din and yoke connections should be know as an OW diver

Yeah sorry, I thought you were talking about valves. Then was thinking you meant balanced first stage vs. unbalanced, the latter being something else I doubt I've ever seen.
I don't recall learning much detail about the 4 laws you mention back in OW course (just really basic), but that was 13 years ago, I may be wrong.