The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
As long as instructors are human, there will never be a perfect agency. The instructor is both the best and worst part of any agency. Fixing agencies won't fix instructors.
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I’m sure it’s already been mentioned: DM/instructor candidates to have more dives under their belt before they can even start the course. The minimum is remarkably low. Might stop the zero to hero stuff some. I’ve seen some disasters who are seahorses like their OW students.
As long as instructors are human, there will never be a perfect agency. The instructor is both the best and worst part of any agency. Fixing agencies won't fix instructors.
You meet the dive requirements but prior to starting the DMC or IDC, you will need to take a workshop to improve (insert skill or skills)”
I fully believe that this is the best way to create highly skilled DMs and Instructors and not pander to the LDC (lowest common denominator)
One way, is as I have mentioned before to ensure that each additional tier of training, builds upon the foundation skills of the previous tier, with ever increasing standards required
Also have a minimum dive count required between each course, say between OW and AoW (in PADI terms) the student must have completed at least say, 200 mins underwater (5 x 40 min dives). havign made dives below 10m. All to be verified in a logbook/dive record which will be signed off.. And you follow it on between courses
For DM entry, not only will there be a minimum time underwater, minimum time since originally certified, but the diver would have to show a proven record of X amount of different types of diving and depth. For instance they have to show that they've made a number of dives in say 4 categories out of 8 (arbitrary numbers)
You can weight it such as if diver chooses the DS in cold water diving category they would only have to show 10 dives, but say warm reef then 20 in that category
Being eligible to enter the DM program should be aspirational and require the diver to put some effort in before hand to gain experience and improve skills (rather than expect it to be taught on that course)
However the requirements should be such that they are attainable to the average diver (putting some effort in)
For Instructors: The current method of attending IDC then passing IE, for the most part doesn't give them the tools. I'm sure every instructor was full of fear and self doubt the first time they taught an OW class solo. Every instructor knows there's a huge jump between teaching role playing divers in IDC/IE and real students
So in Passing IE - you become a "Provisional" instructor then need to teach say 5 separate classes under direct/indirect supervision before being fully fledged. So the instructor gets support for the first classes, and is audited on their teaching skills and given feedback and assistance.
The Next level up (MSDT in PADI) is a good idea, being able to teach 5 specialties and have cert-ed 25 divers) Thus by the time you get to this you do have a clue about teaching
But its open to abuse ( lots of Caribbean and SE Asia Centres allow instructors to pay a bit extra, stay on for 10 days, and jump in the water with a group on their certification dive and grab the certs without ever have having taught a course solo. So perhaps 6 months or so post being fully fledged as an additional requirement
Again there needs to be a balance between the effort and time require to get to each level so that a Part time instructor can progress to a certain level, and it is achievable within a realistic time frame with a certain amount of effort.
After that of course, and rightly the only way you can reach the upper levels of teaching status is to be working and teaching full time.
I was told I would be able to team teach after the IE. Then when I got my first student, an AOW course, I was told they did not have the bodies to spare and I learned what I needed to know in the IDC so it was time for me to put it to use.
I hated that and it has made me uncomfortable when teaching certain courses. I feel I teach a great sidemount anf advanced course but van do MUCH better teaching the OWC.
I believe there are some great ideas here and am learning a lot from this discussion.
Yes, AOW and Rescue are a good example of when team teaching is really helpful. OK, theoretically you know the structure, skills and standards, but how do you put it all together into an interesting and informative package taking into consideration local logistics and environment.I was told I would be able to team teach after the IE. Then when I got my first student, an AOW course, I was told they did not have the bodies to spare and I learned what I needed to know in the IDC so it was time for me to put it to use.
I hated that and it has made me uncomfortable when teaching certain courses. I feel I teach a great sidemount anf advanced course but van do MUCH better teaching the OWC.
I believe there are some great ideas here and am learning a lot from this discussion.
One more defined step I'd like to see is the jump between DM and Instructor. I've seen quite a few DM's qualify on the Friday and start their IDC on the Saturday. I believe this cheapens the role of DM and doesn't give a would be instructor enough real-time experience of working with students or newly qualified divers. Ideally DM's could earn 'assist certs' and only meet the prerequisite for IDC after achieving X certs, a bit like going from OWSI to MSDT.
that's quite a leap! Fortunately you had the moral compass to realise that wasn't sensible, but there are plenty would be tempted to go for it.Couldn't agree more, I try to dissuade people from going direct from DM to Instructor without havign a period of consolidation - if anything guiding, divers allows then to "practice" control etc on certified divers
My own personal horror story, was when I was actively heading toward Tech Deep instructor. I had more than enough actual experience for course entry, and was thinking about taking the course somewhere different and exotic and thus sought out after much research a reputable instructor who happened to be in the Caribbean
After the usual emails, about experience etc, they hit my with something that shocked me. While I was there they'd happy include the Tec Trimix Instructor cert, after all I'd only need 10 (additional) dives to my existing log on Trimix below 50m to gain that cert.
Seriously - Not even a Tec instructor, never ever breathed Tri mix, and they were going to roll all the required courses together in a package discount and behold 7 - 10 days later OWSI becomes Tech Trimix instructor allowing me to teach people to 90m
I mean WTF! Yes technically its possible, and within standards (perhaps the letter but not sure about the intent) And its certainly not morally right
I didn't do it, indeed I still haven't bothered to take Tech Deep Inst as that experience put me right off
This is why the certification criteria need to be the entrance criteria (you can't start the course unless you've got the required dives and experience for cert - not allowing people to enter then then going away to get the dives before sending the cert away)and there need to be an enforced period of consolidation between course, for divers and instructors alike.
Self cert should be banned too