Padi Instructor Gear swap?

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@boulderjohn & @Colliam7

How do you think this skill contributes to being a better DM? (monitoring students or guiding).

 

[boulderjohn]

@boulderjohn & @Colliam7

How do you think this skill contributes to being a better DM? (monitoring students or guiding).

That is not its purpose. It was never described as its purpose. It is supposed to be a demonstration of problem solving under water as well as overall diving ability and comfort with challenging tasks in an underwater environment. BTW, that was the primary reason removing and replacing the scuba unit underwater was added to the OW course years ago, according to someone who was a representative of the WRSTC who wrote about it on ScubaBoard roughly when I first joined.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

That is not its purpose. It was never described as its purpose. It is supposed to be a demonstration of problem solving under water as well as overall diving ability and comfort with challenging tasks in an underwater environment. BTW, that was the primary reason removing and replacing the scuba unit underwater was added to the OW course years ago, according to someone who was a representative of the WRSTC who wrote about it on ScubaBoard roughly when I first joined.

Scuba kit removal and replacement makes sense for dealing with entanglements.

What it is supposed to be doesn't necessarily it is. Every DMC I've encountered, including myself, worked it out before performing it. Having gone through the process myself, it proved nothing of value to me. I have yet to hear anyone say "this is how it helped me" with real specifics. I'm still listening however.

 

[divezonescuba]

Here is what the training bulletin says with regard to the scoring.

Score Criteria

Please make these changes to the scoring criteria as follows:

3 Complete exchange occurred while neutrally buoyant. However, numerous challenges were encountered that delayed the speed and efficiency of the performance. This score is also appropriate for a diver overly dependent on another.

4 Task performed correctly with a relatively low anxiety level. Challenges encountered were easily and efficiently handled. Neither diver touched the bottom or the surface.

5 Task performed in a well thought-out, efficient and purposeful manner with no sign of problems; very low anxiety level. Looks routine, easy and neither diver touched the bottom or the surface.

I don’t see where is says you fail if you touch the bottom or the surface. What is says is you can only get 4 or 5 points if neither diver touches the bottom or the surface. 3 points says you do a complete exchange while neutrally buoyant. It does not say anything about neither diver touching the bottom or surface like for 4 or 5 points.

 

[Colliam7]

What it is supposed to be doesn't necessarily it is. Every DMC I've encountered, including myself, worked it out before performing it.

I can say that I absolutely did not work it out before performing it, back when I was a DMC. I had no idea who my buddy was going to be, so any 'working it out' in advance would have been of little value. I was handed the exercise on an evening in the pool, with another DMC, from a different class, who - like me - needed to finish skills scoring. As it happened, we both needed to complete Exercise #5, and the Instructor asked if we wanted to try it. My buddy was of a substantially different size than I (shorter and lighter). While he and I were friends, we had never trained together, had actually never been dive buddies, and we had no anticipation of doing the exercise on the evening we did it. So, we did what we were supposed to do - used the 5 minutes for planning, and did the exercise. It was a blast. We had to work some things out - aka problem solve - as we progressed, getting into a good buddy breathing rhythm being one example.

Having gone through the process myself, it proved nothing of value to me. I have yet to hear anyone say "this is how it helped me" with real specifics. I'm still listening however.

OK, it helped me, a lot. After the completion of the exercise was really the first time that I actually felt confident that I could handle almost anything, IF I kept my wits about me and 'worked the problem'. Frankly, up until that point, buddy breathing was something that caused some real anxiety, as just one example.

Many of the DMs I have certified have said the same thing - that it helped build their confidence. And, in all cases, none of them have known, in advance, who they would be buddied with for the exercise. Sure, they can read the requirements in their IM, they know it is coming - sometime - so, yes, they can think about it in advance. . But, when they are given the problem, while in the water, with 5 minutes to plan, it requires organization, thought, compromise. As an Instructor I really enjoy seeing how DMCs work it out. In one case a number of years ago, I had a DMC who was, at best, 'OK'. He was a teenager, and much younger than his four classmates. And, although he had met all the performance requirements, he hadn't exactly shown the kind of maturity and focus that I preferred in a DM candidate. I was frankly on the fence with regard to certification. But, in Exercise #5, he really blossomed. He and his buddy performed what I have since described as a 'demonstration quality' example of the exercise. And, he came out of the pool with a smile on his face that lit the deck! It changed my perception of him substantially.

If that hasn't been your experience, so be it. We may all differ in our reactions to experiences. Nothing right/wrong, good/bad, about that, it is just human nature.

 

[wstorms]

I can say that I absolutely did not work it out before performing it, back when I was a DMC.

Haha same here. We did get 30 seconds to "work it out" at the surface, and off we went. Fun times

 

[tursiops]

Here is what the training bulletin says with regard to the scoring.

Score Criteria

Please make these changes to the scoring criteria as follows:

3 Complete exchange occurred while neutrally buoyant. However, numerous challenges were encountered that delayed the speed and efficiency of the performance. This score is also appropriate for a diver overly dependent on another.

4 Task performed correctly with a relatively low anxiety level. Challenges encountered were easily and efficiently handled. Neither diver touched the bottom or the surface.

5 Task performed in a well thought-out, efficient and purposeful manner with no sign of problems; very low anxiety level. Looks routine, easy and neither diver touched the bottom or the surface.

I don’t see where is says you fail if you touch the bottom or the surface. What is says is you can only get 4 or 5 points if neither diver touches the bottom or the surface. 3 points says you do a complete exchange while neutrally buoyant. It does not say anything about neither diver touching the bottom or surface like for 4 or 5 points.

Two comments:
1 - You are correct, you can pass with a three...but you still must not touch the bottom or surface while exchanging equipment.
2 - many folks NEED the 4 or 5 points to get a sufficient overall score, because few get high scores on the swims.

 

[wstorms]

You could argue that hitting the surface or bottom does not demonstrate neutral buoyancy, so hitting it would means failing the performance requirement (and thus getting a 1).
Also the update mentions NOT to exchange the weight belt, so that is the potential weighting difference sorted...

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I can say that I absolutely did not work it out before performing it, back when I was a DMC. I had no idea who my buddy was going to be, so any 'working it out' in advance would have been of little value. I was handed the exercise on an evening in the pool, with another DMC, from a different class, who - like me - needed to finish skills scoring. As it happened, we both needed to complete Exercise #5, and the Instructor asked if we wanted to try it. My buddy was of a substantially different size than I (shorter and lighter). While he and I were friends, we had never trained together, had actually never been dive buddies, and we had no anticipation of doing the exercise on the evening we did it. So, we did what we were supposed to do - used the 5 minutes for planning, and did the exercise. It was a blast. We had to work some things out - aka problem solve - as we progressed, getting into a good buddy breathing rhythm being one example. OK, it helped me, a lot. After the completion of the exercise was really the first time that I actually felt confident that I could handle almost anything, IF I kept my wits about me and 'worked the problem'. Frankly, up until that point, buddy breathing was something that caused some real anxiety, as just one example.

Many of the DMs I have certified have said the same thing - that it helped build their confidence. And, in all cases, none of them have known, in advance, who they would be buddied with for the exercise. Sure, they can read the requirements in their IM, they know it is coming - sometime - so, yes, they can think about it in advance. . But, when they are given the problem, while in the water, with 5 minutes to plan, it requires organization, thought, compromise. As an Instructor I really enjoy seeing how DMCs work it out. In one case a number of years ago, I had a DMC who was, at best, 'OK'. He was a teenager, and much younger than his four classmates. And, although he had met all the performance requirements, he hadn't exactly shown the kind of maturity and focus that I preferred in a DM candidate. I was frankly on the fence with regard to certification. But, in Exercise #5, he really blossomed. He and his buddy performed what I have since described as a 'demonstration quality' example of the exercise. And, he came out of the pool with a smile on his face that lit the deck! It changed my perception of him substantially.

If that hasn't been your experience, so be it. We may all differ in our reactions to experiences. Nothing right/wrong, good/bad, about that, it is just human nature.

Building confidence I get. Any successful completion of a task. I'm more interested in the experience actually helping solve a problem.

 

[dorsal]

I’ll be doing this in the near future. I’m very comfortable in hover for the remove and replace kit skill demo. It will be fun with my buddy.