A total lack of situational awareness.

[100days-a-year]

Are we using SA as an acronym for situational awareness or self absorbed? Seriously afflicted? Soused again?

 

[Hoag]

Are we using SA as an acronym for situational awareness or self absorbed? Seriously afflicted? Soused again?

I used it as an acronym for Situational Awareness (and to be honest, I have been using it as an acronym for Situational Awareness since the mid 1980s so I thought it was a common usage) but I can now see that there may be other uses.

 

[Lorenzoid]

My whole point about how anybody expects them to learn proper buoyancy and hovering, trimmed out, etc. in a two or three day course? They have enough learning all the other mechanical skills with regs, mask clearing, etc. most have never been in the ocean except for maybe a little snorkeling.

If I recall my OW course from 1998, there was no mention of "situational awareness" and no real emphasis on good buoyancy and trim. What WAS emphasized was that coming into contact with coral was a huge NO NO, and if you touched the coral you would be looked at by your fellow divers as some kind of cretin, not to mention risking injury to yourself from sharp or sting-y things. Basically, the mantra was "touch nothing." So for years I kept some distance between myself and reefs, encrusted wrecks, etc., and probably missed out seeing lots of things. So, while I would like it if good buoyancy, trim, hovering, and precision control could be taught in a typical OW course, even if they can't, the students should still be taught etiquette about caring for the environment and their fellow divers.

When I finally took a course where situational awareness, good trim and buoyancy, and precision control were actively taught, and I found myself able to hover in one place close to small stuff I wanted to have a look at, it was like a new world opened up. But that was a 5-day course.

 

[nolatom]

I haven't ever been on a "resort" dive in Paradise somewhere warm and touristy where diving is available as a sideline. Most all of mine have been from dedicated dive boats and sponsoring shops around Florida east coast (mostly Jupiter or West Palm) and Panhandle, and Flower Garden Banks and Stetson Bank National Marine Sanctuaries with the liveaboard boats way off of Texas. And a few cold-water dives off Massachusetts or Rhode Island, some from shore, some from a boat.

I've never had a regular buddy, so nearly all of my dives have been with "instas". Almost all have been pretty good, good, or very good. And the very few that weren't, were at least a "learning experience" for me.

And I have to remember that when I buddy with "insta", *I'm* the insta also. And when things work out, as they almost always have, I try to remember to send a silent thanks to their instructors, the unsung heros of Situational Awareness.

So maybe those dives have been in places and outfits that attract better-situational-awareness diving? I was grateful to those more-experienced divers who schooled newbie Me early on. And have tried to return the favor when possible.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @nolatom

I have dived with many inexperienced and/or unskilled divers in SE FL (Boynton Beach, West Palm, Jupiter). I have also dived with many experienced and or skilled divers at "paradise" resorts. In fact, the distribution of divers seems reasonably similar everywhere, with the possible exception of some of the more adventuresome liveaboards I have been on. Perhaps that what you were getting at.

 

[nolatom]

Hi @nolatom

I have dived with many inexperienced and/or unskilled divers in SE FL (Boynton Beach, West Palm, Jupiter). I have also dived with many experienced and or skilled divers at "paradise" resorts. In fact, the distribution of divers seems reasonably similar everywhere, with the possible exception of some of the more adventuresome liveaboards I have been on. Perhaps that what you were getting at.

I guess I was thinking about the first couple of posts, and wrecking the coral. You're right, they are probably everywhere so I won't presume. But I haven't seen it much where I've dived. Most of which isn't coral, excepting the Flower Gardens. Which isn't exactly a rookie dive, though I did it pretty green and was fortunate to have two better buddies with a little more experience, who took me in.

 

[BikerManiac]

I was in the Philippines and there was this new diver in our group. I figured he must be new because of how he was diving and his buoyancy. I got annoyed because he kept laying on top of the reef to take pictures and kicking at the same time. I grabbed his arm and point at the reef; used my hands to tell him to level up.

After the dive, I told the DM and she was surprised about it. It turns out he was a PADI IDC Staff Instructor from Japan.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

You never know. I had a couple in a dry suit class that were already DM's. (Divermasters, not Dungeon Masters in case we need to spell out abbreviations. Yes, I was a nerd in middle school.)

Visibility was awful, so I broke the class into two groups of 4 students each. I took the DM's and 2 others to a buoy line. I emphasized they needed to keep eyes on their buddy AND on the buoy line. The less well trained (?) divers did fine, descending together down the line. My two genius DM's kept track of each other, but neither kept an eye on the buoy line. I had to chase them down, get them to the buoy, give them some vehement instruction on the surface, then try again.

Their trim was perfect. They could hover like no student I've had. But which is more important, having a clue about what's around you or a perfectly flat, horizontal descent? I know which I'd rather buddy with....

 

[mcohen1021]

(Don't get me started on my rant about photographers who elbow themselves in front of everybody and then don't get out of the way. Fortunately nobody like that in the group that I went with.)

Maybe one day that guy will be good enough to dive with a pointer stick to to steady himself on the reef!

 

[tursiops]

The PADI AOW class now has a mandatory section beyond the five dives and associated Knowledge Reviews: Thinking Like a Diver. It is supposed to be addressed in each of the five dives, in briefings and debriefings. The Instructor Slate is here: