Had my first student today

[JRK44]

As a trainee divemaster I had my first student today and I took her through open water 2.

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

For those reading along, much of the controversy that follows begins here. Are we taking about Open Water Dive #2, or Confined Water Dive #2?

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I took her through her pre-dive safety checks and explained how a dive doesn't begin when you splash, but when you prepare your equipment, pack your gear and plan your dive(s).

She seemed a little nervous so we talked about the skills that we were going to do during the dive, what hand signals I would use and the steps of each skill.
I feel that I could have done better on this. I made it sound like a mechanical exercise and didn't place enough emphasis on why we do the specific skills or when they might come in useful.

Underwater, things went well and she did very well considering that it was only her second dive.

I also practiced being neutrally buoyant with her.
I see this as a key skill and my honest personal opinion is that if a student's buoyancy is bad enough to warrant purchasing a PPB speciality after open water then the instructor should offer a refund.
Open water shouldn't be about ticking a box to say that you've completed a set of mechanical skills. It should be about moulding a person into the beginnings of a competent diver.
She did really well.

I don't know why I'm writing this. I guess I just really enjoyed it and am keen to share my love of the ocean and nature with others. I find diving very grounding and hope to be able to pass that energy on to others

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Congrats and spot on about buoyancy!!

Out of curiosity, where was the instructor when you were doing OW2?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The transformational aspect of teaching is the greatest reward. And you'll never be finished with fine tuning your teaching. It is a great indicator that you review yourself. Your future students will benefit.

 

[JRK44]

Congrats and spot on about buoyancy!!

Out of curiosity, where was the instructor when you were doing OW2?

Thank you.

She was sat a short distance away watching

 

[tursiops]

This does not sound right. A DM trainee has no business leading an OW2 class. What agency was this under?

 

[JRK44]

This does not sound right. A DM trainee has no business leading an OW2 class. What agency was this under?

I was not 'p1'. I was under the supervision of an instructor.
Should have made that clear in my original post, I apologise, though I did clarify in post #4.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

Thank you.

She was sat a short distance away watching

She was in the water with you or sitting on the surface watching?

 

[JRK44]

She was in the water with you or sitting on the surface watching?

Oh she was in the water kneeling with us not far away.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I am happy you got to experience this but I have serious concerns about your instructor. A DM, let alone a DMT, should never be conducting an OW course dive. Per the agency I teach for ,a DM (again, NOT a DMT) can "Supervise students while the instructor conducts a skill." This means if there is more than one student, the DM keeps an eye on the student(s) not currently doing a skill with the instructor.
Other than that, you are also allowed to "Accompany students under the direct supervision of an instructor during surface swims to and from entry and exit points, and during navigation exercises."

A DM should never be conducting skills in an OWC and certainly not a DMT.

You mentioned buoyancy is key for you but you then state the instructor was kneeling not far from you. If you and the student were both kneeling, I would suggest looking into training students neutrally buoyant and in trim. There are many resources out there as well as here on SB that talk about how to do that and why it is better than teaching on the knees, especially since we don't dive on our knees.

I am not trying to rain on your parade here. I understand your excitement but have to point out the major flaws as well as what I would consider massive standards violations by your instructor. This is meant to help you see where things are going wrong so that when you become an instructor, you do not make the same mistakes.

 

[JRK44]

I am happy you got to experience this but I have serious concerns about your instructor. A DM, let alone a DMT, should never be conducting an OW course dive. Per the agency I teach for ,a DM (again, NOT a DMT) can "Supervise students while the instructor conducts a skill." This means if there is more than one student, the DM keeps an eye on the student(s) not currently doing a skill with the instructor.
Other than that, you are also allowed to "Accompany students under the direct supervision of an instructor during surface swims to and from entry and exit points, and during navigation exercises."

A DM should never be conducting skills in an OWC and certainly not a DMT.

You mentioned buoyancy is key for you but you then state the instructor was kneeling not far from you. If you and the student were both kneeling, I would suggest looking into training students neutrally buoyant and in trim. There are many resources out there as well as here on SB that talk about how to do that and why it is better than teaching on the knees, especially since we don't dive on our knees.

I am not trying to rain on your parade here. I understand your excitement but have to point out the major flaws as well as what I would consider massive standards violations by your instructor. This is meant to help you see where things are going wrong so that when you become an instructor, you do not make the same mistakes.

Thank you for your input, it is appreciated.