Search results

Yes, where are you located? I live in Charlotte and our Team Coordinator (York Co SC) is generally willing to train with other teams. I think he and maybe some others have been DRI certified before but none of us are current.We're all volunteers with various levels of experience; from PADI OW to...

Well, there are 4 other dive shops within 30-45 minutes of Diver's Supply, and one more I've heard about a little further away. The one run by the "ex-con" is a good shop as well. The have ScubaPro and their own on-site pool so prices are a little bit higher. I had heard rumors about the owner...

Our team is all volunteer. As Gary points out we're recovery, not rescue. We're not well funded and like most places we have our issues. However, I love serving the area with the team and I really appreciate the things I've learned in the past few months. As I transition into a larger role with...

If any of you have an AGA I can have real cheap I'll happily make my sport diving conform to my PSD work. :) Except for the pony/AGA/manifold setup I PSD with my own gear. Even to the buddy line and pelican; I'm still learning and I want to learn right. When I can afford to set aside the Air2...

Reiterating that I have no life, today is my birthday and we're heading to the quarry. One of the guys on my team has not gotten a lot of dives lately so we're going to get him wet. We'll also have german chocolate cake if you can make it. :D Back to the Air2 question. I've been working...

Have to agree with Gary. If you're interested in fixing it yourself, check out: http://www.ncdivers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=613 ciao! leam

Our team requires each person have mask, fins, and suit. However, we use AGA masks and have suits so it seems more to be an evaluation of the individual. If your team doesn't have a lot of equipment they probably don't have anyone who knows how to get grant monies or solicit financial support...

Lots of good questions, let me share what I know. My level is not much further along than yours so please don't take what I say as gospel. First, many PSD people suggest a diver have NO experience, it's easier to train a new diver than to break skilled ones of purely sport habits. That said...

My understanding is that the agencies prefer open-water dives. For a PADI divemaster it's ~50 dives and I think 100 to start the instructor path. Locally we don't have our own pool but we do have quarries and lakes to do our training in. The best of both worlds if you ignore the muck and broken...

Okay, so getting an AOW C card really isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things. It's not even that big in the scuba world, given the zillions of people who are AOW or higher. Some PSD teams even require AOW as the minimal for operational readiness. Which is exactly the point. Mel...

Okay, so I have no life and have spent Saturday evening working on my diving rig. There are some big questions that I don't yet have answers to though. Advice appreciated. Weight belt. Still having issues with this. I normally wear 14-16#. If I put it on last like a good boy it slips down to...

For those who care, our team is thinking about hosting a DR1 class this fall. We are also looking at a NASAR 2 program as well. I expect to work my rear end off helping set these things up. Hopefully I can go to the classes. :) ciao! leam

Ken; There are probably lots of teams in your area. As BridgeDiver suggested, you'll probably want to find a team and meet with them a bit. They'll give you the opportunity to see how this side of the watering hole lives. They will also probably have a main organization they work through...

Just wondering how much to borrow from the solo divers as far as equipment, processes, and mentalities. Any suggestions? ciao! leam

Ed; First of all, welcome to the PSD forum! You'll find a good "signal to noise" ratio here, a lot of honest PSD thoughts, and some stong camaraderie. Even if I can't spell it, it's here. ;) I am a newbie to PSD and recently returned to diving. I've been training with our team for a couple...

I wonder if burn-out is affected by burn-in, the way we are introduced to the work? The Team Coordinator (TC) we have does some after training talks. We suffer, unlike Gary D's team, with a low training turnout. A weak point in the team but as I think I've already mentioned, we have several...

Yup, all volunteer. I am maniacal about training and our TC is as obsessed. He wants us to be safe and professional. Part of my frustration is that I've been training people in various other things for more than 17 years. When I came on board here I was impressed with the organization and...

Like Suthnbelle said, our team is all volunteer. So anyone who goes pays their own way. Given personal financial constraints it may be the next year or tow before I can go. :( However, the flip side is that our team trains a lot and we're never shy about doing more training. Some of the...

Hmm...where to scrounge up $350? If I can do that I'll be there! ciao! leam

I get to help with training and the Team Coordinator (TC) is receptive to ideas. Our biggest struggle seems to be motivation; getting people to show up and get certified on basic tasks and meet fairly minimal standards. We've had 4-6 water trainings and still don't have every one of the 10 or so...