Search results

Good points. It's the same where I live. I think the key is what you mentioned at the end - nearly all of your local instructors DM'd locally for a substantial amount of time before becoming instructors. I think the zero-to-hero thing is bad generally, but the issues with it get compounded...

Regular dive tables and many computers calculate NDL based on surfacing at sea level. If you surface at a higher elevation (lower pressure), you increase your risk of DCS. Similarly, if you surface at or near sea level but then quickly ascend to a higher elevation, whether that be in a...

I handled one and was decidedly underwhelmed. First thing, that huge "S" logo on the face is beyond annoying. The thing already says Scubapro at the bottom, so it doesn't need a glaring digital "S" taking up huge screen real estate when it's in watch mode. It's tacky looking. I think the...

I seem to recall reading that Snow was going to fail her IE but another instructor said he/she would sign off on it. But I don’t know if this is true or just hearsay that got passed around.

I'm only a DM and not an instructor, although one day I may pursue an IDC. But my opinion is that IDCs should be done in conditions/locations where the person is going to be working or hopes to be working. I don't know where Snow lived and dived before her IDC, but it seems to me that learning...

On the other, other hand... All students are supposed to be taught how to do a proper weight check, and it is a skill that is repeated several times in both confined and open water. Yet a lot of divers either skip this step when they go out on their own or just overweight themselves so they...

I think it's because the "law of primacy" is tossed around like it is, well, an immutable law of learning. It's not. There's plenty of evidence to suggest that the the law of recency is in fact what's at play. Think about how many of us were taught on our knees. Do we revert to that...

I agree 100%. The problem is that most times students don't get to choose their instructor, or even interview them beforehand. They walk into a shop, inquire about OWD certification classes, and sign up. The person they talk to might be the shop owner, manager, or just a sales person. That...

You are correct in that this is the way training agencies use the term mastery. For them, it is relative to student level. That's okay. I would argue, however, that it perhaps would be better to use the term "competency." No one uses the term "mastery" the way that PADI does, as far as I know...

I think people have an issue with this definition of mastery. I'm not one to get caught up in semantics, but I would rather see "competency" in place of "mastery." To me, mastery means having great knowledge and skill. I don't expect any OWD students to have that level of skill. They should...

You are absolutely correct. However, an individual's experience is just one data point. If we gather enough of these data points we can begin to understand trends and patterns, and then make necessary adjustments. We cannot, however, simply make blanket statements that all instruction is a...

So, in your esteemed opinion, all instructors must know everything about all pieces of equipment, all manufacturers, etc. in order to be considered competent? I get it. You were trying to make a joke. It failed. Accept that and move on. You had a bad experience with a shop and continued to...

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't understand how this is evidence of widespread incompetence in instruction. It's not really evidence of anything, other than this person is starting an IDC and wants some feedback on good BCDs to use while teaching. No different than the countless posts on SB asking...

My understanding is that these tragic deaths have not been conclusively linked to breaking standards or poor training. In the case of Coyne, I've read it was likely an improperly serviced rental regulator. If that was the case, no doubt the shop should have been held liable. But it's an...

You could care less about the history of it because you insisted it was one thing, were disproven, and now feel some sort of way about that. In high school we had algebra and then advanced algebra. No one who passed the latter thought for a minute they were some super duper elite...

You really need to read up on the history of how AOW started and what it really means.

You can export from MacDive and import the file into Subsurface. Other logging programs might work as well. If you use Subsurface, export from MD as an xml file. It works better that way. But for now I’m sticking with MacDive.

I want to like Subsurface. I really do. But man that UI is just so horrible. It makes Shearwater's look good, and that's saying something.

@wetb4igetinthewater I didn't want to hit the reply button and quote your whole post since it was on the longer side. I would disagree with saying that training students on their knees means their training sucks. It's not optimal, for sure, and I wish that all instructors would move away from...

I think most people accept this. After all, when you are talking about a large number of instructors, a large number of shops, and a lot of students, there's bound to be some issues with a certain percentage of them. However, one of the pervasive attitudes on these boards - at least as it is...