That depends totally on the completeness of the initial course, it could possibly be that there is nothing left to do, and free is a great price for nothing.
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I score only two out of three on that list. I definitely know how to set up my gear, and except for a handful of warm-water vacation dives, I've planned every frikkin' dive I've done. But please, please don't ask me to determine how much weight I'm gonna need if I'm diving with a 3 mil shorty or a 7 mil hoodie + farmer John, or with an Al80 instead of a 15L 200bar or 10L 300 bar steel (granted, give me my PC and the buoyancy characteristics of that Al80, and I'd probably be able to come up with a decent educated SWAG). Ask me what I need with my current DS and undergarments, I can tell you in a second. Ask me what I need with a five mil WS, I'll check my logbook. Anything else, and I just wouldn't know, and would have to break out my dusty OW book to give you a number at all. I'd probably just ask my guide for a number, though.The ones who can't set up their own gear, determine how much weight they actually need on their own, can't plan a dive without a DM or instructors assistance.
I have no idea.
However I will say that any OW diver that has had the lessons spread out over several weeks and 16-24 hours of pool time spread out over a similar period is going to be a better diver than a the same person person who had one long pool session then went out for OW dives the next day.
It's a question of whether the point of the class is long-term competency or just the ability to check the boxes on a few forms.
flots.
Haha, 24 hours of pool time? Exactly how much are students paying or instructors charging for a course that includes 24 hours of pool time? An 8 week dive class? How much are students paying and instructors charging for 8 weeks of class? Jezz, I wouldn't be diving now if I had to do months of training before being certified. Some of you guys need to get a grip. Just because maybe you took 8+ weeks to learn doesn't mean anyone that does it in a few days is an unsafe or bad diver, or that it's a poor program.
There is no question that if you use good teaching technique and teach a person for longer and longer periods of time you will get a better diver. The question to ask is if that is necessary to serve the purpose of the class. I said something like this before. If I create a new agency that requires 60 hours of pool work, two full semesters of college level academic preparation, and 30 OW dives to get certification, I guarantee that the OW divers we produce (if any) will be better than any OW divers produced by any other agency in the world. Can I then look down on them for producing inferior divers, or can they look at me like some sort of a crazed idiot?
A properly designed educational program has enough time and effort devoted to the class to accomplish the goals for that level of instruction. It doesn't have too little time, and it doesn't require more than is necessary.
There is no question that if you use good teaching technique and teach a person for longer and longer periods of time you will get a better diver. The question to ask is if that is necessary to serve the purpose of the class. I said something like this before. If I create a new agency that requires 60 hours of pool work, two full semesters of college level academic preparation, and 30 OW dives to get certification, I guarantee that the OW divers we produce (if any) will be better than any OW divers produced by any other agency in the world. Can I then look down on them for producing inferior divers, or can they look at me like some sort of a crazed idiot?
A properly designed educational program has enough time and effort devoted to the class to accomplish the goals for that level of instruction. It doesn't have too little time, and it doesn't require more than is necessary.
Haha, 24 hours of pool time? Exactly how much are students paying or instructors charging for a course that includes 24 hours of pool time? An 8 week dive class? How much are students paying and instructors charging for 8 weeks of class?
I don't doubt that taking 8 weeks / 24 hours of pool helps many to be more confident and comfortable in the water and increases their knowledge. The fact remains that a large percentage of customers can't or don't want to dedicate that amount of time towards getting certified. In the market areas that I have worked in, most dive shops wouldn't be able to survive if they only conducted dive courses that took that long and cost that much. A customer would simply drive down the street and take a class that costs less and took less time with a different dive shop.