A compassionate instructor
- Thread starter Paladin
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
Paladin
Contributor
The mother (my wife) would not sue anyone. She was right there at poolside, watching and approving.
its a 5' pool for crying out loud.
a tad difficult to drown in one even if you are a 11 year old. you're strapped to a device that can keep you afloat, you have gear that allows you to breathe underwater and you're right beside an experienced diver, who knows at the very least how to inflate your BC to get you floating.
there is an instructor and DM in the pool all trained to handle a rescue scenario if one should arise.
diving in the sea with 10 yr old JOW divers is many times more dangerous and yet "the standards" allow this. diving in the sea with 50 year old unhealthy smokers is dangerous and "the standards" allow this. 6 year old kids swimming in backyard pools without floatation devices and breathing equipment is dangerous and yet nobody thinks about it twice.
why insist that the standards apply to every scenario when in this case, it might be ridiculous to apply them?
the legal system may find fault with the instructor because of "the standards" in which case, i think the american legal system is terribly flawed. but lets not get started on that.
a tad difficult to drown in one even if you are a 11 year old. you're strapped to a device that can keep you afloat, you have gear that allows you to breathe underwater and you're right beside an experienced diver, who knows at the very least how to inflate your BC to get you floating.
there is an instructor and DM in the pool all trained to handle a rescue scenario if one should arise.
diving in the sea with 10 yr old JOW divers is many times more dangerous and yet "the standards" allow this. diving in the sea with 50 year old unhealthy smokers is dangerous and "the standards" allow this. 6 year old kids swimming in backyard pools without floatation devices and breathing equipment is dangerous and yet nobody thinks about it twice.
why insist that the standards apply to every scenario when in this case, it might be ridiculous to apply them?
the legal system may find fault with the instructor because of "the standards" in which case, i think the american legal system is terribly flawed. but lets not get started on that.
DaleC
Contributor
One day we will be able to visit museums where we will be able to see how people used to do things before the lawyers made us afraid to do anything.
Because of liability issues it will not be interactive.
Because of liability issues it will not be interactive.
As a DM, you should know better than this.
You don't pick and choose which standards you think are relevant -- if you want to set your own standards, then create your own agency. There are ways in which the instructor could have handled this without breaking any standards, and I would encourage the OP to pursue them.
Paladin954, I don't think there is anything wrong with what you or the instructor did. You took junior in for a dive in the pool (if it were out in the OW that would be a different issue) with professionals around him and not to mention the years of diving experience you have; I also think it's great junior was able to sit the written exam and prove his knowledge.
Sounds like it's only a matter of time before junior can build up stamina for the swim test.
Good luck,
Starlet
Sounds like it's only a matter of time before junior can build up stamina for the swim test.
Good luck,
Starlet
LeadTurn_SD
Contributor
Paladin954,
Thanks for sharing the story. I'd say the instructor does have a big heart.
My take on the safety issue is that the instructor felt comfortable enough with you and your 11 year old to do what he did; that says a lot about both of you.
In the vast majority of situations like this I would have to fully agree with Peter's & joolz's points; but my guess is that this instructor would not do this very often.... only if he felt it was safe to do so.
Have fun with your "diving family". Having my own kids express an interest in diving is what got me to dust off my mask and fins too
Best wishes.
Thanks for sharing the story. I'd say the instructor does have a big heart.
My take on the safety issue is that the instructor felt comfortable enough with you and your 11 year old to do what he did; that says a lot about both of you.
In the vast majority of situations like this I would have to fully agree with Peter's & joolz's points; but my guess is that this instructor would not do this very often.... only if he felt it was safe to do so.
Have fun with your "diving family". Having my own kids express an interest in diving is what got me to dust off my mask and fins too
Best wishes.
As a DM, you should know better than this.
You don't pick and choose which standards you think are relevant -- if you want to set your own standards, then create your own agency. There are ways in which the instructor could have handled this without breaking any standards, and I would encourage the OP to pursue them.
agreed.
the instructor could have stood beside him watching the kid and charged them a couple of hundred dollars and given him a shiny new plastic card saying "PADI seal" or something along those lines. that way the kid has fun and PADI makes more money from the professionals following "the standards". yay everybody wins!
i agree with a lot of the standards, not all of them. some just dont make sense to me. 50 year old fat unfit smokers are allowed to dive but lets say a physically well developed and intelligent 9 year old is not because he is a couple of months shy of his birthday. yes yes i know that standards, like laws, are based on a majority of the populace. unlike in the rest of daily life, there is no scuba police and no scuba courts to decide where to draw the line in the big gray area on a case by case basis. 90% is self regulation and the instructor made a decision to allow the kid to dive at a depth of 4' in a pool where he could keep an eye on him and made sure that there was an experienced diver beside him to guide.
i'm sorry but i dont follow "the standards" just because they exist. call me unprofessional or an idiot, i dont think i'm doing anything particularly wrong just because i disagree with some of the things PADI says. i have a brain and i choose to use it rather than to trust my life to a few lines in a book. PADI says its ok to ascend at 18m a minute, i say not ok, go slower, be safer. PADI says not ok to let a OW diver go below 18m, i might make an exception to bring one to 20m to see this awesome moray that hangs around in that spot.
a lot of things are left up to personal judgement. in the case above if i were there i might think that hey the kid doesnt look too comfortable in the water even though he passed his tests, no go for a quick taste for scuba. the instructor felt it was ok, maybe he was right, maybe he was wrong, i dont know.
but i'm not going to go all STANDARDS STANDARDS STANDARDS on him just because they exist. different people, different standards. who is to say i'm wrong and they're right?
shrug.
Kudoo's to the instructor for letting the kid play.
This is becoming an on going trend, ecspecially with newbie instructors who paid alot of money, for alot of c- cards that dont mean squat. One little hiccup the person is disqualied. I have seen and heard this repeatedly.
One of the most common is Medical Issues. I get people That tell me that Bob in florida or Randy in maui said " I can't Scuba Dive because I have allergy asthma" Or " I am on Blood Pressure Medication". "They said the doctor wont sign off on me"
It doesn't mean they cant dive. It means they need clearence from thier doctor, And it isnt that freakin hard either.
Another is practicing, " It was really weird so the instructor said I cant do it" Some instructors are becomeing super lazy with thier job.
Do you guys have a clue on how many people I take diving in the above situations, Because I take the time to get Med clearence or take the time to teach them/ Practice with them/ Let them play in the pool. With 0 accidents.
In this case, I wasnt there and it sounds like like all the critics were'nt either.
Have you all heard of the " Discover Scuba Experience". Becuase That is what this was.
A dm or owsi can teach this in Confined (I'll make that big for you) Water. It is Basically Module 1 of the OW book. From what paldin said he did pretty good on his academics.
It also sounds like Confined water was happening. Since they are at all Pool. There is no Standard That says " the student must do the swim before he enters CW" He Must however do it before they graduate it.
Also what freakin standard was broken? He tried the swim and couldn't do it. so now he cant touch SCUBA Equipment under the supervision of professionals with his Father and mother Present. Do you really think a Father/ Mother would Put their child in a position that he had an inkiling would kill his son?
Paladin Did you sign any waivers for your child/ children?? And you Pros with an opinion Read exclusion 11 or 13 of your insurance and educate yourself a little bit.
You Guys Need to go look at yourself in a mirror and remember What got you into Scuba Diving, And remember that.
I do it everyday, Literally.
Paladin bring your son to me Ill help get him thru that swim all on his own for free. ( I am not Paying for the tickets though ;0) )
This is becoming an on going trend, ecspecially with newbie instructors who paid alot of money, for alot of c- cards that dont mean squat. One little hiccup the person is disqualied. I have seen and heard this repeatedly.
One of the most common is Medical Issues. I get people That tell me that Bob in florida or Randy in maui said " I can't Scuba Dive because I have allergy asthma" Or " I am on Blood Pressure Medication". "They said the doctor wont sign off on me"
It doesn't mean they cant dive. It means they need clearence from thier doctor, And it isnt that freakin hard either.
Another is practicing, " It was really weird so the instructor said I cant do it" Some instructors are becomeing super lazy with thier job.
Do you guys have a clue on how many people I take diving in the above situations, Because I take the time to get Med clearence or take the time to teach them/ Practice with them/ Let them play in the pool. With 0 accidents.
In this case, I wasnt there and it sounds like like all the critics were'nt either.
Have you all heard of the " Discover Scuba Experience". Becuase That is what this was.
A dm or owsi can teach this in Confined (I'll make that big for you) Water. It is Basically Module 1 of the OW book. From what paldin said he did pretty good on his academics.
It also sounds like Confined water was happening. Since they are at all Pool. There is no Standard That says " the student must do the swim before he enters CW" He Must however do it before they graduate it.
Also what freakin standard was broken? He tried the swim and couldn't do it. so now he cant touch SCUBA Equipment under the supervision of professionals with his Father and mother Present. Do you really think a Father/ Mother would Put their child in a position that he had an inkiling would kill his son?
Paladin Did you sign any waivers for your child/ children?? And you Pros with an opinion Read exclusion 11 or 13 of your insurance and educate yourself a little bit.
You Guys Need to go look at yourself in a mirror and remember What got you into Scuba Diving, And remember that.
I do it everyday, Literally.
Paladin bring your son to me Ill help get him thru that swim all on his own for free. ( I am not Paying for the tickets though ;0) )
Last edited:
plumcrazy
Registered
Blah blah blah blah blah, what heartwarming story nearly ruined by a bunch of "standards." This event probably made this kids summer. I know that if that event wouyld have happened to me it woul have been something I would never forget. It would also have really motivated me to reach a self imposed goal of becoming a stronger swimmer just so that I could do this my own, wow what a concept, a kid making a goal for himself and being motivated to acheive it. KUDOS to the nice man for thinking of junior. I'll probably regret hitting "send" on this post but its how I feel................
Similar threads
