coberry7 once bubbled...
But what if the problem is hidden from the intructor for some reason? Or if the problem and discomfort manifests itself after initial certification
Good point. We can read people pretty well, as instructors. But sometimes we are unaware of things (like a students discomfort) unless it is brought to our attention.
Sometimes a student is quite comfortable during training, then once they are out there without the instructor, they are less confident.
I do however feel that someone should be proficient with ascents prior to certification. Sounds like perhaps a little more supervised training would help in that department.
Qmed,
I agree that OW is just the beginning, but perhaps a better way to put it is "a licence to safely learn" . Certifying a diver who has trouble controlling rapid ascents could indeed be labeled "Gross Neglegence". That may not be the case here, granted, but scubajunkie's description raises that question. With good training, and 26 dives under the weightbelt, still having trouble with ascents, you gotta agree that maybe some pro help would be beneficial.
I am in total agreement with your statement "Now, too often are instructors critisized for what amounts to "new diver delemas". This solves nothing other than to "assign blame" for ANY issue. "
So let's not "blame" the new diver either. This is equally unproductive. It's great that they are asking questions, lets not scare em off. I am confident that you did not mean it that way, but reading your post, It's easy to get that impression.
Scubajunkie,
You are asking good questions. I hope some of the responses are helping. Does the depth of the dive affect your comfort level? Perhaps some shallow dives, or even pool dives would help gain confidence. You may consider talking with your instructor about this. Maybe you could do some practice in the pool during the next class. Perhaps even accompany the next class during the open water dives. I know for me, at first, I felt much better with my instructor on the dive.
Best of luck,
Andrew