Advanced Open Water Disappointment

[Forbin's Descent]

Without further ado, the Diver’s Log pages from my PADI 5 Star Training…

And my “Adavanced” training…

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Without further ado, the Diver’s Log pages from my PADI 5 Star Training…

And my “Adavanced” training…

It doesn't look like your instructor had any F's to give. He was all tapped out. Wow, just wow.

 

[boulderjohn]

Without further ado, the Diver’s Log pages from my PADI 5 Star Training…

Well, then, isn't that special?

I hope you also had a Student Record File, a beige folder that is identical to the first pages of the book. The book is your record; they keep the SRF. You and the instructor should have signed both. Did you sign the SRF? Did you even see it?

Look at the list of skills for the confined water dives. Did you do all of them?

Look at the OW dives. You will see what skills are supposed to be done on them. Did you do them?

To be blunt, this is a disaster. You should contact PADI about both courses.

 

[Forbin's Descent]

Well, then, isn't that special?

I hope you also had a Student Record File, a beige folder that is identical to the first pages of the book. The book is your record; they keep the SRF. You and the instructor should have signed both. Did you sign the SRF? Did you even see it?

Look at the list of skills for the confined water dives. Did you do all of them?

Look at the OW dives. You will see what skills are supposed to be done on them. Did you do them?

To be blunt, this is a disaster. You should contact PADI about both courses.

I remember signing a credit card receipt.

I believe he did have the beige folder in the shop but I can't recall signing anything in it. As far as what is listed in the dive flexible skills I did one CESA and removed my gear and put it back on at the surface. Didn't touch a compass the whole course, never saw any type of safety sausage. I think i may have done the cramp removal. Definitely didn't do a tired diver tow. I did an air share ascent but it was during covid so we couldn't breathe each others regs so it was more simulated. Did mask clearing. When he did stamp and sign my book it was well after the course. I remember I left it with him to fill out all his stuff and he just never did. I had to keep asking him for the book and then he finally threw the times on there you see, signed it and stamped it with his shop stamp. He also signed and stamped dives I did after the course that I did with my new buddy that he wasn't even part of.

 

[Forbin's Descent]

I was certified much more than 20 years ago, and it was also done in 3 days. It was not until I became a DM years later that I realized how many standards were skipped to make that happen. I should have known, because I can look at my original logbook and see how many skills my instructor signed for that we did not actually do. I never looked. Why would I?

So you had a similar experience with poor training. Was it with PADI as well or another agency?

 

[tursiops]

You know, it helps to have a sense of humor and laugh once in a while. You should try it.

And you should stick to your commitment to not throw out inside jokes and expect the world to laugh at them. I laugh a lot, often at the stuff on SB.

 

[tarponchik]

It isn't, but planning a 100 foot dive is different than a 60 foot dive, at least it is for the way I teach it. The problem is that standards allow for a much shallower than 100 foot dive is allowed. So you could get your AOW with a deep dive to 61 feet (for any active PADI instructors, feel free to correct that by citing the standards which are not in front of me right now). I know a local instructor who did that for a student who was scared to dive deep.

I think that was a huge disservice to the student.

Well, the limit is set at 60 ft. So there must be some difference between 50 and 70 ft?

 

[johndiver999]

And you should stick to your commitment to not throw out inside jokes and expect the world to laugh at them. I laugh a lot, often at the stuff on SB.

You make me laugh - at some of the stuff you post.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Well, the limit is set at 60 ft. So there must be some difference between 50 and 70 ft?

Sure, the pressure goes up by 0.6. Unless you are highly susceptible to narcosis, I don't think it matters that much from that, as when it comes to technical diving, an END of 100 feet is the target for gas selection. Gas consumption goes up, but not a huge amount. I don't have dive software/tables to compare NDLs at those two depths.

I don't know what you are getting at. One value is 10 feet shallower than the depth to which open water divers should be trained to reach and the other is 10 feet deeper. The industry has to set some value (my opinion - yes, I do realize some open water certifications are set to 130 feet - which I don't agree with, but that discussion would take this even more OT).

 

[tursiops]

Well, the limit is set at 60 ft. So there must be some difference between 50 and 70 ft?

I think you are missing the point, perhaps on purpose. For the OW class and less than 60 ft dives, planning is minimal. For the Deep dive of AOW, and eh Deep specialty, planning is critical. Gas goes away faster, narcosis is possible, CESAs are more problematic, and it may be darker and gloomier and colder. Ideally, you'd go to 100 ft to actually experience all this that is different on a deep dive, but at least you can be made aware of it and plan for it...even at 70 ft.