You are not an Agency. You are an individual within an Agency- that same agency also publishes literature showing divers on their knees. I'm pretty sure there will be other instructors from other Agencies that have been teaching neutral buoyancy for just as long.
There are skills that are done on the bottom (doff and don station breathing, etc.) and other skills done in neutral buoyancy. The Agency requires each Instructor to insure that every student meets it's minimum requirements (neutral buoyancy/hover is one of these). How this is taught, is left up to the Instructor.
As I've said before, there are poor Instructors in every Agency. No doubt there are Instructors who teach most of "their program" on their knees. I say "their program," because unless the Instructor is teaching to the minimums (which is often frowned upon by peers) no two NAUI programs (for example) are exactly alike in what is actually required for certification. The Instructor is free to add to the program content and require this as a condition of certification. It's up to the Instructor to determine when the Student possesses the skill-sets and knowledge required to dive safely in local conditions and issue a card. For one Instructor the course may be 30 training hours, another Instructor 65. So in a way, each Instructor IS his own Agency (the only caveat is that minimums must be met and the training must not endanger the student).
...Some people have been arguing that the introduction of these skills (CW3) is too late and kneeling dependancy is ingrained.. PADI publishes an article saying it's OK to start them neutrally buoyant from the get-go. This is a really good move by the PADI Agency.
As PADI Instructors must not teach out of sequence, it is imperative that PADI tell the Instructor exactly when and how to introduce neutral buoyancy. Given PADI's cookie-cutter method of training, the fact that some PADI Instructors see that the Standards are unclear in when and how to introduce neutral buoyancy (and what skills can be undertaken neutrally buoyant and when this should be introduced) is enough in my mind to change the Standards and make things more clear.
From John's article it seems apparent that PADI wishes to make these changes. I completely understand this and applaud them for doing so. If I wish to make an official change in how something is done, I don't think that an article written by employees and non-employees is sufficient to achieve this. Obviously PADI doesn't think this is sufficient either. That's why they have stated that they are coming out with changes next year which will eliminate the confusion.
No other Agency (particularly starting with the letter 'N') has done anything like this to encourage their instructors to also teach this way.
First you must understand that the Agency starting with N doesn't teach it's instructor's how to teach neutral buoyancy at all. The Agency says it's a requirement for certification. Personally, I haven't met any Instructor worth his salt (from any Agency) who would require anyone to tell them when this skill should be introduced. With PADI it's a requirement. As far as I'm concerned, that's pretty sad...
As I've said, NAUI has run buoyancy work shops when the PI became available. This was the first time when 100% of the diving populace had an ability to be neutral regardless of depth. It was imo, amongst the largest innovations that I've seen in recreational diving. Over the past
40 years, NAUI has produced numerous articles which have been published in NAUI News and Sources (Journal) on this topic.
I've been teaching neutral buoyancy since 1973. I include a series of underwater hoops (horizontal and verticle) that students must negotiate at various depths. This includes one where they have to remove their equipment as it's smaller than the others and one hoop at 10 feet where they ascend, hover and stay there (simulated decompression stop) until they are cleared to surface. This is one of the sign-offs before OW.
Other than exercises that require them to be on the bottom, the course is accomplished in a state of neutral buoyancy. Students also work on this in full equipment (OW gear) in a short check-out dive in the pool before OW.
After an email to PADI I understand that making divers 'neutrally buoyant' from CW1 is fine and encouraged, however the instructor must add the air in to the BCD personally as the student has not yet 'learned' the skill- and PADI Instructors cannot change the sequence of introducing new skills. This is my take.
Yes; I also believe that that is the intent. This has yet to be clearly documented in the PADI material; which is a requirement in-light of the PADI program.
---------- Post added July 19th, 2013 at 08:59 AM ----------
...NAUI, which simply does not forbid evaluation of skills on the knees. NAUI has nothing to tell PADI about this as things stand write now. GUE, yes. IANTD, yes. But most NAUI instructors I know can no more do skills off their knees than most PADI instructors I know.
NAUI requires that the student have the ability to maintain neutral buoyancy/hover. They do not say when or how to accomplish this, only that it is a requirement for certification.
The sequence used for training is up to the NAUI Instructor. It is not a cookie-cutter approach to diver education.
I cannot attest to the level of competence of today's SCUBA Instructor. I can only attest to the competence of every diving Instructor I've certified. Not one would have a problem teaching an off-the-knees class.
We don't live in a world of absolutes. As a NAUI/CMAS Instructor, the only control I have is whether I certify someone or if they require more work before this can be accomplished. Each Diver (at whatever level of certification) must satisfy me of their competence. No organization I teach for requires me to issue a card if the minimums are met. Unless I believe that the Diver is safe to dive with a member of my family, they don't get a card. Unless an Instructor is competent to teach a member of my family to dive, they don't get a card. That's the difference between the PADI and NAUI philosophies. I'm good with that.
