Personally I think your instructor sees you as an ATM machine. U-Boat diver course? Really? Computer Nitrox? does that mean you cant dive without a computer?
Just my 2psi....
Just my 2psi....
Any reason to pay for more C cards?
- Thread starter stuartv
- Start date
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WarrenZ
The Ultimate Bad Example
One card I needed to show that I never thought I would ever need was a drysuit card to dive with a class in my personal drysuit when I explained that I never bothered to go beyond the orientation dive when I bought the suit I was no longer allowed to dive in the class OR use any of the shops tanks for my personal dives. not sure if boat diver or computer diver cards would have the same inpact but if they are cheap you never know maybe a shortcut to master diver..
I have observed instructors do overlapping courses before when taking an SSi night dive course. Ideally night would involve two dives. One to case the area in daylight the second the night dive. Nav takes two dives. They did three dives with the second Nav dive being the see in day light night dive. I just did the last two since I had SDI nav already. This was SSI. I do not have their standards book for SSI.
I did the boat dive course SDI. Did not seem much to it. But wanted the specialty for SDI MSD.
I carry two computers and have never been asked for a card for either one. Never felt the need for that course.
Generally in taking courses I have avoided double counting like you can do with AOW. Felt the extra dives were more experience.
I did the boat dive course SDI. Did not seem much to it. But wanted the specialty for SDI MSD.
I carry two computers and have never been asked for a card for either one. Never felt the need for that course.
Generally in taking courses I have avoided double counting like you can do with AOW. Felt the extra dives were more experience.
OP
Here is the breakdown:
SDI Deep requires 2 dives. The book for the course is actually titled something like "Deep Diver and Computer Diver". It is intended that they be taught together.
SDI Computer Diver also requires 2 dives.
The Standards for SDI Deep say "this course may be combined with the SDI Computer Diver Specialty." So, Deep and Computer together only require 2 dives.
SDI Wreck requires 2 dives, with an optional 3rd for limited penetration certification. The book for the course is actually titled something like "Wreck, Boat, and Drift Diving." So, the book actually covers all 3 specialties and they are intended to be taught together.
SDI Boat requires 2 dives off a boat. AFAIK, there is no restriction to prevent those 2 dives from also being training dives for another specialty. However, it doesn't really matter in this case.
Our instructor taught the full content of both books - i.e. Deep, Computer, Wreck, Boat, and Drift. Plus an additional 2 days of U-boat specific stuff.
We did 1 pool session for training in swim-throughs and how to run a guide line using a reel.
We will do 5 training dives over a period of 2 days in the local quarry. That will satisfy the requirements for Wreck and Deep and Computer.
We will do an additional 4 dives over 2 days from a boat, off NC, to dive the U-352 and the Indra. That will satisfy the requirements for Boat.
So, please everyone, let your instructor standards violation angst relax.
Obviously, I didn't make it clear enough in my OP (though I did state it) that the course covers all the requirements for issuing the additional certs (Computer and Boat). My only question was whether it's worth the extra $30 - 40 to have the 2 extra certs put in and cards issued. It appears not. So, even though I will have had all the training and be fully qualified to have those two C cards (and probably Drift, too), I don't think I'll bother to get them. I don't care about having cards just for the sake of having cards.
If this is multiple cards for the same set of dives, I think it's actually incredibly sad. Sad that the instructor would devalue his instruction to that degree, and sad that the student would ever want to get certification cards for courses they didn't actually do the course work to earn.
Now, of course, a boat diving class can be pretty worthless. Mine was. I dove off a boat in the presence of an instructor, and got the card. In fact, if you read the PADI instruction guide on that class, there is a lot of stuff that can be presented and practiced in the class, besides knowing a "head" is the toilet, and which side of the boat to vomit off of . . . I have never seen a syllabus for a "computer diver" class, but can imagine how I would teach one, and it would be worthwhile -- at the very least, we could do some dives and compare what the tables would tell us about them to what a computer download says, and look at compartment loading (if the student's computer doesn't permit that, mine would). You can make any diving class valuable, if you care; you can demand that it be valuable, if YOU care.
Collecting cards is fairly meaningless. Collecting education is not. Handing out cards without education is reprehensible.
Now, of course, a boat diving class can be pretty worthless. Mine was. I dove off a boat in the presence of an instructor, and got the card. In fact, if you read the PADI instruction guide on that class, there is a lot of stuff that can be presented and practiced in the class, besides knowing a "head" is the toilet, and which side of the boat to vomit off of . . . I have never seen a syllabus for a "computer diver" class, but can imagine how I would teach one, and it would be worthwhile -- at the very least, we could do some dives and compare what the tables would tell us about them to what a computer download says, and look at compartment loading (if the student's computer doesn't permit that, mine would). You can make any diving class valuable, if you care; you can demand that it be valuable, if YOU care.
Collecting cards is fairly meaningless. Collecting education is not. Handing out cards without education is reprehensible.
OP
The SDI Boat course was, for you, one of the 4 required specialties (plus Rescue)?
I am anticipating my MSD specialties to be Adv Buoyancy, Nitrox, Wreck, Deep, and Rescue to qualify me for MSD. That should be fine, right? I did not bother with the SDI Advanced Adventure Diver (equivalent to PADI AOW). I couldn't see the usefulness of paying for a course to do one dive each from 5 different specialties. I figured I'd just go straight for the full specialties and be done with it.
I am debating taking the Underwater Nav course. But, as I am already reasonably skilled at orienteering with a compass on land, my shop's instructors have told me I probably wouldn't get much out of the course and, with the other specialties I already have (or will have), there was no real reason for me to take U/W Nav. Which is also one reason I don't feel like they are viewing me as an ATM.
Another reason is that the U-boat course is taught by the group (club? I'm not sure what to call it) I joined - BAREG (Battle of the Atlantic Research and Expedition Group). My LDS helps BAREG by providing classroom space and the admin for the course. The whole course, with all the training and certs I already described, is only $200 for BAREG members. That is another reason why I really don't think they are looking at me as an ATM. Even with them offering to enter the additional certs that I will qualify for for just the admin fees.
---------- Post added April 9th, 2015 at 02:20 PM ----------
This all comes across as very accusatory and derogatory about the class I posted about. To summarize my last post:
4 days of classroom over 2 full weekends
1 day of pool on a separate weekend
9 open water dives, including 4 from a boat, over 2 full weekends
All completely to SDI standards for the respective C cards, only combining training dives where allowed.
That really makes you sad? You really think that's reprehensible?
as an instructor I LOVE people who like c-cards! yes, some people collect c-cards. good for the industry.
on a serious side and as a diver, if the c-card actually includes some real skill development, some tangible knowledge or skill that you want then c-cards are great. I only teach specialties that actually have real skills and knowledge that serve to make one a better, safer, more knowledgeable diver.
you can always shuffle thru your stack of c-cards around new divers to show them how cool you are.
on a serious side and as a diver, if the c-card actually includes some real skill development, some tangible knowledge or skill that you want then c-cards are great. I only teach specialties that actually have real skills and knowledge that serve to make one a better, safer, more knowledgeable diver.
you can always shuffle thru your stack of c-cards around new divers to show them how cool you are.
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