ANyone ever fail

[sdexcalibur]

Have you or is their anyone you know that fail the cert. class? Maybe they just freaked out way to much or just couldn't handle something.
When I finished High School I took the ASVAB to get into the military. My buddy that was all gun ho about joining was on his 4-5th time, and at that many tries they make you wait 6 months to a year to take it again. Sad to say he never made it in.:tribute:

 

[kodiak]

My daughter who did her open water when she was 13 with me, had to do the OW twice. She did everything very well until she had to remove her mask at depth, put it back on and clear it. She has never dove since which is a real shame.

 

[MNScuba]

Fail?

I don't know if you can technically fail the OW, either you realize it's not for you and move on or you just plain give up. I am not aware of any maximum attempts or the like. SCUBA is not for everyone, that's for sure. I will never cut down someone who can't pass the course, its a totally unique environment that we're not used to. I feel that mask removal is probably one of the most uncomforable skills someone would have to complete in the course and could definately discourage them from wanting to try it again.

I did see someone in my OW have problems however, and I think they are going to try again. The water was really cold (42), they were nervous and their buddy ditched them once... Three strikes right from the get-go... Could this person still be a great diver? Of course they could, but the circumstances were not favorable this time around. Perhaps when the water warms up and they try again it will be a whole new ball game and hopefully this person will pass with flying colors.

 

[ScubaScott]

I've seen a few fail OW the first time. Some got in and tried again a day later, others never bothered. I believe its just like MNScuba said, about being a unique enviroment, and thats its not for everyone. My wife did fine in the pool, but jumping in a lake is another story.

Another question - how many of us know OW certs who have never dove after being certified?

 

[Tavi]

I met a woman while traveling. She said that she didn't certify when she took her first course. She paid for "private lessons".
Personally I think she bought her c-card.
When talking about equipment, SPG's came up, she asked "do I have one of those?".
Most of her dives were holding onto the Divemasters arm and not even finning. Then later saying how great her air consumption was (well no $h*t).
No, I don't know where she was from, or which agency issued her c-card.

I don't like the Idea of this kind of thing going on but I'm sure it does. I hope she doesn't get hurt. I think she was a "vacation only" diver.

 

[MNScuba]

Vacation Only Divers

That's very common in my neck of the woods. Statistics here say that 20% of the people who complete OW in Minnesota dive locally. My class had 3 out of 10 say they would, and who knows if they ever will. (And I was one of the 3.)

That means 80% of the people completing OW certification in this state are vacation only divers... I'm guessing that Minnesota isn't the only state with similar figures, so when you think about it, your chances of diving with someone who has little experience is fairly high. They may be a 10 year certified diver with only 20 dives under their belt!

All of this is based on some survey I'm sure, so don't take my thoughts as absolute truth... Just something to think about I guess.

Someone on this board has a signature that pretty much sums this up...

 

[Marlinspike]

During my AOW there was a couple in the class who were having a lot of trouble. They never seemed interested in learning the skills iether. It almost seemed like they thought they could instantly dive just because they had paid thier money and bought their gear without ever learning how to equalize or read a compass. It makes you wonder how they got their OW in the first place.

They eventually took themselves out of the class after the first day. It almost seemed like their OW was just given to them. They lacked even the most basic underwater skills, like equalizing and clearing, or adding air into a bc without shooting for the surface. Our instructor was very patient and tried to get them to work through the skills but it was fairly apparent they were not going to make it through. They were a hazzard to themselves and others. I think in this case the instructor kept trying with them until they realized for themselves it was not for them. We were all impressed by his patience.

Marlinspike

 

[DivingGal]

Both on the written exam and for the o/w skills. A couple (thanking some superior being) never did pass - if you had met these guys you'd be saying Darwin candidates. Yet others have had additional coaching/teaching and have eventually passed.

 

[Kayla]

I have never seen it, but when my dad was certified, on their last OW dive, the instructors and students were playing with sea cucumbers, and the instructor put one on the head of one of the women in the class. She panicked, shot to the surface, swam to shore, and has never dove sense. It was too bad, because she was perfect at all of her skills too.


Kayla

 

[devilfish]

Too many pass their OW without being well prepared since the instructor did not do the job well. As a result the largest cause of droputs, people who go through the course, get their "C" card and never dive again is about 85%.