At what level (if any) can scuba be self taught?

[EmptyTank]

I realize at first glance many will answer none, but bear with me here. A newly certed diver only has a cursory introduction to navigation. So s(he) goes to the local quarry or pond and does a bunch of navigation exercises after reading more in depth material. Perhaps a diver from a more tropical climate moves up north and starts to dive in some colder conditions and goes to buy a drysuit but doesn't take a class however did watch instructional videos and youtube examples. In the early days of scuba, it was largely self taught or perhaps a group of people got together and experimented with necessarily taking a class. So, how many of you went and learned a new more advanced scuba skill entirely on your own after perhaps seeing it done by another diver or reading about it?

 

[*dave*]

I believe anything in diving can be learned without formal instruction.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I have been teaching myself most of the time. Right now I am learning a dry suit. The problem is not the skills, if you read a bit, listen to more experienced divers and go slow I bet you can teach yourself the overwhelming majority of diving skills There are 2 gotchas....and both have the potential to be lethal.

1) Teachers / Instructors take the time to see what you are doing wrong and provide valuable feedback to allow you to correct yourself before you develop bad habits. Buddies and friends are not taught to be critical of your skills. Its very easy to do something the wrong way and then take the attitude "I have been doing it this way for XX years, so it must be the right way".

2) In some situations you may be putting yourself in danger without realizing it - I.E. you don't know what to don't know. The ocean can be very unforgiving :-(

 

[EmptyTank]

I agree, but it will be interesting to see what people with far more experience than I have say. I never certified beyond open water, but I can use a compass to follow a dive plan. I am pretty sure I can manage a drysuit eventually although I don't need one. I would venture to guess that even cave or other overhead environments can be self taught through a graduated process of increasing skill levels and situational awareness experience. I certainly don't recommend to anyone to just read a book and then go exploring of course.

 

[Thalassamania]

I have to agree with *DAVE*. That is not to say that self teaching is necessarily optimum or superior, just that it is possible, given some prerequisites such as reading comprehension and good water skills.

 

[DiverLS]

I started diving a drysuit 18 years ago. I don't think there was a specialty taught then. But I did miss something in my self teaching. When all is going wrong, go into a fetal position and dump the neck. I was wearing a rental DUI suit because the one I ordered didn't come in on time. That was right about the time that zip seals came in. Well, the exaust valve didn't work. But I didn't realize that until I was at 89 feet and needed to ascend. Yep - came up like the Pilsbary Doughboy. I did do the dump the neck on the next dive. Getting a little wet is preferable to a jet to the surface from 89 feet. Luckily I had no problems physically that day or later.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I also believe it is possible to learn new skills on one's own. I've picked up a few after doing some independent research and seeing other divers do them. As for learning to dive from the beginning there is a lot of material out there that someone could use. There is also some out there that could be used but does not get deep enough into the risks in my opinion. It is not all fun, sun, and pretty fishes with girls in bikini's. And that is the problem. There are enough people who would only want to see that and do the bare minimum. When I began to research tech and tech configurations I got no help from my LDS at the time and in fact had obstacles thrown in my way. Would not get me a BPW setup, grief over the long hose. I learned all of that here on Scubaboard and then managed to get with a couple friends who went GUE. But how to set up my plate, how to use gas management, how to do helicopter turns and back kicks I taught myself. My OW/AOW/DM instructor did not think those things warranted his attention. Well he did not warrant the several thousand dollars I spent with DSS, Scubatoys, Dive Sports, Dive Right In Scuba, HOG, and Leisure Pro.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I put learning scuba into three major categories ...

- formal instruction
- mentoring
- practice

Each has its place. Formal instruction gives you the tools to develop your skills. A good mentor will help you learn how to use those tools effectively. And practice helps you develop those skills to the level of a craftsman. How much of each a given individual needs really depends on your learning style. Some folks flourish in a classroom environment. Others learn best by doing. It's really up to you.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Teamcasa]

Formal learning just speeds up the process, reduces mistakes and the sharing of information simpler.

 

[--tom--]

Dave & Thal are absolutely correct.
I see two primary principles involved:
• Risk/Reward
• What is the commodity of cost

On the Risk/Reward front, books and videos are often organized by topic & sometimes the information from one section doesn't translate to the practical application with a single video demonstration. It isn't that the skills are difficult, it is just that the environment is a bit unforgiving.

On the cost driver, I think some approach this with the thought that classes are expensive. I agree, but often a third to a half of the cost of a given class are the educational materials. In all confession I was "self-taught" on dry suit, took me about 40 dives to get to the same skill my buddy was at with a class and 10 dives. Sometimes the cost is time, sometimes it is money; the learning curve is steeper with a class.