UPDATE: so I appreciate everyones input and advice and Just wanted to give a little update on what ended up happening. I just got my OW certification this past weekend at Ginnie Springs and It was a lot of fun. Turned out that me and my GF, dive buddy, were the more "competent" out of everyone. We ended up practicing outside the pool and doing a lot on our own to get ready and It really paid off, they had 4 instructors there and split our entire class up. The trip had about 30 people which was then split into four groups of 8-7. It was ok for us because the instructor that we had been training with took our group but the other groups were with instructors that didn't know the students or the other way around. I can confidently say that I feel prepared to dive on my own thanks to the advice from Scubaboard and the training I got. I just wish I could say that about the other students that went on that trip....
Concerned with my Instructors Methods/OW certification class
- Thread starter sealsix14
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DukeAMO
Contributor
Congratulations!
Holy cow, 18-21 students! That is way too big for one instructor.
We had a bunch of college students doing their OW checkout dives at the same time as ours, and it was a large group (probably 12-15) with two instructors. I have to say, they were not nearly as competent as our class (8 students with 1 instructor and 1 instructor in training), which is still large. (We only had 3 students on our checkout dives; the class split up for those.) For example, a bunch of the college students forgot how to do a giant stride properly (fins not on, mask not on, or fingers not on mask and regulator). I heard one of the instructors say, "these are your checkout dives, people, you should not be messing these things up". Uh, yeah! The students just didn't seem to be taking it seriously; they were too busy socializing.
Good for you for getting the extra practice in! Now go diving so it "sticks", and keep practicing a few skills in every dive.
---------- Post added May 1st, 2012 at 01:17 PM ----------
P.S. Our OW certifications were at Devil's Den and Blue Grotto - right in the same neighborhood. What a pretty area!
Holy cow, 18-21 students! That is way too big for one instructor.
We had a bunch of college students doing their OW checkout dives at the same time as ours, and it was a large group (probably 12-15) with two instructors. I have to say, they were not nearly as competent as our class (8 students with 1 instructor and 1 instructor in training), which is still large. (We only had 3 students on our checkout dives; the class split up for those.) For example, a bunch of the college students forgot how to do a giant stride properly (fins not on, mask not on, or fingers not on mask and regulator). I heard one of the instructors say, "these are your checkout dives, people, you should not be messing these things up". Uh, yeah! The students just didn't seem to be taking it seriously; they were too busy socializing.
Good for you for getting the extra practice in! Now go diving so it "sticks", and keep practicing a few skills in every dive.
---------- Post added May 1st, 2012 at 01:17 PM ----------
P.S. Our OW certifications were at Devil's Den and Blue Grotto - right in the same neighborhood. What a pretty area!
Thanks!, and yeah it was a lot of people especially when doing our skills down in the eye, not the cave but the entrance at about 16 ft. I definitely think that the University program tried but didn't provide the training or one on one time that most students needed but hopefully they work on it. I can't wait to go again, I think we are planning on taking a trip to Pensacola to do some diving out there but we might be taking AOW or at least a Boat diving specialty since we don't have experience with it yet.
And the water was so clear there!...except for when every single person would swim in front of us on the bottom and kick up the most silt possible. Thats when I didn't enjoy it..too many people with no manners.
And the water was so clear there!...except for when every single person would swim in front of us on the bottom and kick up the most silt possible. Thats when I didn't enjoy it..too many people with no manners.
TracyN
Contributor
What day were you down there? My friends and I were cave diving on Friday and there was this huge OW class sitting on the floor of the eye blocking everything. I didn't think you could fit so many people into one small space. I know I smacked a couple with my fins accidentially as I was exiting the cave. It looked like a giant cluster. Congrats on your cert by the way.
Congrats on your cert by the way.
Congratulations.
Hopefully your next trip to the "eye" will not be as congested.
I cannot imagine that many people down there either.
I have fond memories there. I guess I was lucky. Just my Instructor and me. With him watching my reel skills. Great viz.
Hopefully he has stopped laughing by now!
Hopefully your next trip to the "eye" will not be as congested.
I cannot imagine that many people down there either.
I have fond memories there. I guess I was lucky. Just my Instructor and me. With him watching my reel skills. Great viz.
Hopefully he has stopped laughing by now!
lv2dive
Formerly known as KatePNAtl
Do you know how everyone else did? Did they work through their issues and pass? Just curious!
And congrats to you and your girlfriend for taking your destiny into your own hands, and for doing so well
TracyN :
Thanks! and Yeah we were there on friday in the eye, and we had a group of 3 cave divers come out and I think that could of been you lol, one of them was using a hollis sidemount and the other BM I think. Sorry if we were in the way! I didn't get why we would squeeze in a small place where theres and entrance and exit from the cave.
Davemohio:
I can't wait to go back and actually be able to see everything as clear as I should be able to and enjoy it with more "breathing room".
Katepnatl:
There was one buddy team that should'nt of gotten there certification in my opinion, one girl didn't go down on almost all the dives, and had to redo her skills even after the first dives which were ment for the skills. I mean theres nothing wrong with having to do them again but I'm just saying that I wouldn't want to dive with them. And as for everyone else I think they did "ok". They know how to plan a dive, and dive their plan...somewhat. I think they don't think about it as seriously as others do but thats probably just because we got our cert. so besides kicking up all that silt everyone else seemed good.
And a little site note..I'm a bigger guy so I was pretty sure my SAC was going to be high and when we calculated it after our first few dives almost all the other guys finished their tanks and had rates of like 30 or 35..and mine was averaging 21 which was surprising. Its just amazing what you can do when you breath correctly : ).
Thanks! and Yeah we were there on friday in the eye, and we had a group of 3 cave divers come out and I think that could of been you lol, one of them was using a hollis sidemount and the other BM I think. Sorry if we were in the way! I didn't get why we would squeeze in a small place where theres and entrance and exit from the cave.
Davemohio:
I can't wait to go back and actually be able to see everything as clear as I should be able to and enjoy it with more "breathing room".
Katepnatl:
There was one buddy team that should'nt of gotten there certification in my opinion, one girl didn't go down on almost all the dives, and had to redo her skills even after the first dives which were ment for the skills. I mean theres nothing wrong with having to do them again but I'm just saying that I wouldn't want to dive with them. And as for everyone else I think they did "ok". They know how to plan a dive, and dive their plan...somewhat. I think they don't think about it as seriously as others do but thats probably just because we got our cert. so besides kicking up all that silt everyone else seemed good.
And a little site note..I'm a bigger guy so I was pretty sure my SAC was going to be high and when we calculated it after our first few dives almost all the other guys finished their tanks and had rates of like 30 or 35..and mine was averaging 21 which was surprising. Its just amazing what you can do when you breath correctly : ).
TracyN
Contributor
Hey. I was the one in the sidemount rig. Sorry if you were one of the ones I nailed with my fins. I really didn't mean to do it. I'm curious though, what were you guys doing that required you all to sit on the floor in a circle?
I was the one in the sidemount rig. Sorry if you were one of the ones I nailed with my fins. I really didn't mean to do it. I'm curious though, what were you guys doing that required you all to sit on the floor in a circle?
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lol thats fine I wasn't the one you hit, but it wasn't that bad, pretty close to a miss. I didn't think it was a great idea, but we were doing our initial skill evaluations...such as full mask clear, sharing air, gear removal, weight belt removal. I must say that trying to get my weight belt back on while having to spin down in that hole with 8 people was not that fun. we did the other skills with a drift dive in the santa fe and stopped at the hole at about 20ft to do the sharing air ascent,ESA and mask removal and such. We did go down to the devils ear entrance though was was pretty awesome, I mean not in but right to the entrance and It's amazing how much water is rushing out of that cave.
p.s I don't think doing our skills on our knees in a circle was beneficial as everyone was kicking up silt and making it hard to see and when we did the drift dive they would glide along the bottom kicking up crap. I have some video I took with my gopro but I'm kind of embarrassed to post it because I'm using my hands too much and you can see that in the video lol.
p.s I don't think doing our skills on our knees in a circle was beneficial as everyone was kicking up silt and making it hard to see and when we did the drift dive they would glide along the bottom kicking up crap. I have some video I took with my gopro but I'm kind of embarrassed to post it because I'm using my hands too much and you can see that in the video lol.
RonFrank
Contributor
I have a good friend who teaches through CSU. I accompanied him to BH a few weeks ago for the AOW CO dives. My buddy is a very good instructor, but it would be interesting to hear an OW students perspective vs. his instructors view.
I'm betting the newbie view maybe very different from the instructor view. I'm guessing my buddies perspective is more in line with reality.
Obviously this student had no clue how the CO dive would go, but it was planned well. That is not surprising as they are professionals. We need to be careful of judging a situation based in one side of a story.
I'm betting the newbie view maybe very different from the instructor view. I'm guessing my buddies perspective is more in line with reality.
Obviously this student had no clue how the CO dive would go, but it was planned well. That is not surprising as they are professionals. We need to be careful of judging a situation based in one side of a story.
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