Continuing Ed. or just paying to dive..

[MXGratefulDiver]

I will stipulate that you could edit as many completely off base paragraphs from his posts:

OK ... I there may be validity if you accept his assumptions at face value.

Again I ask ... what "you" is he talking about?

It matters ... because not all scuba instructors were created equal. Many that I know give more to their students than they charge for. FWIW - the majority of mine eventually become dive buddies. Do you really think the education ends with the receipt of a C-card? I'm not unique in that respect ... far from it. There's an awful lot of instructors out there who give an awful lot of time and effort to their students outside the classroom.

One cannot simply dwell on the "minimum standards" and assume that all instructors teach to them ... that may be the case in some parts of the world, but it certainly isn't around where I live ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[RS]

Got news for ya Twiddles ... it never ends. No matter how good you get, there is always more to learn. And you won't learn most of it in a classroom ... you'll learn it underwater. Find a mentor ... get out and dive.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Thanks for giving me a reminder of how to better realize the dream of enjoying a major part of our world!

One thing I'm getting out of this thread is that I am the most significant component in my training, and that I have to make it happen. I cannot simply pay someone or some agency and expect results. I don't really care about the money (of course within reasonable limits!); but you gotta fund your desire, and learning can be quite expensive.

And thanks to Twiddles for getting it started.

 

[pir8]

Wheres GreatfulBob

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

One thing I'm getting out of this thread is that I am the most significant component in my training, and that I have to make it happen. I cannot simply pay someone or some agency and expect results. I don't really care about the money (of course within reasonable limits!); but you gotta fund your desire, and learning can be quite expensive.

Most threads that discuss training boil down to "it's the instructor" ... but it's equally true that "it's the student". The world's best instructor can't make someone learn if the student doesn't respond with effort, and a desire to learn.

You get what you pay for ... but not all of what you pay is money. And some of the most important lessons won't happen in a class.

Taking classes won't make you safe. Applying what you learn, practicing your skills, and developing an awareness of what's going on around you is what will make you safe. That comes with practice. Underwater is an environment we were never designed for ... the person who can adapt to that environment without some amount of post-class effort ... without some amount of mental and emotional "flutters" ... is the exception.

It is true that "you don't know what you don't know" ... and that a good instructor will help you become a much better diver than a poor instructor ... but you are, indeed, the most sigificant component in your training ... because your own effort and attitude about learning is really the only component that you completely control.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[alcina]

Thanks, Bob...that's an excellent summary and a good reminder to us all - student and teacher. I find myself in both roles daily

 

[TSandM]

Probably the biggest, and most transformative part of my diving education came from a single instructor. And I didn't pay for a penny of it. This was an instructor who recognized a student who was truly hungry to learn, and motivated to improve, and freely gave of his own time (and a lot of it) to help. He more or less sacrificed a fair number of dives to coping with a buddy who did descents on her back, had marginal buoyancy control and NO situational awareness and who misinterpreted most signals. The only thing I had going for me was pretty good air consumption . . .

This instructor patiently worked with me, starting from the beginning: How do I descend? He taught me how not to swim with my hands, how to trim myself out, how to do a modified flutter kick and not leave a silt trail behind me. He taught me about my equipment and how to manage things. He introduced me to the entire concept of gas management. And in the end, he left me with an insatiable appetite for learning about diving.

The instructor in question is Bob . . . NWGratefulDiver. He is a beautiful example of how a good number of people who teach diving do it for the love of the sport and for the satisfaction of watching someone's delight as they improve, and not for the money.

BTW, the GUE instructor I rave about also dives with his former students at no charge. I don't think this is exceptional, or even rare.

 

[alcina]

I don't think this is exceptional, or even rare.

I think you're probably right, at least from my experience.

Many instructors do instruct for a living/second income etc and no one should be EXPECTED to work for free.

I'd say that both of the excellent examples you cited would be a little miffed if some guy off the street came up and demanded to be taught for nothing and to take as many hours of time as he wanted to! I know I wouldn't be particularly keen...

 

[Marvel]

Probably the biggest, and most transformative part of my diving education came from a single instructor. And I didn't pay for a penny of it. This was an instructor who recognized a student who was truly hungry to learn, and motivated to improve, and freely gave of his own time (and a lot of it) to help. He more or less sacrificed a fair number of dives to coping with a buddy who did descents on her back, had marginal buoyancy control and NO situational awareness and who misinterpreted most signals. The only thing I had going for me was pretty good air consumption . . .

This instructor patiently worked with me, starting from the beginning: How do I descend? He taught me how not to swim with my hands, how to trim myself out, how to do a modified flutter kick and not leave a silt trail behind me. He taught me about my equipment and how to manage things. He introduced me to the entire concept of gas management. And in the end, he left me with an insatiable appetite for learning about diving.

The instructor in question is Bob . . . NWGratefulDiver. He is a beautiful example of how a good number of people who teach diving do it for the love of the sport and for the satisfaction of watching someone's delight as they improve, and not for the money.

BTW, the GUE instructor I rave about also dives with his former students at no charge. I don't think this is exceptional, or even rare.

Now, why am I not surprised??? Post-certification, I've been blessed to be able to dive with many, many instructors who have helped me to learn & been patient with my mistakes. Walter, Pete, Renee, Dan, MB (where's my book, dude?) to name just a few of the SB member-instructors. Not one single one of them has ever mentioned the word money to me, despite all the help, instruction & guidance they have given.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Now, why am I not surprised??? Post-certification, I've been blessed to be able to dive with many, many instructors who have helped me to learn & been patient with my mistakes. Walter, Pete, Renee, Dan, MB (where's my book, dude?) to name just a few of the SB member-instructors. Not one single one of them has ever mentioned the word money to me, despite all the help, instruction & guidance they have given.

HA!
Not me!
I do it for the big bucks!
Why, last year alone I made....
lemme see, here,
looking through the taxes...
flip, flip, flip... here we go, schedule C, scuba diving instructor...
Wait a minute!
That's a (negative) number!
How can that be??? I had over a hundred students, many of them con-ed, and overcharged every one!
With greed and avarice in my heart!
Must be my math.
Rick

 

[spectrum]

It is true that "you don't know what you don't know" ... and that a good instructor will help you become a much better diver than a poor instructor ... but you are, indeed, the most sigificant component in your training ... because your own effort and attitude about learning is really the only component that you completely control.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That should be burned into the back of every OW C-card!