Could someone tell me?

[Aquamaniac]

I have no idea, it was a long time ago...............
But i really hope it isnt, surely not, please let it be wrong.
Answers anyone?

 

[Rick Murchison]

Kneeling, on a platform there for the purpose, is an efficient way to get beginners through their regulator retrieval/clearing, mask clearing, weightbelt off & on & BC off & on without stirring up the surrounding bottom. We have 'em do those drills there, then get 'em into a hover before moving them over the natural bottom.
While it would be nice to have the time to hone buoyancy skills to the point the students could do these drills in mid water without flailing - crashing into the bottom and really stirring it up or rocketing to the surface because they're concentrating on clearing the mask instead of fine tuning buoyancy, it just ain't gonna happen, and having them kneel in a nice stable position actually results in far less silting.
Everything else y'all are whinin' about needs fixing, but if you want to see a real flailex, try taking students on their first open water dives without letting them use the bottom for stability.
Rick

 

[Aquamaniac]

I see your point, and agree to an extent.
Platforms and pools are PERFECT for those first stages, I just think a student should be able to have semi good control before being set loose on the reef or silt.
If its a case of not having enought time, or students not being ready, then THAT is the problem.
Why should a student kneel on the bottom on a check out dive?
Are you saying they are not good enough at that point?

I dont think a student should leave the pool until thay can control bouyancy to a competant level. If that takes an additional 4 weeks of pool dives, then so be it.
Dave

 

[jepuskar]

I was at Haigh this weekend... 8am to 2pm both Saturday and Sunday. Many many divers, mostly getting their open water cert. The platforms were filled with students etc etc.

I was there practicing my videography skills, by taping the students. I can agree with Mike on the issue that students were tearing it up, and me to on occasion. But nowhere near what it would of been 15 dives ago. Mike, I think you need to lighten up a little....do you think these students really cared about landing on or stirring up the bottom? Heck no.....when I did my dives, I knew it wasn't right to be on the bottom, but I was more concerned about breathing etc etc. If I was an instructor, I would mention it in the dive debriefing, but I certainly wouldn't make it a big issue during the open water cert. dives. Students have to much on their minds.

I can understand your pain, but I certainly hope you rethink your strategy about letting your feelings be known. Sounds like you had a bad day. Personally, I thought Haigh's viz was excellent. I have seen it far worse than that. The rock crusher was completely visible all at once, and same with the boat the day before. That is a first for me for both objects.

So as long as your here, I might as well learn something. So give me some free advice related to anti-silting techniques so me and several others can learn the proper way to not make a mess. I can adjust for neutral bouyancy, but I think my fin kicks might be stirring things up. I am not familair with anything but the most common kick..whatever thats called.

JP

 

[Dan Gibson]

This post seems to be on many lists today. It appears that we had a rather bad weekend everywhere.

One thing that many of you may no realize is that there was an unusually high number of students this weekend. If you are wondering why, take a look at the high school programs. Several are getting ready for there fall break trips to places like Coz and Belize. You have groups of 50+ students making trips in a couple of weeks. Hopefully this will be the last weekend of such crappy conditions.

I say kill these programs where they barely get by, or spend the time and do a better job. That is aimed at some of the dive shops that participate in this assembly line training crap.

Dan

 

[ColdH2Odvr]

Silt is just so much more practical than line. It’s cheaper, you never run out and you can’t get tangled in it. If you need to find your way back just turn around, as long as you can’t tell where you’re going you’re just fine.

 

[jbd]

do a search for fifthdimension on this site. There are some short video clips on the fifthdimension site that show some of the different kicking techniques that are helpful in reducing silt clouds.

One thing that I have noticed is that many divers just simply need to learn to stop moving their legs. Even on the surface while waiting to dive many people are kicking to stay afloat or whatever.

Take some time to truly master the ability to be neutrally bouyant AND absolutely motionless. Its not hard to do but it does require conscious effort at first.

Since you are interested in UW photography and videography this would be a highly desirable skill to master as would some of the other finning techniques.

Just another personal observation--diving takes a fair amount of practice to be really good at. A lot like martial arts training--its easy to learn how to do but takes time to truly master. To me thats part of the fun in diving.

 

[Walter]

Life is tough, most instructors are incompetent. Unfortunately, there's nothing you or I can do about it. You take pride in your work, I can tell because of the many discussions we've had in the past. Most instructors are either not able to teach correctly or they do not care to do so. The divers they produce are unaware of their deficiencies. If approached correctly, divers are usually willing to listen to tips. The problem is incompetent instructors are teaching them faster than we'll ever be able to ubdo their errors.

 

[rusky4u]

That`s the beauty of the “Dive Today” and “Everyone can Dive” marketing effort of dominant agencies…

They just make it so easy…

All u need is 2 buy a c-card, some nice looking gear and get wet!

Don´t worry about buoyancy control that’s something that will come up with time!

So what, you are destroying a coral reef, no big deal, what you need is the Advanced Course!

Finished the Advanced? Cool, what you need now is to be a safer diver! You should become the proud owner of a Rescue Diver c-card!

Congratulations! Got certified as Rescue? You are ready to be a leader!!! GO PRO !Become a Divemaster!!!! All you need are 20 dives to start!!!

Hey dude, I think u have Instructor material!!! Come and do (pay…) the Instructor course!!! Its so COOL to b an Instructor!!!!

I see it everyday…and it just goes on…and on…and on…

 

[detroit diver]

jepuskar once bubbled...
.....
So as long as your here, I might as well learn something. So give me some free advice related to anti-silting techniques so me and several others can learn the proper way to not make a mess. I can adjust for neutral bouyancy, but I think my fin kicks might be stirring things up. I am not familair with anything but the most common kick..whatever thats called.

JP

JP,

The common kick you refer to is the flutter kick. It's probably not only the most inefficient kick out there, but also the worst for silting. The driving force of the fin is not directly behind you-where it should be- but mostly upwards and downwards. The down stroke forces water below to cause silting if you're anywhere near the bottom.

The most efficient kick is the frog kick and modified frog. All of your energy is forced directly behind you propelling your forward. There is no water going down to silt if you're doing it correctly. The best way to see this is on the Fifth Dimension website:
www.fifthd.com

There are a few videos showing divers in action doing the different kick styles. It's worth a look.


I must have missed the previous posts when I did this. Sorry for the redundancy.