Current SCUBA Instruction Techniques

[Jim Lapenta]

Diver0001, I can state categorically that Walter is an instructor in good standing with SEI and we are fortunate to have him in our ranks. Why do you think he came out of retirement?

As to the OP you can also PM me for info on a SEI Diving Instructor near you. As Walter alluded to we teach all of what you expect and more in our OW course. Just drop a line to SEI Diving HQ or myself for more info on our courses.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

Hey, Guys,

I'm a new member of this forum and I'd like to put forth a personal observation concerning current SCUBA instruction, if I may.

When I was a boy, way back when, one of my favorite TV shows was SEA HUNT, starring Loyd Bridges. In 1962, at the age of eight, I collected trading stamps (anybody remember those?) to get my first set of snorkeling gear and taught myself how to snorkel. Three years later (1965), a friend of my parents (Harold) learned of my fascination with diving and, during one of our visits to his home, he took me out to his garage and showed me a couple of Aqualung double hose rigs that he'd had for a few years. He had been a Navy Frogman in the 1950s and had brought the rigs home with him. I drooled over the rigs and fingered the two hose regulators (DA Aquamaster). He asked me if I wanted to buy one but I didn't have any money. Then he offered to give me the rig if I would cut and trim the grass on his property for the summer.

Every Saturday, I would spend the day working, then go into the garage to look at the Aqualung rig. Then, two weeks before our agreed upon time was up, the rig disappeared from the garage. I asked Harold where it was and he wouldn't tell me. He just told me not to worry about it.

Two weeks later, I finished cutting and trimming his property and went in to close the deal. There, in his kitchen, was the rig. The tank had been hydro tested and painted. The regulator had been serviced and looked like new. Over in a corner was the other rig. It, too had been refurbished. Although we had not discussed it previously, Harold was including SCUBA instruction in our deal.

Over the winter, we went over the "head work" of diving. I learned the science of SCUBA, how to read the Navy dive tables, safety procedures, etc. In the spring, we went out to the river and I began to learn the skills I would need to dive safely: Emergency ascents, buddy breathing, how to clear the mouthpiece of a two hose regulator, calculating air consumption and timing my dives (we had no SPGs), using the J-valve on my tank, etc.

Harold was not a diving instructor, nor was he certified himself. He taught me what he had learned in the Navy and we filled our tanks (or "Lungs" as he called them) from his compressor. I dove with him and, occasionally, a couple of his buddies for the next eleven years. Then, in 1976, Harold suffered a heart attack and died suddenly. Before I had an opportunity to speak to his widow about his equipment, she disposed of it. Without that compressor, I could not fill my tank.

In 1978, I learned of a new dive shop that was opening in my town and went right in to sign up for the certification course. I told the shop owner of my experience and, instead of the usual three week course, he just had me take the written test, then had me go out with his next class to have me demonstrate my skills. After a weekend of diving, he gave me my C-card. I continued to use my old tank and regulator for a few more years before trading them in on a new Sherwood steel 72 (with J-valve) and an Aqualung Aquarius regulator. I still have both of these, along with an AL80 I bought in '91.

In those days, emergency ascents, buddy breathing, air consumption and the like were standard skills that had to be mastered before being certified. We had no BCDs, dive computers and the like. The only equipment we used were the tank/regulator rigs and our basic snorkeling gear. Everything else was done in our heads.

I quit diving in 1993 after my first wife (and diving partner) and I were divorced. I stored my equipment in the garage and pretty much forgot about it. Then, a couple of months ago, my sons expressed an interest in SCUBA diving and I decided it would be a good sport for us to share.

I have been teaching them to snorkel and want them to master snorkeling (to become comfortable in the underwater environment) before moving on to SCUBA.

Imagine my surprise though, when we paid a visit to a local dive shop, to find out that the old skills aren't even being taught anymore! No emergency ascents, no buddy breathing, no dive tables, nothing! Everything is done by computers, octo rigs, BCDs and such! Modern divers look more like some kind of alien space critter than divers and they depend almost entirely on their equipment for their safety. I'm afraid I just cannot go this route with my sons. Oh, sure, they'll have to take the course as offered in order to get their C-cards, but I can assure you that this will be only the beginning of their education. I am going to teach them all the old skills so that can be more confident divers and will be able to handle themselves whatever comes up. They will learn to dive with nothing more than the most basic equipment; to rely on themselves and their skills instead of a lot of technological gear that could fail.

I am a staunch follower of the old KISS principal. The more technological something is, the greater chance something can go wrong. But, that's just me, I guess.

That was a nice post, but I worry you may be thinking too much about "the good old days" instead of actually looking at the individual merits of today's equipment

You mention buddy breathing, and while it's a skill I wouldn't mind being practiced in open water training since it is one of the "last resort" OOA options, the "new" octos are generally a much safer and easier way to share air, don't discount this "extra" hose

I still want them to teach and still use tables when planning dives. However, dive tables are horrible for multi-level dives: they eiether involve being ridiculously conservative or doing some rough math in your head to try and estimate your nitrogen levels. Computers aren't perfect, but they can give you a good idea of how much dive time you have, as well as give warnings about fast ascents, keep track of data, and various other functions.

SPGs were a huge improvement, plain and simple

For cold water diving in a 7mm wet suit, I don't care how good of a diver you are, proper buoyancy requires a BC on deeper dives.

What about all this other "alien gear"? Knives and scissors can be the difference between life and death if you get tangled, safety sausages, whistles, and Diver Alert can save you if you surface away from a boat, a pony bottle could save you in an OOA or other emergency situation: having good skills can lower the chances of these things happening, but not eliminate them: I'd rather be prepared.

It's always easy to get that sense of nostalgia and think "things were so much better back then" but usually things get replaced for a reason, and don't try to just brush off new technology that makes life better because "I didn't need it". Also don't fall into the trap of "good skills can solve all problems", which is no better than thinking "good equipment can solve all problems": it's a mixture of the two that will keep you safe.

What you may be interested in for yourself and your kids is DIR diving (I think there is an entry level certification course). I don't understand it completely, but it seems like they encourage diving without any unnecessary gear and really focus on teaching solid foundational skills. It may be a good middle ground between dated, unsafe techniques and today's mainstream certifications.

 

[Diver0001]

Diver0001, I can state categorically that Walter is an instructor in good standing with SEI and we are fortunate to have him in our ranks. Why do you think he came out of retirement?

That's good news. Since the day I met him he's been a crystal clear example of the uncompromising professional and (if he knew it or not) a mentor to me.

R..

 

[JohnQPS122]

I went through the PADI course with my wife last year after taking time off for 20 years. They still teach emergency ascents and dive tables.

When your buddy is out of air, though, they teach that you give them your regulator and let them breathe from it - same as the first step in buddy breathing - but instead of passing it back and forth, YOU start breathing from a second regulator attached to your tank. That's a lot safer than passing one regulator back and forth. I learned to Buddy Breathe in my classes 20 years ago, but even at that time every diver had an octopus, so we never had the need to buddy breathe in real life.

Although we didn't use it in my first class, "the wheel" (dive table for multi-level dives) was available when I was diving in 1985-1987, and a BC and alternate air source were standard issue equipment. So none of those things are really "new" in any way - certainly not new since you quit diving in 1993. I can't remember anyone not having a BC and Octopus when I was diving in the late '80s, not even my instructors who had been my dad's dive buddies in the late '70s (when they really had no BC and no Octopus).

I'm not sure when computers became standard issue, but they didn't teach computers in my wife's class last year, they didn't even teach "the wheel," they taught the normal recreational dive planner, which you use the same as the Navy tables you and I learned on, but with slightly different numbers.

But I certainly understand your shock. Last year in my wife's class I had a hard time figuring out the Alternate Air Source being integrated into my BC inflater, and weights being integrated into the BC. After diving with them a few times, though, it was clear that they are much better than the old gear.

And our first time diving with a guide last year, I sat down after the dive with my watch, my depth gauge, and my Dive Tables and did the math, and decided we were all going to get "the bends" because we were down too deep for too long according to the tables. I was pretty upset.

Guess what, though, we didn't get the bends because - as my computer predicted, even though our maximum depth was X, we only spent a few number of minutes of our dive that deep, not the entire dive, and when we came up to a much shallower depth and continued diving for so much time, our bodies got rid of nitrogen, etc. We were WAY within the actual safe limits for multi-level diving.

So yes, it's weird at first, but you'll get used to it. In my car, I still don't like anti-lock brakes, and I hate traction control, and I dread the day when I might bump something and that air bag is going to explode in my face, but I don't let those things prevent me from driving a new car. Give the new stuff a chance, take your time with them.

I'm just now learning about dive computers before our next trip. They are much less mysterious once you read the instructions. Here's a safety and reference manual I've been reading before I buy a specific computer, it will explain how dive computers work in general, and how to use them safely:

http://www.oceanicworldwide.com/pdf/12-2262-r06.pdf

By all means, teach your kids the old ways, too. You're right, the more you understand that stuff, the safer you'll probably be. But try to be receptive to the new stuff. Take your time. I think you'll like some of it. Despite not liking much of the electronic controlled stuff in my car, I wouldn't give up the power brakes and power steering because I remember driving cars that didn't have them. Be safe, and have fun!

 

[bleeb]

As a general question, when you did your initial OW training, how deep were your free ascents? Although this is just a detail, it might help a bit to make sure everyone is talking about the same thing, when saying they were taught and practiced emergency ascents in training.

IIRC, when I was first certified, we simulated a 30' ascent by swimming about 30' horizontally but starting from only about 3' deep (the shallow end of the pool). The rationale was that this was less risky than a real ascent in case someone screwed up, and might actually have been slightly more difficult without being able to take advantage of buoyancy.

OTOH, here on SB, some of the old-timers trained in the early days have talked about having to repeatedly practice 100' ascents as part of their initial training. Deeper than current generation basic OW certificates, but then, it's been frequently suggested here on SB that the original courses were more like the current OW, AOW and Rescue courses combined.

 

[Slonda828]

Hey, Guys,

I'm a new member of this forum and I'd like to put forth a personal observation concerning current SCUBA instruction, if I may.

SNIP

I am a staunch follower of the old KISS principal. The more technological something is, the greater chance something can go wrong. But, that's just me, I guess.

There are quite a few of us who feel this way. I learned how to dive off the books while deployed in the military, and I feel exactly the same way you do. Last weekend I dove with a J valve, doublehose regulator, a military harness, and a watch. You should check out Vintage Double Hose . The NAVED, or National Association of Vintage Equipment Divers, still dives exactly the way you learned. By keeping the history and techniques peculiar to vintage diving alive, we keep diving from turning into just an activity! Thanks for the story!

 

[Paladin]

Okay, since around 1980, when I bought my US Divers Aquarius, and especially after buying an AL80, I have used an SPG. When diving, I most certainly do use current dive tables. I merely said in my post that I learned on the Navy tables because that was what was available at the time. And yes, I do carry a knife.

Yes, BCDs were available as far back as the 1970s. I tried them (the jacket type with the built-in tank holder) and didn't like them. Too bulky and troublesome. You have to adjust the darn things every time you change depth a few feet. I do, however, often wear a lighter snorkelers vest for surface flotation at the end of a dive as a convenience, as many divers of the early days did. But this is just my personal preference. By trial and error, I learned what weights to use under what circumstances. However, I have considered getting a "horse collar" type BC for use as surface flotation simply because they are more rugged than a snorkeler's vest. Also, it seems that charter services now require their clients to have them. That doesn't, however, mean that you actually have to use it if you don't want to.

Yes, we did safety stops in the "old days" and we were very much aware of decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis and the like. We knew pretty much everything you newer divers know and much of what you now know was discovered by us "old timers."

I am not criticizing the use of the new "convenience" technology or those who prefer to use it. I apologize if it came off that way. If a diver wants to let his/her technology do the work for him/her and is happy diving that way, by all means go for it. I have no quarrel with you.

But, for me and mine, I think the old ways should be taught as a basis for use of the new tech in case something fails which, according to Murphy, it will.

The people of my LDS do not teach emergency ascents because, they say, your buddy will have an octopus. The same goes for buddy breathing. They don't teach the dive tables, they say, because everyone uses computers. They don't teach proper weight and balance because, they say, everyone uses a BCD. Then they begin showing the prospective student all the nice, new (and expensive) SCUBA toys hanging on the racks in their shop and telling him how indespensible they are.

As I said in my original post, I follow the KISS principal. My vehicle has no power windows, OnStar, computers or such because I have learned over the years that the more complicated a machine or procedure is, the greater chance there is for something to go wrong. Up until a few years ago, I flew a 1946 Luscombe that had no electrical system, no radio and no starter. It was as basic an airplane as you can get and it never failed me.

Yes, in comparison to modern SCUBA, the conditions under which we dived were rather primitive. But this has its advantages in that we were taught self-reliance and were drilled in what actions to take in an emergency. This was the reason we practiced the old "doff and don" technique. By being able to safely go from SCUBA diver to snorkeler and back again was a big boost to confidence and skill. Training was, by necessity, more rigorous and demanding, but it gave us confidence in our abilities and reduced the situations where a diver could become panicked and forget his training.

Of course, I understand the primary reason for all the new gear. In my day, the dive industry was struggling to survive partly because the training was so strenuous and many people who might have been interested were scared off. In order to get more people into SCUBA, it had to be made easier and more accessible to more people. This, in my humble opinion, can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It is good because more people can share the underwater world. But many of those getting their first certification are not necessarily ready to cope with the unexpected. I have been reading up on recent dive accidents and virtually every one of them could have been prevented had the diver(s) involved had been prepared for what was happening to them. Nowadays, a person can get certified in a couple of weekends, where it once might have taken weeks to complete the old style course.

Am I claiming to be a perfect diver? Heck no! Have I done some stupid things while diving? You betcha! But I survived because once I got myself into a bad situation because of my own idiocy, I knew what I had to do to get out of it without panicking. We had a saying: No matter what happens, you always have time to think. This might be a bit simplistic, but it is true 95% of the time.

Is all this to say that I think we should all go back to the old ways? Of course not. But I am suspicious of the seeming over-reliance on technology. I have recently overheard divers complaining about a dive trip being ruined because a BCD failed or a computer malfunctioned. One guy I was talking to told me that he and a buddy had driven two hundred miles to dive a secluded lake but had to call off the dive when the bladder in his buddy's BCD ruptured.When I asked why his buddy didn't just adjust his weight to dive without using the offending device, he looked at me as if I were some hideous demon and told me that you cannot do that!

Oh, well.

Anyway, I was talking to one of the divers down at the fire dept. this morning and he told me of a shop sixty miles from here that is owned by an old Navy diver that still teaches the old skills, if the student wants to learn them. I guess we'll drive over there on Saturday to check him out. I may even sign up for a refresher course myself.

To all of you who like carrying all the new bells and whistles, I say have fun and enjoy yourselves but please be careful.

To all of you "minimalists" out there (like me, I guess), keep on keepin' on. Stay on top of your skills.

Peace to all and be safe above all else, whatever style of SCUBA you prefer.

 

[Paladin]

Bleeb,

We did all our diving in rivers and lakes (no swimming pool) during my training. We did "doff and don" at 30 feet (dive down on SCUBA, remove the gear, swim back to the surface (blow and go), dive back down, put the gear back on and go back to the surface) and emergency ascents from as deep as fifty.

I found out early on that 130 feet is my limit because I am susceptible to nitrogen narcosis and get as drunk as a sailor on shore leave! Yeah, it is true that our basic training covered most of the things that are now taught in "advanced" courses. I guess that's why our training was more time consuming. By the way, I did all my training with a two hose Aqualung DA Aquamaster and a steel 72 with a J-Valve. Ya ain't lived 'til you've buddy breathed from 90 feet with one of those!

 

[JohnQPS122]

"The people of my LDS do not teach emergency ascents because, they say, your buddy will have an octopus. The same goes for buddy breathing. They don't teach the dive tables, they say, because everyone uses computers. They don't teach proper weight and balance because, they say, everyone uses a BCD. Then they begin showing the prospective student all the nice, new (and expensive) SCUBA toys hanging on the racks in their shop and telling him how indispensable they are."

Based on that, I think if you had taken your kids to my LDS instead of yours, you wouldn't have had the same impression. I don't think the problem is really with "current" instruction techniques, just those at your LDS. I don't think it's fair to assume all current instruction is carried out like that.

Are they a PADI facility? All of that stuff is still taught in the PADI manual that our LDS in Wisconsin and the one in Florida where my wife did her checkout dives both followed.

I'm glad you found an alternative shop/instructor in your area. Again with the car analogies, sounds like that rare breed of mechanic that still knows what a carburetor is.

 

[pafindr]

They don't teach proper weight and balance because, they say, everyone uses a BCD.

WHAT?!? If a DS said that to me I would be running out of there. Just because you have a BC does not mean don't teach proper weight and balance techniques.
Unfortunately I've seen people dive with so much weight on their belts they had to over inflate their BC's. The BC rides up on them and they are stuck in a vertical position.
Take your kids to a good instructor but still teach them what you know. It may make them better divers.