Current SCUBA Instruction Techniques

[Pearldiver07]

You know, the OP has a good point about abstaining from excess complications. A pilot friend pointed out that Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) is inversely proportional to technology involved. A rock's MTBF can often be measured in eons, where MTBF for a modern jet fighter is often shorter than the warm up interval.

That said, a wonderful thing about scuba is that as a sport it can accomodate many different approaches. From the "classic" approach, to DIR, to dive weenies with every gadget that they can buy attached, everyone gets to choose the style and approach that suits them.

Although I agree with and understand just about everything you said, I chose different paths in several aspects.

Good to see you're back in the water though!

 

[NoVaScuba]

I can sorta see an emergency ascent without equipment, but can someone tell me the what skill it teaches to free dive down 30 ft to don gear? I can't see any relation to a recreational diving situation and I would suspect that's why it was dropped.

I'll also admit that hearing about this was one of the reasons I didn't try long ago. I can't equalize quickly and free diving to the bottom of a 12 ft pool can cause pain. I'd never be able to make it close to 30 ft. I can scuba dive by going slowly and equalizing frequently.

 

[Slonda828]

Nova,

It doesn't teach a skill per se, but it teaches water confidence and task loads you a little bit. This is akin to getting exposed to CS gas when wearing your chemical gear in the military. Nobody is ever going to use CS gas on you in combat (there's far worse gasses for that), but it makes you confident in your abilities, and in your equipment.

 

[Paladin]

The idea was to gain mastery over the environment and, more importantly, one's own fears. It was believed that if a diver could perform the "doff and don" exercise with confidence, he was less likely to panic in an actual emergency because the sudden necessity to switch from SCUBA diver to snorkeler would become virtually effortless and instinctive.

As for myself, I was a snorkeler before getting into SCUBA. I was about eight when I started snorkeling and by the end of my first summer of snorkeling I was routinely hitting depths of thirty to forty feet. I wasn't able to stay down for more than a few seconds at that depth, but getting down there and back wasn't such a big deal. So, when I started learning SCUBA three years later, most of the "scary" stuff actually came pretty easily for me.

I still snorkel a lot. Even after I quit SCUBA diving back in the '93, I continued to snorkel. I like the freedom and simplicity of the sport. Even back when I was active in SCUBA diving, it would be safe to say I spent more time just using fins, mask and snorkel. I believe that a mastery of snorkeling techniques is important as a base skill for SCUBA. In essence, I suppose, I am a snorkeler who can use SCUBA gear as a supplement to my enjoyment of the underwater world.

The thing is I feel completely at ease and comfortable in the water, whether I have a tank strapped to my back or not.

Nova, back then, before a prospective dive school candidate could take the training for certification, a physical examination by a doctor was required. If the diver wannabe had any heart, lung, sinus, inner ear or eustachian tube problems, he would no be allowed to take the training. In spite of years of diving uncertified, I had to get a physical exam and an OK from my doctor before I could get my first C-card. If you have such a hard time equalizing as you say, you probably would not have been allowed to take the training.

 

[Pearldiver07]

I did the "doff and don" when I certified, and it was challenging, but I don't see any benefit to it.

Scuba instruction is not supposed to be a "weeding out" process, but directing the student toward safe diving techniques. IMHO any skill that doesn't prepare a diver for diving is not a critical part of diving. The old "doff and don" was a legacy from the old Navy courses, where thinning the herd was part of the course objectives.

For some reason, many out there think that if you're not facing adversity you're not being challenged or mastering the necessary skills.

Just my two cents on the "doff and don" discussion.

By the way, I still believe in buddy breathing, students not standing on a platform when they are waiting for skills, knowing how and why behind tables, and students learning to dive safely without following a DM. But some of the old skills are "old" for a reason.

 

[gcbryan]

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.

By proper weight and balance I think he means that they wouldn't be teaching students how to dive without a BC. The only way dive without a BC with with "proper weight and balance".

 

[gcbryan]

To the OP, I'm curious as to what temp waters you dive in.

 

[NoVaScuba]

Okay, I can see it as a confidence builder. I can't see it as a requirement though, simply because it puts up a barrier for too many people. Confidence in the water doesn't necessarily mean specific physical abilities (expect maybe a basic ability to swim).

I think it's important that students understand that OW training is just a starting point. It gets you in the water with some very basic skills that need to be developed and added to both on your own and with instruction. That seems to be the real failing of a lot of programs. How and which skills you develop is a very individual choice. I think that development is the source of confidence.

 

[Slonda828]

I don't know, maybe I'm full of military thinking, but I kind of like when things are difficult. To me, nothing worth having is easy. If everyone was given stuff, then it would not mean anything. This very concept is while titles like "lawyer" and "doctor" are special, and titles like "truck driver" and "warehouse worker" are not.

(for the record, I have been a truck driver and a warehouse worker, but never a lawyer or a doctor.)

 

[Paladin]

gcbryan,
I don't dive in the winter, if that's what you mean. But I have dived water as cold as 50 degrees F. I prefer it to be 68 and above. If at all possible, I prefer to dive without a wetsuit. I like the feel of water on my skin. I routinely dived beneath the thermocline in our mountain lakes.

Also, consider this: The guy that taught me to dive was ex-Navy and he taught me the Navy way. Also, for a long time, civilian SCUBA schools looked to the Navy for guidance in constructing their own training procedures.