DAN Report thoughts

[Zept]

nicodaemos said...
I'm just surprised that the reports indicate that more training would help reduce diver injuries and fatalities, yet most of the classes are focussed on teaching you new skills rather than on helping you hone the base ones.

This is something I think is wrong. You can do your OW and then never, ever repeat any of the skills. About the only thing most people actually practise is mask clearing... and that's only b/c most masks let in water, even if it's only occasionally.

At the very least, I think AOW should include a revision dive where you're expecting the demonstrate all the core skills -- reg remove and replace, air sharing, hovering, weight checks, dive planning and so on. Ideally people would do a few dives between OW and AOW, and the revision dive would be an opportunity for the instructor to correct any bad habits that had developed. It would be a confidence booster for the diver, too. I get the impression that a number of people do AOW b/c they want more training in these basic skills... but that's not what they get.

Zept

 

[nicodaemos]

Zept, I guess when I'm talking about honing basic skills I'm really referring to buoyancy and trim. What I would love out of an open water class or open water 2 class is a test that requires me to swim through a set of hoops underwater.

The hoops would be setup at varying heights and I would have to make it through this obstacle course while swimming horizontal and without touching the inflator hose.

 

[O-ring]

What I would love out of an open water class or open water 2 class is a test that requires me to swim through a set of hoops underwater.

The hoops would be setup at varying heights and I would have to make it through this obstacle course while swimming horizontal and without touching the inflator hose.

Lake Rawlings has hoops...although I have never seen anyone using them...they must be there for something though...I thought they were for PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy dives, but I may be wrong..

 

[Genesis]

I got a taste of that when my AOW instructor decided my trim and buoyancy was good enough to penetrate the wreck we dove on!

It wasn't much of a penetration, but there's no way I could have done it without excellent buoyancy and trim - no way - without getting hung up.

 

[Zept]

nicodaemos said...
Zept, I guess when I'm talking about honing basic skills I'm really referring to buoyancy and trim.

For B&T, there is at least the option to do the Peak Performance Buoyancy course. How valuable it is depends on the instructor, of course. What bugs me is that a diver can go through OW and then never take the reg out of their mouth again... until someone kicks it out, and then what? I find it relatively easy to work on my B&T... if nothing else, every safety stop is an opportunity to work on getting and staying neutral... but I know there are other skills that I don't practise enough.

Zept

 

[nicodaemos]

Maybe I'm hung up on this buoyancy thing because for 6 out of my 7 dives I have been heavily overweighted. :upset: It's a little disappointing that none of my instructors took the time to have me do the buoyancy test ... you know empty bc, normal lungful of air, float at eye level. They all just let me dive overweighted and when I mentioned it, they just suggested to remove 5 lbs.

Thankfully I had a good buddy on my last few dives. Aquamaniac was kind enough to give me some pointers and on the last dive he had me do the buoyancy test and we removed 6 more lbs. of weight. Trying to do the hover at the 15' platform was a lot easier when you're not filling your bc just to keep from crashing on the bottom.

I'm looking forward to this Sunday when we hit the rock quarry again. I think I'm much closer to using the right amount of weight for me.

I guess given the DAN report, I would have expected that I should have had to learn proper weighting and buoyancy before getting ow certified. Instead it looks like they gave me a learner's permit .... and I now have to keep practicing and learn enough about the sport to keep from killing myself.

BTW, when I asked one lds about Peak Performance Buoyancy, the guy behind the counter hadn't heard of the class.

 

[Genesis]

I think its PADI only.

I know SSI doesn't have it as a class....

 

[Scuba]

In my opinion someone unable to display basic buoyancy and trim is not qualified to dive, but is qualified to take further training. To me this is akin to a driver who is unable to stay in his lane. He would'nt get a drivers license.

I hate to bring the subject of regulation up, I know how much we all like it. But there are times when they are required. The training agencies have basically dropped the ball on this, leaving the new student at the mercy of his instructor. There are very good ones, like I suspect Mike is and others who not only have the knowledge and teaching ability, but who also care about their students. The skill level of the students is often a reflection of the instructor, both good and bad.

The only thing that I see which would result in having the training agencies deliver a diver with basic diving skills out of their classes is regulation. A divers license. This would apply the pressure necessery for them to take an active interest in the quality of their product. I don't see it happening any time soon, but its probably very likely in the future.

Does anyone know of a case where the instructor or certifying agency have been sued for certifying a diver who maybe should not have been certified, and then injured himself?

In my AOW class, one of the students was swimming just slightly off of vertical and sucking more air than a Hoover. (vacuum cleaner). The instructor made only a slight remark about this, an area that really needed emphasis. And it was not because the student was unreceptive.

 

[O-ring]

Since Peak Performance Buoyancy is one of the most common AOW dives and AOW was the second highest category of injured divers (OW roughly 40% and AOW roughly 35%)...

...then again, since most people are probably OW or AOW, this may just be another case (like the computer statistic) of these statistics representing the diving population and really not showing a higher correlation between OW/AOW and injuries.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

O-ring
your right thats what they there for and they do get used hehe