Mustard Dave
Contributor
PPB & DSMB mandatory dives? Why?
Personally I have never taught a PPB course. I work with students during their OW courses so that by the time they have finished and been signed off, their buoyancy is pretty sorted. I am not arrogant enough to say they are perfect, but they don't need another course on it, let alone an adventure dive.
DSMB as a course? Not sure I even agree with it being a distinctive. Here's an idea, cover it during a drift, or deep, or wreck or any dive.
Buoyancy is a hugely important aspect of diving and although you should have mastered it on the OW course (if you can do the hover and fin-pivot you should be able to crack it), it is still one of the skills many new divers seem to be lacking in. Before you can be described as 'advanced' you should have to have it well and truly nailed.
I don't think DSMB should be a course and didn't say it should. I said AOW should be taught as a proper course rather than a series of 'experience dives' that the candidate can pick and choose from a list. DSMB is just one of the elements that again you should have mastered before holding an 'advanced' card. I carry a DSMB on every dive and believe every diver should too. It amazes me that there are DMs (so-called 'professionals') and even instructors that have not yet mastered this important and possibly life saving skill.
As you say, DSMB launches can be covered on some adventure dives but unless it is a mandatory requirement, most instructors will not bother. If you think what a novice OW diver has to learn (equipment set-up, breathing skills, air share drills, buoyancy, problem management, dive planning, environmental considerations, navigation and more), introducing more skills than the AOW currently covers should not be to much for an 'Advanced' Open Water diver to take in. If PADI include more of these skills on the AOW course though, it's fewer speciality courses that they can sell.