Discover Scuba safe?

[spectrum]

Why?

I have carried out numerous DSD's, both pool only sessions and also pool and OW session.

For some people, they decide that diving is not for them, for the majority, it is the final confirmation that they want to be certified.

I'm not speaking to Thal here.....

As outlined by the OP with a 6:1 ratio neither would I.

Fundamentally it is a "trust me dive". However with the right site, conditions, depth under the control of a dedicated scuba professional it is far removed from the essence of the discouraged "trust me dives". I feel it is a valuable tool for determining aptitude of OW candidates.

Pete

 

[Thalassamania]

I would have thought someone with your wealth of knowledge would have found better links.

I would have thought someone with your wealth of knowledge would have read the entire thread and noted the Queensland fatality that had already been identified. Eh?

First 2 are the same incident - doesn't say if it was a DSD or not
Third link - so you have never seen certified divers panic at the surface? I have, from numerous agencies.
Fourth link - Interesting quote from someone. I can't find where in the PADI standards it says "instructors will inflate and deflate bcd's for DSD participants".

I just did a quick search, I didn't think it too all important since the Queensland case had already put the lie to your claim.

I take it not a single person has ever been injured that has trained through your agency.

I don't own an agency like you do, rather I subscribe to a set of standards that the American Academy of Underwater Sciences is now the custodian of. I generally refer to those standards as, "the Scripps model" to reference their origin. In point of fact there have been no fatalities during training that was conducted within those standards.

No kidding

I started with a DSD, good option if you want to find out if you like scuba or not

It's a crap shoot as to whether a DSD is well enough planned and conducted to permit you to learn if you like scuba or to just scare the crap out you.

As a dive guide,I have lost count of how many DSD's I have been 'involved' in with only one minor problem. This person was afraid of EVERYTHING including water. If done correctly,I believe the DSD is the best 'hook' in the dive industry. Watch the video,understand equalization,demo the equipment,ask questions,stay above 30' for 30 minutes, AND have the experience of your life!

"living life without a hard bottom"
KT

Bully for you. Self appraisal is not always the most accurate way to gather information. Your belief in the adequacy of, "Watch the video,understand equalization,demo the equipment,ask questions,stay above 30' for 30 minutes," makes my case for me.

My favorite way to start the OW class is with an Intro Dive. I am a big fan of Dive Today.

Not everyone who learned to dive in the '60's learned it by reading books. My dad and his friends taught me and supervised me in such a way that diving from age 7 to age 13 all I needed to remember were three things; continuous breathing, j-valve, not faster than the bubbles.

The physical act of warm water recreational diving is pretty damn easy. Put me in the evolutionary camp as well; monkey see monkey do. Then, once I've shown you turtles and eels you might actually pay attention to some of the book and DVD.

I am not a big fan of Dive Today, I think that to become (granted, what I consider to be) a competent diver you need to start off as a competent swimmer, learn to be a competent free diver and then move on to scuba. But then I have rather high standards.

I'm not speaking to Thal here.....

As outlined by the OP with a 6:1 ratio neither would I.

Fundamentally it is a "trust me dive". However with the right site, conditions, depth under the control of a dedicated scuba professional it is far removed from the essence of the discouraged "trust me dives". I feel it is a valuable tool for determining aptitude of OW candidates.

Pete

I can't see that participation in a DSD would tell me anything about the aptitude of an O/W candidate that I could not learn by watching them swim one length of a pool.

 

[cowzrul]

My wife and I went on a cruise a 2 months ago. While on the cruise I did a Discover Scuba in open water while in Grand Cayman. The session included pool side training for about 20 minutes, 30 minutes in the pool (mask removal and clearing) and then a 40 minute dive with a depth that didn't exceed 50 feet. There were 5 divers with 1 instructor. I thoroughly enjoyed myself; however, I had already watched the PADI DVD, took the classroom and pool portion of the certification process with my LDS before I went on the cruise. I wanted to get certified before I went on the cruise but my LDS wasn't going to the lake due to weather. If I hadn't been so far along in my certification I don't know if the Discover Scuba would have been a success for me due to the short instruction prior to the dive.

 

[n733lk]

My immediate response also, "no pool time?" I did a DS prior to my OW cert. It was a great experience and the instructor was very patient and made sure we understood how to perform basic skills before taking us to a whopping depth of 12' in the pool.

I would equate no pool time prior to a dive with 'telling' someone how to drive a bus for 20-30 minutes, then sending them off to drive their first city route without ever having been behind the wheel. Could it be done? Probably. Would it be recommended? Probably not.

Regardless, welcome to our bubble blowing world. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Frosty]

Its back to the old chestnut isn't it ? IT DEPENDS ON THE DIVE COMPANY AND INSTRUCTOR.
My experience of DSD was as I've said before. My wife saw me halfway through my Padi OW cert. She wanted to give scuba a try and so decided a DSD was the way to go. From what I could see her training was an abreviated version of mine. Although on the actual first dive she did I was her dive buddy (I was certified by that stage) her instructor was right there with us/her. Perhaps it was simply that we weren't aware of potential issues but it was a nice easy dive to around 16m maximum depth and then easing on up to 10.0m

 

[Thalassamania]

... Perhaps it was simply that we weren't aware of potential issues but it was a nice easy dive to around 16m maximum depth and then easing on up to 10.0m

I'm glad that you recognize that possibility.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

A properly done discover scuba diving experience usually starts with a dry land orientation concerning equipment, then a pool session to get familiar with equipment and the exposure suit (if any) you will wear. Someof these events are done all in the open water, but start in shallow water in "pool like" conditions. I recommend everyone get certified as a diver, but the experience classes are a good idea too. Some dive centers have a Discover Scuba that is a pool only event, and you can have an hour in the pool after a short briefing on equipment. Check out the instructor and shop as to quality of gear, proper credentials and insurance. See if you can talk to someone who has done the experience with them, and then decide.
DivemasterSennis

 

[klinc]

The wife's and I discover dive consisted of 30-45 min going over book stuff... Always breathe, don't dive if you have sinus issues, what happens pressure-wise to your internal air cavities, etc... Afterwards we got in a pool for a bit to get used to breathing underwater and practice a few drills. If drills couldn't be done then there was going to be no diving for us. After that we hopped on a boat and went a couple miles out to sea to a bigger boat and geared up. Had a 35 ish foot dive for 40 minutes or so.

Later that day the wife and I decided on doing a two tank dive (with instuctor) also. These were trust me dives as we found out going through class a month later we probably shouldn't have done (depth and time under on air), but all was well.

 

[canadianwingnut]

I did a discover scuba in March....It was in a pool and the max depth was 12 feet. There was the 20 minute
talk pool side, don't hold breath,talk about pressure and so on. Then standing in 3 feet of water we found out
if you could breath through a regulator, some work on buoyancy and then off to 12 feet.
There was one Instructor and 3 students, It all seemed very safe and it was FREE...!!!
It was the day that I decided I wanted to dive.
CWN

 

[--tom--]

Hi I signed up for a discover scuba and after doing some research I am not sure if I feel comfortable. There is only a 20 min class portion and no pool time to practice with the equipment :depressed: There is one instructor to 6 divers. I do not understand if to get certafied it takes 3 days and e learning how a 20 min class then diving is safe. It is padi though but its going to be on vacation and Im wondering if I should just get certafied even if the open water certification is pretty expensive. Thanks! Also have any of you guys done a discover scuba?

First, I would contact the dive center once more and verify the highlighted sections. If either/both are correct, I recommend you go someplace else.