cd in chicago once bubbled...
I guess it's time to set the record straight.
I am the instructor that jepuskar is talking about. And yes I did ask Jason to wear his less than 1 yr "old" equipment. The reason I gave him was that we wanted the students to see our leadership people in equipment that we sell. This is true; it keeps our dive center in business so we can teach classes and fill air tanks- things the internet cannot do.
As he admits, he did use his new gear a couple of times with the students. Here's what he did not know: they were uncomfortable diving with him. Their stress level is already high; we ask them to put on 50 pounds of gear with a heavy 7 mm wetsuit and stick themselves in a big mud puddle and perform psychomotor skills on a platform for all to watch. Now, in an emergency (or teaching situation) they will have to turn to someone who is using equipment unfamiliar to theirs. The students don't need any more stress. A couple of them expressed this concern to me and other staff members. In an out of air situation the long/short hose is not what the students were taught; as a teaching asst this would be inappropriate.
He is not a tec diver. He has never taken a tec class. He has never ventured deper than 120 ft. He has never done a deco dive. He is just trying to look "cool" in front of the students and other staff. But I don't have a problem with that. As my other students will tell you, I am one of the most easy-going tolerant people around. You can dive with whatever you want until it begins to affect the students. Then it has to stop. I wasn't threatened by his gear. I felt it was inappropriate for the sitation in which he was using it. At times, I used humor to try to get him to return to his "old" equipment. He took it the wrong way.
As he admits, even tho he is a DMC, he has taught his gf the Advanced Open Water class. This despite the fact that he has barely a year of diving experience and has never taken a teaching class in his life. What is worse, he has begun to express his views on continuing education to the other people and students. "Dive more before you take any more classes. learn how to handle the problems yourself (or from me)". For some students, the best way to continue diving at this point is in a supervised dive with a dive professional leading the tour. If you are enhancing your navigation skills, learning to handle narcosis or the dark, even better. This is the whole purpose of the AOW class. It gives them 5 more supervised dives at the start (usually) of their diving career. Many students, even tho certified and competent, still lack the confidence to dive with just a buddy. Confidence is extremely important to being a successful diver. I see lots of students who can clear masks, recover regulators, keep themselves relatively neutrally buoyany, etc. But they won't dive with JUST a buddy because they lack confidence in themselves. They end up quitting diving. Let's keep them doing the activity we love. Let's keep them diving. If they can dive on their own- great! If not, don't tell them not to take the class they need.
As for our relationship deteriorating, that is true. The DM class has a number of goals and rewards. For the student it is greater knowledge of diving, the ability to supervise other students and to pass on your love of diving. For the dive instructor, one of them is to add another member to your team, entrusted with the care of others. I believe in teamwork: in putting the good of the group ahead of yourself, in putting the needs of the students ahead of your own. I have been trying to iteach and model that attitude to Jason. He unfortunately is not a team-player. As he stated, he would rather dive with his new gear than help with students. He has always had an "I" attitude rather than a "we" attitude. He has still not seen the light to this day . In the past, on more than one occasion he has shown up unannounced (or with a couple of hrs notice) and imposed on a store/staff member to witness his DMC tasks rather than waiting for his instructor to be present. It was on my day off or when I was not at the divesite teaching. It didn't matter how inconvenient it was to the person working; it fit Jason's schedule. Until he is able to learn teamwork, to place the good of the group ahead of his own, until he learns to place a greater emphasis on the students' needs vs his own, he will be unwelcome at our training weekends. This last one was the final attempt by me to ask Jason to "join in" and you can see how it was answered. He has now completed all of the requirements for the Divemaster program. It is unfortunate how it is ending.
Could I have done it differently? Probably. I am sure that I will hear from many of you, criticizing my attitudes and my actions. But I am a successful dive educator with a large following. The teaching techniques that we use, the goals we set for our students, have always been successful in the past. I see no reason to change for one. Our "cattle call", as one of the other respondents called it, was made up of not only Open Water students, but Advanced Open Water students, students taking specialties, DMC's, CA's and 8 Instructors. And everyone was having fun socializing... and learning.... and getting to be better, safer divers. Jason developed in this environment. It is unfortunate that he will no longer be a part of it, by his choices. I will miss his friendship; I will miss his quirky sense of humor. I really do like the guy- but as of today, he is not right for the role he is trying to play.
..... If they drift to the surface I correct them. If they drift more than 2 meters part from their buddy I correct them.....vigirously (i'm nightmarish strict about this because of local OW conditions). If I say "swim at the same depth as me" and they can't I work with them until they can. 
