PADI (and other agencies) allow students to DECIDE when they are ready. They have the option of doing rescue at the initial stage, or delaying it until they feel ready.
That's not true Andy and you know it. PADI Divers not only have to complete OW, but AOW as well before they can take the rescue skills that instructors from other agencies must impart in their OW class. These are PADI prerequisites to rescue diver training, or have things changed?? Allowing them to decide when they're ready? Balderdash. Do you ask them when they are ready to learn how to share air??? You teach them the skills that are necessary and reasonable.
I don't want to sound argumentative, but IF the majority of divers
did feel rescue skills were vital at entry-level, then they would chose to get those skills at that point. But they don't..regardless of what your unscientific mini-poll here states.
It is starting to sound that way Andy. But I like a good discussion. But I like to think it's leading somewhere. Do you really think that we are going to convince one another to change our minds?
Rescue skills ARE required in many agencies. This isn't an election, it's standards. We have no more choice from teaching them, than you do when PADI prohibits them from being included in an OW program.
My complements to you for combining programs. You must feel that this is necessary to give the diver what is required.
PADI has a different standard for it's divers than some other organizations. It's up to the individual instructor to decide upon which training philosophy they agree with.
BTW, one or two studies are not enough to convince me to abandon 45 years of diving experience and common sense. I've had to intervene too often because a diver's buddy didn't know what to do.
That's open to debate. Sometimes a little knowledge is a bad thing. This could certainly be true of introducing, but not fully teaching, rescue skills...
I suppose it could be true, but I don't believe this to be applicable in this situation.
I agree! But when considering the necessity and prioritisation of training components (as this thread is doing), it is vital to consider the likely diving circumstances, accident analysis and historical statistics appropriate to that activity.
I believe what is being done by some certification agencies is an active development of a timeline that's best suited to marketing their programs to the public. Which, from a business perspective is intelligent (but not necessarily from an educational perspective). The next step was to decide what the priorities are to fit within this timeline... Other agencies are less restrictive and look at things a bit differently. Regardless of timeline, what skill-sets are
reasonable for an OW diver to possess? The course is then designed to accommodate what's required. It doesn't surprize me that the requirements for one course are different than another. Again, we come down to training philosophy.
All that those organisations say at the moment is that most accidents could be prevented by proper adherance to SAFE DIVING PRACTICES. Prevention NOT cure. I agree with that.
As do I. I just believe that giving "independent divers" rescue skills is the reasonable thing to do.