Diving instructors - low standards debate

[BoltSnap]

It sounds like his instructor wasn't really an instructor. If I were him I'd verify his certification is even legit and not a fake.

That said, your perception of diving is based on your experience. Your experience has been under the control of dive centers.

For many of us we just dive when and how we can. Be it a walk into the ocean or from our private boats. There's no instructors or dive masters or corporations controlling things.

Once you are certified you are free to purchase tank fills and do what you want. Hell, you are free to purchase everything including a compressor and never have to get certified or use a dive shop as there's no laws that a diver has to be certified in order to buy gear or go diving on their own. At least that's the way it is in the United States.

Of course doing this would exclude you from using dive shops and dive centers for dive trips and also be pretty stupid unless you actually got training.

I suffer from these charlatans who present themselves as scuba, or free diving, instructors and they aren't certified instructors or even certified divers here in Libya. There are SO many of them here causing harm and injuries to the public.

 

[GF99/99]

Not trying to stir the pot but...

What agency actually has filling out a log book as part of the standard/curriculum for OW or really any level of diving. Yes I know it is usually taught and usually as a new diver its fun to log you dives but is there an actual standard require it?

 

[VikingDives]

Not trying to stir the pot but...

What agency actually has filling out a log book as part of the standard/curriculum for OW or really any level of diving. Yes I know it is usually taught and usually as a new diver its fun to log you dives but is there an actual standard require it?

SDI does, and so does PADI. I'm sure they aren't alone. I also know this is routinely ignored by instructors...

PADI has a way to sign their online log book as well, iirc.

 

[Esprise Me]

I too wonder if your buddy's certification is legit. If not, that's going to be a much bigger problem on liveaboards and other dive trips than the lack of a logbook.

It's interesting that, for whatever agency standards his training might have violated, it seems they gave him all the essential skills. Some might regard that as more important than checking all the procedural boxes.

 

[CuzzA]

PADI has a way to sign their online log book as well, iirc.

For a fee I'm sure.

 

[AnaCat]

@AnaCat, have your friend make a log book to the best of his ability of his dives. It won't be perfect, but it will stop silly /stupid questions from coming about.

Good luck.

Now he does it but the LOB specifically asked for proof of his 50 dives…

I too wonder if your buddy's certification is legit. If not, that's going to be a much bigger problem on liveaboards and other dive trips than the lack of a logbook.

It's interesting that, for whatever agency standards his training might have violated, it seems they gave him all the essential skills. Some might regard that as more important than checking all the procedural boxes.

Well, that was legit as the dive shop where we did the AOW together in June asked for it and it was fine. Now I am really curious as well, will ask about it.
Funny thing he ended up learning the manual with his daughter - she did her OW while we did our AOW.

It seems to me that there are very different practices.
Examples: my first dives were “discover scuba” and in Barbados, Cyprus and Thailand that meant watch a 30 min video, practice in shallow water some skills and then my group was left alone, all 6 of us with only 1 guide, going to 15 m and taking pictures.
After this experience I was surprised when for the same thing in Egypt and then in Myanmar they did not leave me alone, but one guy was only taking 2 of us and controlled where we are going.
In my stupid reasoning I actually thought what, I did this before, I know how to do it, I am a strong swimmer, why are you such a control freak???
Only a year later, after studying my OW book from PADI I understood the seriousness of being safe (yes, I like paper and pen for reading exam materials and taking notes, blame it to my education from the ‘90s)

 

[TravisD]

Not trying to stir the pot but...

What agency actually has filling out a log book as part of the standard/curriculum for OW or really any level of diving. Yes I know it is usually taught and usually as a new diver its fun to log you dives but is there an actual standard require it?

It's mentioned in the SSI Instructor Manual under "Record Keeping".

In the Standards (under Certification Procedures) it says: (emphasis mine)

Training Records and logbooks must be used for monitoring and evaluating each student’s progress. The instructor and student must initial and sign the training records and log pages upon completion of the applicable knowledge and skills.

 

[AnaCat]

Also, my buddy has now this dream where your computer will store all the facts of your dives, not only your profile, but also very detailed GPS coordinates, as in what reef what side you explored, the weather conditions integrated from weather apps. We poke fun at this, but we’re almost there, and generally if there’s a need, there’s a way

 

[VikingDives]

Also, my buddy has now this dream where your computer will store all the facts of your dives, not only your profile, but also very detailed GPS coordinates, as in what reef what side you explored, the weather conditions integrated from weather apps. We poke fun at this, but we’re almost there, and generally if there’s a need, there’s a way

This already exists. The Atmos Mission One does this, and I'm sure they aren't the first. I'd be shocked if Garmin didn't.

 

[TMHeimer]

I had a separate instructor for my OW checkout dives who did all the log book stuff but forgot to sign our books. So I went back to the shop and got that. I am sure it is a requirement by PADI for courses, but of course not for any other dives.
Yours sounds like a story of simply a poor instructor your buddy had or an unqualified one. I've read here that such a thing isn't all that rare. You can also get a real lousy school teacher of course. Such things will never disappear, but it is more worrysome because you can die on scuba but not in a classroom (well, probably not.....).
I have logged all of my dives since day one AND still use tables. Whoa!