Learner Diver
Banned
A ScubaBoard Staff Message...
I’ve just finished reading a scathing DAN report on the internet that sent shivers down my spine. The study (dated decades earlier) provides examples and percentages establishing that novice divers are in fact more prone to mishap than any other diving group. If this is true, how do I avoid becoming the next victim? I really had my heart and mind set on being Open Water certified and now, I feel terribly vulnerable. Would this finding denote a minority of OW instructors are liable and incompetent, or am I being too pedantic? I really don’t care about experienced technical divers or quasi instructors lining up to congratulate me for asking bold and intrusive questions. No moral support needed. I just want to hear from novice divers who recently passed their OWC. How did you feel beforehand? Were family members involved in your decision? What gave you the courage to continue when things looked bleak? Did you bravely go it alone or were you part of a friendly, motivated group? Were you locally trained or did you selfishly put your life in the hands of an agency-affiliated, foreign instructor working for a developing nation’s tourist industry? Did you Google search whether the dive operator had access to a hyperbaric chamber on standby, with an accredited physician? Which training agency did you choose and why? I would like to thank all of you wonderful novice divers in advance for sharing your personal insights. I truly feel humbled an honoured to be part of a growing and dedicated community. I’m beginning to feel like we’re family.[/Mod]
