Do you consider Discover Scuba to be safe?

[Tigerman]

I also witnessed a few 'extended range' try dives to the 60' mark in Egypt. Not quite as bad as this but not far off either:
View attachment 164063

Ummm.. that seems.. "comfortable"? It also look like its a tad deeper than ideal

---------- Post added August 24th, 2013 at 03:36 PM ----------

I'm curious, why is 40' acceptable for open water but not for confined water?

Probably because a 40 foot pool is hard to find most places


On a different note, I have had the idea that I should go do a DSD and just be the worst I could ever possibly be just to see how the instructor react

 

[DevonDiver]

I'm curious, why is 40' acceptable for open water but not for confined water?

Because this is, in reality, two different programs. There are differences in what can be done (i.e. skills) and who can do which (i.e. DMs vs. instructors).

Confined = "Intro-to-DSD"

Open Water = "DSD" (basically, OW dive #1)

A DM can conduct confined DSD, but not OW DSD. If an instructor conducts OW DSD (with skills), the student can complete further OW DSD with a DM.

 

[Diver0001]

I also witnessed a few 'extended range' try dives to the 60' mark in Egypt. Not quite as bad as this but not far off either:
View attachment 164063

My guess is that he's got a firm grip of his "unfortunate prey" by her breasts and intends, if they somehow manage to survive her intro dive, to make some kind of obscene proposition to her.

Just guessing but I'm going to say this isn't as much an intro dive as some kind of bizarre mating ritual.

R..

 

[toddthecat]

Just guessing but I'm going to say this isn't as much an intro dive as some kind of bizarre mating ritual.

When I saw that picture I thought to myself 'wow....I've been doing DSDs completely wrong this whole time!'. Lol.

 

[XS-NRG]

I'm surprised there aren't more accidents with DSDs to be honest. I've only seen short briefings and then you are either cut loose in a pool to 15 feet or are guided in open water. My DSD (although fun in the end) was terrifying. They told us about equalization on the boat ride out to the Outer Great Barrier Reef then we got into wetsuits and gear (they loaded me up with TONS of weight) then we were told 2 skills: clearing your regulator and clearing your mask and nothing else. I was having a hard time getting used to my regulator and we were on platforms in about 3 feet of water and we slowly dipped our head underwater breathing and I didn't trust it. I almost gave up. Then when I was down the DM grabbed me, yanked me off the platform and we quickly started sinking and I was holding my breath and praying for dear life then all of a sudden everything clicked I was breathing and I somehow calmed down very quickly. My body kind of went into extreme panic and I had to do something and as soon as I took a breath everything normalized and I started instantly enjoying myself. There's something to be said about learning to swim by being thrown into the water but in my case it was a bit extreme and risky. To be pulled off into the blue when I wasn't ready was bad practice (my reg was actually hard to breathe from the whole time too).

I'm sure some or even many DSDs are or can be safe but if you are forced like I was then things can turn catastrophic quickly and I'm very surprised people don't come to peril more often.

 

[KeithG]

Nope. Not safe at all.

My opinion is based upon a handful of casual discussions with people who found out I was a diver and then told me about their Caribbean / Mexico scuba "experience".

Zero retained scuba knowledge (not even the basic "do not hold your breath"), a few vertigo people, several vomit fests, too many "i lost my wife" and a bunch of "I scraped my knees on the rocks".

Some / many / all of these may have been less than an official Discover Scuba encounter as some people indicated zero training before jumping in the water.

 

[chrpai]

My opinion is based upon a handful of casual discussions with people who found out I was a diver and then told me about their Caribbean / Mexico scuba "experience".

Zero retained scuba knowledge (not even the basic "do not hold your breath"), a few vertigo people, several vomit fests, too many "i lost my wife" and a bunch of "I scraped my knees on the rocks".

I've heard the same thing from O/W certified underwater tourists.

 

[TMHeimer]

From stories I've read, it seems DSD in the pool is quite safe. Also that in OW maybe not so much. The ideal situation would be one on one. Logic says that even with the greatest instructor, the more students in OW DSD the greater the chance of problems. I know that having an assistant may be required and obviously this lessens the chance of a disaster. OW course students don't do anything in OW until all the pool and academic work is done with It would seem there is less chances of problems here than with DSD.

 

[Karibelle]

OW course students don't do anything in OW until all the pool and academic work is done with It would seem there is less chances of problems here than with DSD.

Not in all locations... we have lots of OW students who start their journey as a DSD, or begin their OW program in much the same way. That is, by doing the CW1 skills, then moving straight into their first OW dive before doing the rest of the pool and academics.

 

[Peter Guy]

Can a DSD be dangerous -- of course it can. Is that anywhere near the norm? Of course it is not.

I've had the pleasure of supervising a DSD birthday party (what a kick to introduce 20 people to scuba -- had lots of staff to help of course and all in a pool) and doing ones and twos. In fact, of course, all instructors are doing a "Discover Scuba" each time we start an open water class.

Is it a good thing to do? Yes -- just look at my grandson here:



He was 10 when we did this. We did a session in the condo pool and then went into the ocean. He will do his open water (we started last week and hope to finish by the end of September -- time and school permitting).