Do you consider Discover Scuba to be safe?

[Tigerman]

"Confine water" dives for an ow class dont actually need to be pool dives do they? You can find "confined water" in the sea/quarries as well?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

 

[ajtoady]

Ok, Define safe!! Each person that responds will have a different outlook on this question. I feel this falls into the , "what size pony should I carry "" category. Any introductory scenario is a "crap shoot"!! It always depends on a combination of things. Instructor or advisor, student frame of mind and ability to cope with a new environment, and obviously other items(weather, waves, heat, etc), and lastly physical and mental states. Would I bother with any intro courses, I don't know. You can do enough research on your own to investigate the course. This however is my opinion and coupled with a $1.25 will maybe get you a cup of coffee. If I offended anyone, get over it!!

 

[TMHeimer]

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.

Thanks. I stand corrected. How common worldwide would you say is going to OW after CW1 skills? Would you say that this situation would be any safer than DSD, or about the same? I hear that the DSD accidents that do occur are frequently due to instructors not following standards. If standards are followed, whould you say DSD and OW after CW1 has the same safety factor?

 

[Karibelle]

Thanks. I stand corrected. How common worldwide would you say is going to OW after CW1 skills? Would you say that this situation would be any safer than DSD, or about the same? I hear that the DSD accidents that do occur are frequently due to instructors not following standards. If standards are followed, whould you say DSD and OW after CW1 has the same safety factor?

If you're asking me, I'd say that if standards are followed, the two scenarios have the same safety factor. Furthermore, I think there is a correlation between following the standards, and having a safety oriented mindset as an instructor.

As for how common, I don't know. Tropical locations may lean toward that model, while locations where "pool and classroom training" is separate from OW likely don't. Now having said that, we occasionally took students to OW for dives 1 and 2 prior to having completed ALL the pool and classroom training, as we used a lake just outside the city, and there was no need to spend a weekend camping there when we could complete the dives in two of those long summer evenings Edmonton is famous for.

kari

 

[Frosty]

With now 7 divers in my family Ive seen a HUGE variation when it comes to DSD dives.
One extreme was my 10 year old son getting one on one instruction is a millpond type lagoon in chest deep (on him) water.This was followed by moving out to 1.5m deep water and finally 4.0m deep water all in the same very calm lagoon.Later that day we then went out on a family dive.
He was still 1 on 1 with the instructor but was allowed to work down to10 m/ 30 feet.The instructor was never more than 600mm from him at any stage.-THAT to me is as safe as it can get.
The other extreme was with my daughter.She had done basicly as above and was hooked. The next suitable for dsd type dive was to be a 15m /40 foot wall.
But I did a count up and there were 3 dm/instructors and 10 dsd divers. Might have been ok but then it was choppy sea and a reasonable current. I put miss 12 back on the boat as soon as she got in the water. THAT imo was just an accident waiting to happen and did turn out to be possibly the most frightening dive I've done.
Dsd divers all over the show getting washed around wasn't my idea of fun.

 

[XS-NRG]

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.

Mine was 1 guide/DM/Instructor (no idea what he was) and 2 of us. We literally locked arms with him in the middle and toured around that way. Once I got used to it I loved it and it was awesome. More one on one is a great idea and I am a firm believer that a DSD should be part of your OW class. It's night one to try it out see if you like it, see if you can equalize etc etc and also a night to play in the pool. We have underwater frisbees and torpedos and golf balls etc to play with. Get all the fun out on the first night then all business the rest of the modules.

 

[Progen]

I saw a photo of a friend doing the DSD in the open sea too. Another friend told me she did hers in Australia in the open sea as well. She didn't know she went for until after some questions, I realized that it was a Discover Scuba Diving session.

Mine was done at an apartment's swimming pool. The only one which would allow scuba lessons to be held there. Maximum was 2.3 metres. I think that was a good depth because we would have needed to practice equalizing then.

Personally, I think if it's to be done in open water, it just makes all the theory needed to get Open Water Diver certification unnecessary if the DSD tryouts came back alive and well.

 

[Lee Viathan]

I really do believe that DSD is a fantastic program. I personally didn't do DSD prior to my OW Cert last fall, but I did dive 32 years ago with some family friends. I had experienced the magic as a 11 year old. And magic it was!

As others have stated it is student and instructor dependant as to the degree of actual risk involved ( Let's face it, for some folks sharpened pencils are dangerous! ).

4 months ago, my wife agreed to go do DSD at my LDS, as she knew the staff and was comfortable with them. My wife was fearful, as is her nature, and requested that I be in the pool with her for this. The ratio was 1:4. I shadowed the group and was generally a "fish on the wall". My wife was so engrossed she forgot I was there!

My wife finished her confined water dives this past weekend! HOORAY another diver is born! This would not have happened without DSD in this case.

This is my $.02, and YMMV

 

[TMHeimer]

A bit off topic, but many have commented on the value of DSD. My thoughts (again, having never done it or taught it) are that there are 3 types of candidates. First, those who have rather extensive "water experience" already (snorkelling, swimming, surf bathing, etc.). They should probably go straight to OW course. Second, those who don't have such experience, perhaps can't even swim or never been in the ocean,etc. They should get that "water" comfort level before doing any scuba. Third are those that have the water experience but have a particular fear--of deep water, of going underwater, possible ear issues, or like my wife--claustrophobia. These are the folks I would think would benefity from DSD.

 

[Karibelle]

Four: those who find themselves in a suitable location and with the desire. Like here, where they're on a tropical vacation, and maybe have always wanted to try, but don't want to commit to the full course before they know if they'll like it. Or who have an opportunity because a family member wants to try and they're tagging along. Or because someone's invited them to a DSD themed birthday party.

I actually think that people with a particular fear as you note above would probably benefit from a longer program, more like the "pool and classroom, then on to open water" that's more the norm in many parts of Canada and the US - give them the education and tools needed to address those fears before putting them in the shark infested waters of the big ocean...