Do you consider Discover Scuba to be safe?

[miked]

Adding to the "it depends on the op that is conducting the DSD course". I've seen great DSD courses, where the DMs/instructors were close at hand with each student, particularly on descent/ascent, where the open water dives have a hard bottom no deeper than 25 ft.
I've also seen DSD courses where the students jumped off the boat into 60 ft of water, and looked as if they were on their own regarding getting to meet the DM/instructor-who were below.
So, it all depends...

 

[Karibelle]

I've also seen DSD courses where the students jumped off the boat into 60 ft of water, and looked as if they were on their own regarding getting to meet the DM/instructor-who were below.
So, it all depends...

Speaking from a PADI perspective, the incidents noted above are a violation of standards. So in this thread, are we talking about whether cowboy instructors doing whatever they feel like are being unsafe? or about sanctioned experiences within an agency's standards as being unsafe? If a) then I'd say "duh" and if b) then I'd say "they're designed to be safe in that instance." So it depends really on whether the person conducting the dive is a cowboy, or a professional adhering to the standards to which he's agreed to teach.

 

[toddthecat]

Cowboys can't be good instructors now? Not that I was in any rodeos or anything, but I did grow up on a ranch as a kid...

 

[Karibelle]

So did I. I mean "cowboy" in the sense of rule-breaker. Perhaps I should have chosen a different word. "Rule-breaker" maybe.

 

[chrpai]

Also, no one has made mention to any agency standards. Straight from the PADI Instructor Manual:

Program Standards
Depth
Confined Water — 6 metres/20 feet.
Open Water — 12 metres/40 feet.

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

 

[JudasFm]

I did a DSD course as a taster for scuba, since it was a lot cheaper than doing the OWD and I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not. During that course, I was working with an instructor on a one-to-one basis, both in the pool and at the dive site. Before I was allowed to get wet, we went through a few ways of equalizing and I was advised to try them until I found the one which worked best for me and then stick to it. We also went through the whole 'never hold your breath' thing, along with detailed explanations of what would happen if I did.

The instructor took me into the pool to learn how to clear the mask and purge the regulator (the mask took me a few tries, but he was very patient and laid-back, and I was never out of my depth in the pool, which made a big difference). We then went through equalizing and not holding my breath again, and told me in detail where we were going to go and what we were going to do. After that we went out on a RIB to the Mole dive site (about 5m; I found out later it's where they take all the DSD and OWD students) and I was taught how to do a backroll entry which was first demonstrated by the instructor; the boat captain, himself a PADI professional, made sure to step on my fins to stop me going in until he was satisfied I had my hands in the right places and could go in safely and that I knew where to swim to afterward.

The instructor repeated what he'd said before, about using the rope to pull ourselves down, equalizing as we went, then we headed under. During that time, he stuck very close to me, often checking if I was okay. After a bad sporting accident as a child, I'm very cautious when it comes to my own health, yet even as a complete novice, I felt 100% safe underwater and signed straight up for my OWD course as soon as I got back to the dive center.

About the only negative thing I would say is that he had a habit of grabbing me by the shoulder to point out interesting shoals of fish. Not dangerous, but it was a little unnerving to have a hand suddenly pounce on me without warning every so often

 

[Tortuga68]

Depends on your definition of 'safe'

IMO, yes, depending on the operation/instructor

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I only do discovers or try scuba's in the pool. And now with what's trending in the dive insurance industry no more than 2 people at a time. Kids under 15 are one on one. Takes more time maybe but it's much safer and they get a more one on one experience. Our local dive sites can go from 20-30 ft of vis to 2 ft in a heartbeat if there are other classes going on. Taking discovers into them would just be too risky. As is taking more discovers than the instructor has hands into any conditions.

 

[drbill]

As others have said, it depends to a great degree on the instructor, the student and ocean conditions. Here on Catalina they are done in the ocean (at an approved site) with the instructor:student ratio ranging from 1:1 to 1:4 (I believe I'm correct on that, it is agency dependent). Yes, things can go wrong but rarely do.

 

[tracydr]

Dr bill-I'm curious. On Catalina, they almost have to be done at the Catalina Dive Park, do they not? They is a 60-80 foot park. I wonder how they work around the 40 foot rule?