Do you demonstrate this skill ... or modify it

[DiverBuoy]

The PADI Confined Water Dive 2 Performance Requirement number 15:

"Remove weights at the surface with minimal assistance using the weight system's quick release mechanism."

If you did this in a Zeagle Ranger BCD you would have to exit the water take off your BCD lay it all out on the deck and with gloves off, re-string the entire system - about 20 minutes if you've practiced it before. And this assumes that you don't need a student to assist you in diving to the bottom to retrieve some of the parts.

Question for professionals do you do the skill exactly as is written, or modify it. If you do it exactly as written - is it only because your BCD accomodates this skill because of it's design or do you demonstrate with another weight system (such as adding a weight belt if you're wearing integrated)?

Question for students divers or any diver who remembers their class and wore integrated weight BCDs during class - what do you remember doing for this skill?

 

[Uncle Pug]

Does this come from the level of instruction thread?
It will be interesting to read the answers.

 

[DiveTub]

I have always used a weight belt in BOW, as it is still more common than integrated. And can honestly say I have never had a student use integrated weights in a BOW class before; usually they are using my training equipment.

I do however pull an integrated BCD out and demonstrate the system, and have the students put it on a give it a try. Problem is there are so many variants with integrated it makes it impossible to show each one.

 

[DiverBuoy]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...
Does this come from the level of instruction thread?
It will be interesting to read the answers.

I hope it doesn't deter commentary, simply because I broke off the discussion.

 

[DiverBuoy]

Sydney_Diver once bubbled...
I have always used a weight belt in BOW, as it is still more common than integrated. And can honestly say I have never had a student use integrated weights in a BOW class before; usually they are using my training equipment.

I do however pull an integrated BCD out and demonstrate the system, and have the students put it on a give it a try. Problem is there are so many variants with integrated it makes it impossible to show each one.

Call it a benefit or a curse ... the shops I teach for have the money to furnish mid to low level fully integrated equipment for students to use.

 

[ERP]

In the confined water dives my instructor used the same rental BC's the students were wearing. They didn't have integrated weights so the skill was demonstrated with a weight belt.

 

[gr8lakesdiver]

I am not a PADI instructor and do not know the PADI letter of the law. In our second week we do complete system removal and relacement with the integrated Zeagle. And those students in weight belts also do complete removal and replacement - placing belts on deck and taking bcs off in water.

During the 4th and 5th week we do pull the ripcord from depth for independent emergency ascent. Of course this is usually the last skill of the day.

 

[dotyj]

I wore a weight integrated bcd and a weight belt. I had to remove the weight belt but didn't have to remove the weight packs from the bcd.

I did practice removing and replacing the weights in the bcd at the side of the pool before kitting up.

 

[neil]

IMO, the skill is clearly defined, and if you have ripcord systems the students are just going to have to deal with re-stringing them. I've never had to deal with them myself, only standard weight belts or velcro integrated (hopefully soon to become obsolete!) pouches.

gr8lakesdiver;
Do I read correctly that your divers at some point ditch weights at depth during training? Hmmm. I will reserve any comment until I hear the answer.

Neil

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Is there really another way to reach the performance requirement? I demonstrate the skill using my weight integrated system as well as using a weight belt.

Logistically, we prefer that hard weights not be dropped directly on our pool bottom. To prevent chipping the pool bottom, I position myself to catch the weights.

Remember that the performance requirement only necessitates the removal of the weights, and replacement is not required at that stage (CW2). This is to simulate ditching the weight system to maintain positive buoyancy once the student has already reached the surface.

Removal and replacement at the surface as well as underwater comes later in confined water dive five.