Three thoughts occur to me, in reading this post:
1) I actually was not thinking of OW classes when I made the comment - I was considering more the AOW and specialty courses. But, the OW training consideration is thought-provoking. I can see PADI not agreeing to allow the use of a FFM, UNLESS the OW instructor was also credentialed as a FFM instructor, for instance. You are right - there are no standards that are specifically violated by using a FFM, a 'mask' is not defined in such a way, nor is there language in the IM, that precludes use of a FFM. There are, however, performance requirements that have to be met.
I fully agree. As an Instructor, who happens to be a FFM-certified diver, I expect i could help a student perform the flooding / clearing and remove / replace skills, BUT I expect a FFM Instructor would be a lot better.nimoh:
In fact, meeting the performance requirements for 'simple' mask-related skills would be the easy part: OW Dive 1, Skill 8. Clear a partially flooded mask. OW Dive 2, Skill 9. Clear a fully flooded mask. OW Dive 3 Skill 8. Remove, replace and clear the mask. What about the regulator recovery and clearing skills, including: OW Dive 1, Skill 9. Recover and clear the regulator at depth. What about the snorkel skills, including: Dive Flexible Skills - At the surface: Snorkel/Regulator Exchange — Clear water from a snorkel and resume breathing without removing the snorkel from the mouth. Alternately breathe from snorkel and regulator without lifting the face from the water for at least two exchanges. These are performance requirements that have to be met. What about Alternate Air Source Use: OW Dive 2, Skill 10. Perform each role: In a stationary position, one person signals “out of air” and secures and breathes from an alternate air source provided by another diver; the other diver provides the air source. As the OOA diver, once you pull your FFM off, your u/w vision is compromised. The solution for FFM divers is to carry a spare 'standard' mask. So, now the skill - for an OW student - becomes a bit more complicated. Doable? Absolutely! But, in how many cases do we have OW students carrying a spare mask? Having said all this, I can see ways to address these issues, by having OW students wear a 'standard' mask, and snorkel, at least part of the time. And, having them carry a spare mask, with a snorkel. It is not by any means impossible. It merely adds to the complexity.
2) I think I will call PADI after the first of the new year, and see if perhaps their answer actually is slightly different than what you describe as your instructor's 'under no circumstances' report. I can easily see a situation where PADI Training would tell that Instructor, ' Unless you are credentialed as a FFM Instructor, you cannot permit students to use a FFM in an OW class. And, the student will still need to meet ALL performance requirements.' If that was the case, your Instructor possibly decided to put the onus of refusal on PADI, rather than himself. I also doubt that other training agencies would view the issue very differently;
3) I don't understand why you are angry at PADI? Their goal is to promote SAFE training. Students have enough issues simply flooding and removing their mask and breathing underwater, even with a second stage in their mouth the whole time. When you remove a FFM, you remove your second stage with it, and need to / should go to your alternate in the interim. That adds to the complexity of the skill, particularly for a OW student diver. As nimoh points out, it certainly can be done - I did it, multiple times, for FFM certification. But, it adds to the difficulty of the skill. In fact, the first time I attempted FFM mask replacement, I had to 'bail' and revert to using my alternate for a minute or so, before trying it again. And, I can easily see PADI - or any other competent credentialing agency - putting appropriate safety measures in place (i.e. the OW Instructor must also be qualified as a FFM Instructor). I work with a number of very competent OW instructors. Only one is FFM certified - the one that is also FFM Instructor credentialed, and who taught me. The others would, very wisely, defer on having a student pursue OW training in a FFM. Not altogether unlike diving a rebreather, I doubt that many OW Instructors are FFM certified. I have to wonder - if you really wanted / needed to use a FFM during OW training, did you talk to more than the one instructor?
While it may turn out that this interpretation is the correct one - and Ray makes a very good point - I am not sure it necessarily should be - i.e. I don't think the specialty pre-requisite requirement should rule out use of a FFM, as long as all OW performance requirements can be met. Historically, in addressing issues of divers with different physical abilities, for example, PADI's consistent emphasis has been on meeting performance requirements, NOT precluding a diver from participation because of different abilities. Use of a FFM would seem to fall within that broad rubric. I don't see a way for ALL OW dive performance requirements to be met while a student is wearing a FFM – there would need to be times when the student is equipped with a ‘standard’ mask, and a snorkel. However, if a student is physically unable to engage in diving at any time without a FFM, then the performance requirements can’t be met, and certification cannot be awarded.RJP:
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