Don't know what happened

[OTF]

You may have very well received good training. Given where you are in your dive career, I suspect, however, that you don't yet have enough training. One thing my instructor emphasized was doing our skills in a variety of environments. Over several courses, we often worked on the same skills in: cold(ish) water wearing 7mm wetsuits, warm water, shallow water, deep water, rough seas, calm seas with no current, calm seas with ripping currents, and overhead environments. Those experiences taught me that things that might work in one situation, won't in another. There really just isn't a substitute for working on your skills in a variety of conditions over time.

Given what Dody has said in this and other threads, I would argue the problem is TOO MUCH training too fast without enough time to build experience.

 

[RyanT]

@OTF, perhaps I should have said training/experience. I think the last line of my comment sums it up though.

 

[Raphus]

Given what Dody has said in this and other threads, I would argue the problem is TOO MUCH training too fast without enough time to build experience.

Yes that's what I said. Up to Dm including multiple specialty with only 69 dives. That's not many real dives to build on your training..

I definitely wouldn't do a course where a DM is, that has that many dives and problems keeping up with the students.

 

[Efka76]

@Dody , at 69 dives you are still a rookie. I have more than 100 dives and also have various beginner technical diver certifications, however, I still consider myself as a rookie as well. You get experience when you dive in challenging conditions, e.g. strong currents, bad visibility, big waver, etc. As you mentioned in one of your posts, you do not have much experience with string currents. In your place you could DM that group, however, if I was in your place, I would politely refuse to do that. How can you be responsible for other people lives when you do not know how to save yours.

 

[Dody]

Yes that's what I said. Up to Dm including multiple specialty with only 69 dives. That's not many real dives to build on your training..

I definitely wouldn't do a course where a DM is, that has that many dives and problems keeping up with the students.

There is no logical explanation still as to why I was unable to keep up. That’s the thing that worries me. I am studying all the parameters. 1) New wetsuit? I needed 3 additional kg to go down and even with that I could not hold my safety stop. I had to fin down. 2) Different current streams? 3) Finning technique? I really doubt that one. And all the scientific studies show that people who profess not using arms in strong currents believe what they heard as opposed to studying and are wrong.
I continue studying as in an air crash episode

 

[Dody]

@Dody , at 69 dives you are still a rookie. I have more than 100 dives and also have various beginner technical diver certifications, however, I still consider myself as a rookie as well. You get experience when you dive in challenging conditions, e.g. strong currents, bad visibility, big waver, etc. As you mentioned in one of your posts, you do not have much experience with string currents. In your place you could DM that group, however, if I was in your place, I would politely refuse to do that. How can you be responsible for other people lives when you do not know how to save yours.

I agree that I am still a rookie. But saying that I don’t know how to save my life is excessive. Total control is a delusion. It is like saying that nobody should be a DM without solo training.

@Dody , at 69 dives you are still a rookie. I have more than 100 dives and also have various beginner technical diver certifications, however, I still consider myself as a rookie as well. You get experience when you dive in challenging conditions, e.g. strong currents, bad visibility, big waver, etc. As you mentioned in one of your posts, you do not have much experience with string currents. In your place you could DM that group, however, if I was in your place, I would politely refuse to do that. How can you be responsible for other people lives when you do not know how to save yours.

I agree that I am still very green. But saying that I don’t know how to save my life is a bit excessive.

 

[Rollin Bonz]

I agree that I am still a rookie. But saying that I don’t know how to save my life is excessive. Total control is a delusion. It is like saying that nobody should be a DM without solo training.

I agree that I am still very green. But saying that I don’t know how to save my life is a bit excessive.

That's actually kind of a good idea if you think about it...
Who was your "buddy" to help you on that dive if you had gotten into trouble?
Who acts as the DM's buddy when they tie into a 110 foot wreck solo?
Instructors are not typically solo trained... who is their "buddy" while teaching a class?

Kind of a "makes total sense, why is it not the way things are done" if you ask me...

 

[Raphus]

That's actually kind of a good idea... who was your "buddy" to help you on that dive if you had gotten into trouble?
Who acts as the DM's buddy when they tie into a 110 foot wreck solo?
Instructors are not typically solo trained... who is their "buddy" while teaching a class?

Kind of a "makes total sense, why is it not the way things are done" if you ask me...

100% a dive professional has to be able to deal with all the problems as a solo diver.

 

[Rollin Bonz]

100% a dive professional has to be able to deal with all the problems as a solo diver.

Agreed. Sadly, not a requirement though. I think it points to a lack of experience requirements for training to become a dive professional across the industry.

 

[Rollin Bonz]

100% a dive professional has to be able to deal with all the problems as a solo diver.

and not just to enter a program, but to complete a program. Low requirements for entering would be one thing if you WERE required to have the skills/experience to COMPLETE the program. That's not the case. Meet the requirements for starting the course, pay the fee, get the c card.

We've all seen the results. Dive "Masters" with absolutely ZERO buoyancy control. Not saying ALL DMs, but those DMs are out there... These are the people tasked with guiding novice divers and ensuring their safety? "Master" my a$$... "ADVANCED" divers with out even a concept of buoyancy control, proper weighting, proper skills, etc.

It's a miracle divers aren't dying in droves.