Equipment Exchange

[endurodog]

In my day job when you test for a higher position you are given problems to solve and you are judged on your resource management, do you ask the right people and would be scored higher for seeking out additional info like this, yes it is sometimes life or death situations the questions are asked about. Now you still have to make decisions and handle situations when you can't ask questions but to say someone shouldn't ask how to do an exersise is harsh (SB way it seems). If a DMC is wavering so bad on leadership and problem solving then his instructor needs to sit down with him. Asking this question on here, in and of it self, in no way gives enough info the slam the OP for "not figuring it out".

I suspect most DM's have asked a similiar question, if not all, on a hint. Maybe not on the internet but whats the real difference? I'll admit that I asked questions on many aspects of my training and hints on how to make it more succesful.

 

[Hank49]

In my day job when you test for a higher position you are given problems to solve and you are judged on your resource management, do you ask the right people and would be scored higher for seeking out additional info like this, yes it is sometimes life or death situations the questions are asked about. Now you still have to make decisions and handle situations when you can't ask questions but to say someone shouldn't ask how to do an exersise is harsh (SB way it seems). If a DMC is wavering so bad on leadership and problem solving then his instructor needs to sit down with him. Asking this question on here, in and of it self, in no way gives enough info the slam the OP for "not figuring it out".

I suspect most DM's have asked a similiar question, if not all, on a hint. Maybe not on the internet but whats the real difference? I'll admit that I asked questions on many aspects of my training and hints on how to make it more succesful.

There is a difference. If you're managing a company and don't use all your resources to solve a problem, huge amounts of money could be lost, jobs etc.
If you screw up really bad on the equipment exchange, someone will have to surface. Nothing is lost but much is gained. I learn way more through failure than success and I think most of us do.
When I first did the gear change my buddy surfaced. We figured it out, talked it over and the next time was flawless. I didn't have internet then and if we asked any instructor working on the island, they knew we were dm candidates and would just laugh.
It's not rocket science. It's just planning and keeping a cool head and getting it done. Failure can be good.

 

[endurodog]

Hank your right about running a business but that's not my day job, my day job I do things that life depends on and I have been successfully promoted in my day job. They want you to use all of your resources to have a plan in place first and then have the ability to act on that plan. The OP is asking but it is still up to him to act on the plan. In my line of work flying by the seat of your pants is thought of as bad. Have a plan and work off of that and then when you run into problems with that plan you need to develop solutions on the fly in a moment.

Now again if the DMC's instructors position to address if the DMC is not prepared to deal sudden issues that my confront a DM. Planning ahead and using ones resources to be more prepared for an exersice or a real situation in good thinking and should be commended.

Does anyone think that the DMC is really gonna be given some key to the whole gear exchange that is going to make it so easy for him that a horrible DMC is now going to pass because of some piece of info he got from his question on the internet about gear exchange????

 

[James R]

I did my DM equipment exchange with an OW student after his pool session, it's not a huge hurdle to overcome at all. I led, he followed, 1st time go...no problem at all. Just don't over-think it.

 

[TMHeimer]

I dunno. I think part of being a DM is anticipating issues and thinking them through ahead of time rather than simply dealing with crap when it comes up. I give the OP props for thinking ahead as far as he has and posting the question on SB.

Giving a DMT clues about how to think through a task-loading exercise like the equipment exchange is a way of training him to anticipate issues in a way I want my DMs to do. Even when we train instructors in the IDC, we give them lists of typical mistakes students make so that they can think through how they might deal with each one of them. To me it's just the first step in the process of developing a professional outlook rather than a game or a spot quiz or something.

I agree. I can also see the other point of view that one should be able to deal with stuff as it happens. I don't think it is wrong to ask for advice to maybe try and get an edge. It makes sense to me to be as prepared for something as possible and also be able to deal with the unexpected. You'd think that solving things that are expected ahead of time would take those things out of the equation and perhaps make the unexpected a little easier to deal with.

 

[nimoh]

I know I asked for advice to get an edge when I did my divemaster class last year.

Best advice: choose the person you are exchanging with wisely. The first person that I tried to do equipment exchange with dropped her mask, then fumbled with my mask while I was blindly asking for the regulator with a hand motion. After about 20 seconds, the instructor put a reg in my hand and ended it. The second time went much more smoothly with a diving buddy that has a very similar equipment setup.

 

[Rogersea]

Hi all,

Just been going over my new Instructor Manual, looking over the Divemaster section (as I am about to do my DM in Cyprus). I am not the fittest of people, and may drop to a 2 or 3 on my swims. So what I need to do, is get my treadwater and equipment exchanges to a 5 and then buddy breathing to the surface. Is there any tips you can give me for the equipment exchange. I think I've only ever done the buddy breathing once and seperate to my equipment removal and and donning underwater.

I assume there will be time to practice this skill, prior to being given my final mark?

Cheers,

Bobby

Bobby, I would recommend working to improve my fitness level to help improve my scores. If you are really going to to working as a DM, improved fitness will benifit you if you are faced with an emergency situation.


There is nothing fundamentally wrong with asking for ideas on how to improve your score on the exchange, but please under stand you will not have time to practice it with your assigned buddy(defeats the purpose). If you are competent in your basic skills you should not have a problem with this exercise.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[Jaja]

I know I asked for advice to get an edge when I did my divemaster class last year.

Best advice: choose the person you are exchanging with wisely. The first person that I tried to do equipment exchange with dropped her mask, then fumbled with my mask while I was blindly asking for the regulator with a hand motion. After about 20 seconds, the instructor put a reg in my hand and ended it. The second time went much more smoothly with a diving buddy that has a very similar equipment setup.

I would say that the first person was a great person to attempt your exchange with. As a DM or Instructor you will encounter equally stressful situations during your work, and there won't be an instructor behind you then! Like Hank49 said, you can learn more from failure.

---------- Post Merged at 11:37 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 11:22 AM ----------

By the way, this is what the PADI Guide to Teaching says about the Equipment Exchange:

"This exercise creates an environment with unforeseeable difficulties that requires candidates to apply their experience, knowledge and creativity to
meet the demands of the moment. It is a problem solving evaluation and development tool only – it has no other application..."
and
"Give buddy teams less than five minutes to discuss the exercise."

So I think that PADI's intention is for the DMT to experience some problems down there which have not been considered or planned for beforehand. That's certainly how I see it. So if they spend a week analysing, planning and checking, the exchange will not serve as a useful learning tool as it was intended.

 

[Quero]

The way I see it is that about 50% of DMTs still experience "unforeseen" difficulties even when they've sought advice and thought the problem through thoroughly ahead of time. And while failure can provide insights to learning under certain circumstances, so can careful preparation in all circumstances. When we get things right with little or no forethought, we generally have a hard time knowing exactly what contributed to our success, but when we think things through carefully ahead of time, we can pretty much pinpoint what went according to plan and what didn't. That is exactly when mistakes can become a learning tool. I'm very skepitcal of the "throw the baby in at the deep end and it will learn to swim" approach to most things, whether it's driving, diving, equipment exchange, etc.

The entire intent of the quoted portion of the PADI IM is simply that the candidates not witness a demonstration or get an opportunity to practice before their first attempt. Of course, the first attempt then becomes practice for the eventually successful attempt for those who don't manage it immediately. Further, during the debriefing phase, those DMTs who are successful on their first attempt most often discuss their need to tamp down their anxiety and "breathe, think, act" during the exercise. Doing it successfully the first time has its own insights to provide as well.

Failure is not the only way to learn, nor is it even the best way to learn.

 

[nimoh]

I would say that the first person was a great person to attempt your exchange with. As a DM or Instructor you will encounter equally stressful situations during your work, and there won't be an instructor behind you then! Like Hank49 said, you can learn more from failure.

---------- Post Merged at 11:37 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 11:22 AM ----------

By the way, this is what the PADI Guide to Teaching says about the Equipment Exchange:

"This exercise creates an environment with unforeseeable difficulties that requires candidates to apply their experience, knowledge and creativity to
meet the demands of the moment. It is a problem solving evaluation and development tool only – it has no other application..."
and
"Give buddy teams less than five minutes to discuss the exercise."

So I think that PADI's intention is for the DMT to experience some problems down there which have not been considered or planned for beforehand. That's certainly how I see it. So if they spend a week analysing, planning and checking, the exchange will not serve as a useful learning tool as it was intended.

definitely a good point, and I agree it was good for me to experience it. My point is just that I would not be able to complete the exercise with the first person, and the exercise needs to be completed, rather than just attempted.