Everyday is a learning day - Interesting Students you've met.

[Diving Dubai]

I originally thought I'd put this in the Instructors forum, but thought it might be a good one for people to read.

I'll start this one off.

The other week I was teaching Rescue. A single mature student with significant diving experience but not for a while. Because he was a single to make the course more interesting I'd acquired a couple of DM's and DMT as well as my CD who loves playing a victim.

Anyhow I digress.

We're going through the initial chat as you do, finding out about the candidate. I'm giving the usual rescue speech. Thinking diver... Blah blah Think before you act Blah blah.

Turning to the candidate I ask "What's your day job?"

Answer... EOD Officer (Bomb Disposal)

Me: Right then so you're well accustomed to thinking before you act...

It had to be the most enjoyable course I've taught so far. Especially the debriefs where he would self critique, throw some other solutions out there and we'd jump back in to try them.

I did feel a bit of a fraud going through the CPR scenario, where I have only even done it in the class room, and he'd done it in real life - 4 or 5 times - once having to carry out CPR to a victim who'd just been shot by her boyfriend - so dealing with major blood loss then having armed police turn up pointing guns at him while they assessed the situation.

I certainly learnt a lot on that course myself.

How about you guys?

 

[Efka76]

Very nice story!

 

[The Chairman]

One of my funny incidents happened a dozen or so years ago. As we're discussing deco theory and how it applies to their diving, I always try to allay fears with a "Don't worry this is not rocket science: it's submarine science!" It always gets a laugh, albeit sometimes a nervous one. Well lo and behold, one of my students was a NASA engineer and indeed a rocket scientist. He feigned umbrage at the comment and it became a running gag throughout the class on both our parts. "I presume you believe a rocket scientist won't be able to understand these tables?" "Probably not, but let's see if we can make you the exception to that rule!"

 

[Neilwood]

One of my funny incidents happened a dozen or so years ago. As we're discussing deco theory and how it applies to their diving, I always try to allay fears with a "Don't worry this is not rocket science: it's submarine science!" It always gets a laugh, albeit sometimes a nervous one. Well lo and behold, one of my students was a NASA engineer and indeed a rocket scientist. He feigned umbrage at the comment and it became a running gag throughout the class on both our parts. "I presume you believe a rocket scientist won't be able to understand these tables?" "Probably not, but let's see if we can make you the exception to that rule!"

I guess with large amount of NASA personnel in Florida, it was bound to happen someday.

 

[oly5050user]

Had a former pro football player and his miss world contestant girl friend take a class. Another class had a teenage girl , her dad was at one time asst secretary of navy. Missed out on Jared Leto as a student, I understood could not get schedule arranged. Many others just as interesting. Oh, almost forgot about the two terrorist caught at our facility after getting an alert to be on look out for certain types from FBI . One of them took flying lessons at same place as those involved in 9/11.They arrested them, took them away, where ?.?. Then there was a secret service agent on Trumps and family detail.

 

[TMHeimer]

One OW student stands out in my mind because of one thing. A rather large young man, when the class was learning the hover, this guy was absolutely still--as far as the eye could see. Keeping in mind that the course was a year or so before PADI put more emphasis on buoyancy, at which point so did some of our instructors.
It was amazing--I thought he was cheating--holding on to something. As well, I think he probably just used the standard 12 pound soft weight belt we gave to bigger people (as opposed to 8 pounds). So he probably wasn't "perfectly" weighted as well. I told him "That's perfect--you can't improve on that". When I hover in the ocean, I think of him.