First Dive / Training (Am I wrong? Or, is the instructor crazy?)

[Quero]

Feel like there are two ways to go:
- If the instructor has done things right, then it is my wife who couldn't cope. If this is the case, it may be wise to opt out of diving.
- If the instructor is wrong, then we can change instructor and try again.

Will very much like to hear more from instructors out there.

First of all, it's hard to know what your first language is, Don Quixote, but it was clear to me right away that the Instructor is a Chinese. While PADI instructors all are meant to follow the same standards and teach according to the same curriculum, if you have a language difference with your instructor, or equally important, a culture difference, there is a good chance there will be a mismatch. When there are language issues, students don't feel that they can ask as many questions and they don't feel as satisfied with the responses. I wouldn't have felt satisfied with this instructor's reply, even if he were a really superlative teacher. For me there would be a huge cultural gap with an instructor simply telling me to keep practicing and I'd get used to it. My culture encourages me to be independent, and this kind of reply would not have been helpful in giving me strategies for solving the issues. If it were me, I'd change instructors for this reason, if nothing else.

Next, even when an instructor and a student share a language/culture, sometimes teaching styles and learning styles don't match up. In this case, it's nobody's "fault," but changing instructors can make a huge difference. In your case, I'd probably recommend private instruction rather than group instruction (is this what you had?), and for your wife I'd recommend a female instructor, maybe one who is a little older and more patient (of course I'm biased in this regard, LOL). Your wife, and perhaps to a lesser extent you, need to get past the negative experience before you can start building positive ones. I doubt very much that your current instructor is going to help you do that. You have already lost confidence in him, so just do whatever it takes to change instructors, and don't worry too much about placing blame. Move forward.

 

[TSandM]

I think Quero's answer is both very good and exquisitely tactful.

For me, any instructor who thinks you need 50 dives to be able to control your buoyancy is someone I don't think you should work with. It takes far more than 50 dives to have polished buoyancy control, and far fewer to have some -- and the idea of having someone in the water who does not know how to use their BC at all appalls me. As does taking brand new students, about whom you know little or nothing, into an open water environment with surge and rocks. And, of course, missing the fact that someone's tank is so loosely secured in their BC that they are going to lose it.

This is not quality work. I think you should find another instructor.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

Yes you should look into another instructor. When I took my OW classes I took them locally so my confined part was in a pool. While I do remember knowing how our bcd was suppose to work, I don't remember anyone using it. our instructor even comment how when coming to the surface no one used their bcd like an elevator. But when I went to take my check out dives I was signed up to do the entire class over, because it was cheaper for me to pay for it than for a referral. When we went to do the confined part in a lagoon it was crowed being that it was holiday weekend. so we ended up going out on a boat to a depth of about 15 to 20 feet. I had some of the same anxiety problems, mask kept flooding( went through 5 before I found the right one) wet-suit felt to tight, (first time in it, but it got better) couldn't keep my balance. then when I did my OW dives conditions were worse, (had to walk down a long stairway with gear, (same stairs that the surfers were using because of the good waves for them) waves were knocking me over just trying to get in the water, it was rocky and in a boat channel. In the begging I was thinking what heck have I gotten myself into, but in the end I'm glad I did it that way, the experience made me comfortable enough that when it came to my first boat/ocean dive alone I wasn't nervous about it, no anxiety, new what to expect from the surge, getting on a off the boat.

This may be a little pricey, but if possible before you take your next class, try a discover scuba with the instructor so you can see how he reacts underwater in diving conditions, and it may also help your wife feel more comfortable since she's not task loaded with doing the skills.

 

[Frosty]

OP if for no other reason than you have no trust in your instructor I would change to one you are comfortable with.
In the instructors defence I can see what he was trying to say in his e mail. He really diddn't say it very well. You see it every day. A hastilly typed e mail and you are "saying " something different from what you actually mean.

 

[SubMariner]

First of all, it's hard to know what your first language is, Don Quixote, but it was clear to me right away that the Instructor is a Chinese. While PADI instructors all are meant to follow the same standards and teach according to the same curriculum, if you have a language difference with your instructor, or equally important, a culture difference, there is a good chance there will be a mismatch. When there are language issues, students don't feel that they can ask as many questions and they don't feel as satisfied with the responses. I wouldn't have felt satisfied with this instructor's reply, even if he were a really superlative teacher. For me there would be a huge cultural gap with an instructor simply telling me to keep practicing and I'd get used to it. My culture encourages me to be independent, and this kind of reply would not have been helpful in giving me strategies for solving the issues. If it were me, I'd change instructors for this reason, if nothing else.

Next, even when an instructor and a student share a language/culture, sometimes teaching styles and learning styles don't match up. In this case, it's nobody's "fault," but changing instructors can make a huge difference. In your case, I'd probably recommend private instruction rather than group instruction (is this what you had?), and for your wife I'd recommend a female instructor, maybe one who is a little older and more patient (of course I'm biased in this regard, LOL). Your wife, and perhaps to a lesser extent you, need to get past the negative experience before you can start building positive ones. I doubt very much that your current instructor is going to help you do that. You have already lost confidence in him, so just do whatever it takes to change instructors, and don't worry too much about placing blame. Move forward.

While several of your points make sense regarding sharing language/culture with the Instructor from whom you are taking a scuba course, where in the OP's post does he indicate the nationality of the Instructor? Or even that there was a language/cultural barrier?

IMHO the points of the original post were issues regarding the suitability of the training site and a whether or not this particular Instructor was a "fit" for these divers. (To which the general consensus seems to have been that neither were acceptable.)

 

[Quero]

where in the OP's post does he indicate the nationality of the Instructor? Or even that there was a language/cultural barrier?
IMHO the points of the original post were issues regarding the suitability of the training site and a whether or not this particular Instructor was a "fit" for these divers.

Having been professionally active as a language teaching/learning expert for decades, I have a great deal of experience in the way that people from different language backgrounds express themselves in English. The message from the instructor displays very typical language use features of a native Chinese speaker. Furthermore, I believe that when I wrote the following

...it's hard to know what your first language is, Don Quixote...
...if you have a language difference with your instructor, or equally important, a culture difference...
...even when an instructor and a student share a language/culture...

I allowed for the possibility that the students and the instructor may indeed be from the same linguistic/cultural background. Don Quixote, however, does not write like a native Chinese, so I very much doubt it.

When language, culture, and teaching/learning style differences become barriers to successful participation in a scuba course, I think it's a given that the instructor is not a good "fit" to the students.

 

[Scuba Cat Diving]

Did you get a briefing? explanation of what you were going to do?

Thank you for giving your insights on this. There was a briefing on the surface (land) on what we will be practicing: mask clearing, regulator clearing, regulator recovery and handling muscle cramp. We did went into all the regiments. Going through these threads, I am now asking my buddy (wife) more details as to what she went through. She experienced flooding of her mask and sucking in water from the start to the extent she felt she is drowning and spat her regulator out at one point. The instructor buoyed her up and she said she was scolded and warned to never spit out the regulator. This is during the mask clearing exercise.

I guess going on an underwater tour for maybe 100 meters or more to 5 meters of depth is the only one item we were not told in advance.

---------- Post Merged at 11:18 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 10:52 AM ----------

Thank you replying. Yes, we did went through some regiments: mask clearing, regulator clearing, regulator recovery and cramp removal but no out-of-air exercise. My buddy did not fare well in the mask clearing section and she choked and spat her regulator out at one point. She has problem sucking in water and flooding of her mask. A second try on this succeeded to some extent. We did not know that we will be going on a tour of the sea bottom.

Although I am really 'dive-shocked' by my wife's tank coming loose of her BCD, I still wanted to judge things as fairly as possible. There's two of us and the instructor and his assistant (a Dive Master) in a one-to-one session. The beach is rocky; the water is about 4 meters (12 ft) visibility.

I am glad to hear you weer given a briefing and practiced the minimum of what is required before going a bit deeper.
The concern is how your buddy (wife) felt and the water conditions.
As others have pointed out, confined water does not necessarily have to be in a pool, but in 'pool like conditions wrt depth, clarity and calmness', which it does not sound like.

Your wife sounded uncomfortable in the water, this happens sometimes as everything is new, but you should not leave 'confined water' until you are comfortable, if this means more time to practice then this is what should be done. The skills should have been completed with comfort, fluid and repeatable, not just have succeeded to some extent.

I hope now you have resolved the issue and decided to carry on with either the same or different instructor and have had to chance to see how enjoyable diving actually is.

 

[FM1520]

Also, learning to dive, IMO, requires all your attention. I would not want to do my initial training with my wife or kid - especially as my buddy - there will always be some degree of interest/concern/distraction with that person (both ways). When I took my OW class, if I thought my buddy was to slow, to nervous, or otherwise not a good match I just made sure I got buddied up with someone else for the next dive. The last thing I want to do is have to worry (or feel like I have to worry) about someone else when I'm trying to figure it out myself.

 

[Zen Diving Inc.]

Same here. That's ridiculous. It's called confined water (pool) dives for a reason

I agree completely with finding another instructor, but confined water can be more then a pool...

 

[LowDrag]

Also, learning to dive, IMO, requires all your attention. I would not want to do my initial training with my wife or kid - especially as my buddy - there will always be some degree of interest/concern/distraction with that person (both ways). When I took my OW class, if I thought my buddy was to slow, to nervous, or otherwise not a good match I just made sure I got buddied up with someone else for the next dive. The last thing I want to do is have to worry (or feel like I have to worry) about someone else when I'm trying to figure it out myself.

Really? That's a bummer. I liked having my wife and son (23) all together. We had a great time even though the viz sucked. Have a good one...