Have training standards "slipped"?

[Mako Mark]

Walter

Post 223,

28 quotes and without a doubt, the single largest post I have ever seen on SB...

Outstanding effort.

 

[The Chairman]

Walter, I tell you what. I am driven to make MY class the best it can be. I am positive that you can not legislate "great instruction" on any level. The agencies provide a platform from which we can work from and are not there to bind us to mediocrity. I take the chance with every diver I meet to impart SOMETHING to them or to LEARN something from them. It's just what I do HERE. I teach every one of my students that only THEY are in charge of their diving AND their training. They will get out only as much as they are willing to put in. Those who want to learn a LOT of diving skills will. Those who only want the bare minimum will do that (but not in my class). Why are people here? THEY WANT TO LEARN MORE! What if they are not here? I will invite them, tell them how ScubaBoard will change their diving, and then watch the magic if they take my invitation.

 

[bookboarder]

I think this thread has been helpful, coming from a new diver standpoint.

I think, also, that a lot of new divers don't take their C-Card for what it is. When we were given ours, we were told it was a license to lean more. And, that's what we're trying to do. I think many new divers think, "Ok, I've got my card, I can go dive and do whatever I want, and I know everything."

Our instructor really drilled it into us, that this was just our 'ticket' to allow us to lean more about diving, the underwater environment, etc. Not a free pass to go out and be a moron, or think we're super-divers because 'I'm CERTIFIED!'.

I, personally, think that that is an imporant lesson that not enough instructors give their students.

ETA: I intend to use SB to assist in furthering my learning, along with books, and future training, and diving. I think those are key.

 

[Walter]

Well Marc, you guys were busy writing while I was diving over the weekend. There was a bunch of catching up to do.

Pete, I believe that should be everyone's goal. We will disagree from time to time about what makes a class better. When we disagree, we should express those disagreements along with the reasons we disagree. Lately, I've seen comments about walking to school through the snow, military training and elitism that have absolutely nothing to do with the topic under discussion. It seems to be tossed in to poison the well. There's no need, IMO, for that type of character assassination. I recently exchanged a series of PMs with an instructor with whom I've frequently disagreed. In every single PM, we disagree, but in every single PM, we were respectful of each other. That's the way these threads should be conducted. I have not been seeing much of it lately.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I kinda like what Lamar English wrote on the subject.

Congratulations, by passing the written test, and having demonstrated an acceptable degree of proficiency in the pool and completing the mandatory number of training dives…You now have earned the title “certified diver”. You’re ready to take on the underwater world. You have also, however, been handed off to your new teacher, “experience”, who will teach you things that were not covered in class. You don’t yet realize it, but your certification is the underwater equivalent of a restricted driver’s license, a learner’s permit. You don’t know ****, haven’t seen ****, and haven’t done ****.

 

[stargazer61]

I can accept that you finish your OW qualification and are certified without having got some skills such as bouyancy to a level where they are second nature. It is to be expected that experience will fine tune these skills. I think most if not all instuctors stress the point that you need to build on the skills learned in OW and any sensible newly certified diver will take it easy at the start and maybe do some supervised dives. Practising the skills you have until you are thoroughly comfortable with them is dealing with "known unkowns".

The real problem is the "unknown unkowns". How many newly qualified divers know about breath control for bouyancy, gas management (still not sure I fully understand what this means). So you don't even realize you are missing a skill or two and you have no idea where to look for further training. (I don't think AOW is the answer!).

 

[Mako Mark]

(I don't think AOW is the answer!).

AOW is a misnomer, it is the adventures in diving program and calling it the advanced course has caused so many arguments that it is not funny. It is really just a supervised introduction to various types of diving.

 

[stargazer61]

AOW is a misnomer, it is the adventures in diving program and calling it the advanced course has caused so many arguments that it is not funny. It is really just a supervised introduction to various types of diving.

Yes, I agree with that. I found AOW very good for finding out some of the things I didn't know, but the training and dives give only a brief overview of each specialty. I intend to take the full specialty courses in the areas I am interested in.

I think it would be great if the "advanced course" did have some sort of core basic diving module that taught more about say trim, finning techniques, gas management, self rescue. An assessment of the divers ability to perform some basic skills midwater and to hold safety stop depth without a reference line would contribute to safety.

 

[Thalassamania]

Yes, I agree with that. I found AOW very good for finding out some of the things I didn't know, but the training and dives give only a brief overview of each specialty. I intend to take the full specialty courses in the areas I am interested in.

I think it would be great if the "advanced course" did have some sort of core basic diving module that taught more about say trim, finning techniques, gas management, self rescue. An assessment of the divers ability to perform some basic skills midwater and to hold safety stop depth without a reference line would contribute to safety.

Then take a non-PADI Advanced course ... L.A. County is likely the best, but kind of hard to find if you're not a SOCALer or take GUE Fundies.

 

[divinginn]

I think this thread has been helpful, coming from a new diver standpoint.

I think, also, that a lot of new divers don't take their C-Card for what it is. When we were given ours, we were told it was a license to lean more. And, that's what we're trying to do. I think many new divers think, "Ok, I've got my card, I can go dive and do whatever I want, and I know everything."

Our instructor really drilled it into us, that this was just our 'ticket' to allow us to lean more about diving, the underwater environment, etc. Not a free pass to go out and be a moron, or think we're super-divers because 'I'm CERTIFIED!'.

I, personally, think that that is an imporant lesson that not enough instructors give their students.

ETA: I intend to use SB to assist in furthering my learning, along with books, and future training, and diving. I think those are key.

it sounds to me like you had a great instructor.