Horrible Divers Everywhere?

[Manatee Diver]

The better recreational divers will migrate towards the small 6-pack boats.

Not always, six packs have their own negatives. The boats are small, often with with small ladders. Limited areas to gear up, often without benches. Typically required to at least half capacity to go out, are more expensive, and more likely to cancel in rougher weather (6ft seas on a typical six pack is very rough, 6ft seas on a 46ft Newton is manageable).

Instead what I prefer is deeper wrecks on large boats. The charter fee is reasonable, and there isn't going to be any discover scuba, or OWD classes. Also the wrecks are large enough that you aren't running into people constantly.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

They don’t really try to train people to be long term proficient divers nowadays, they teach people just enough to know how to use scuba gear and just enough personal skills so they don’t kill themselves. Before boulderjohn jumps me about standards not being changed in PADI training, that might be true, but I’ve been witness to OW training being so minimized and barely grazed over that it’s a miracle more people aren’t getting hurt. Basic OW standards might not have been broken but the effort to thoroughly implant a solid foundation is too time consuming and would cost too much money for most people. Maybe they were taught everything in the book, maybe they weren’t, who knows? What’s the percentage of classes taught worldwide that skip over stuff?

So the result is you get a bunch of bottom crawlers who kind of know how to huff and puff on a second stage and kind of remember what a BC is for, and they know they should never hold their breath, but there are other classes for learning anything above that.
Will they ever take those classes? I don’t know the stats on that, but I doubt the majority will.

 

[Zieg]

The best ones have their own boats

Thank you.

Another good aspect of having your own boat is that I get to regulate who comes diving with me. If you don't like my style of diving you don't have to come back. If I don't like your style of diving you don't invited back.

 

[FF / EMT]

Thank you.

Another good aspect of having your own boat is that I get to regulate who comes diving with me. If you don't like my style of diving you don't have to come back. If I don't like your style of diving you don't invited back.

So you just leave them out in the water if you don’t like them?
Hmm I’m going to
Try that

 

[Steve_C]

I Way too many people wanting to move way too fast through the water.

Just avoid guides that are not private guides. All those folks shooting off is great. gives me some peace and quiet to do my dive in.

 

[Bob DBF]

Before boulderjohn jumps me about standards not being changed in PADI training, that might be true, but I’ve been witness to OW training being so minimized and barely grazed over that it’s a miracle more people aren’t getting hurt.

I haven't seen boulderjohn around, he probably got something better to do than correct the Internet, at this time.

Over time, he convinced me about the standards being the same including some improvements since the good old days, however when discussing the implementation of the standards by instructors, he sees where we get our point of view quite clearly. Regardless of the standard, if instructors are paying lip service to, or ignoring, those standards, the quality of the diver will suffer.

Divers don't get hurt because they go to easy places with dive proffessionals, and either they get better or quit. I've seen my share quit, usually after something didn't go right.



Bob

 

[AfterDark]

You, like many of us have witnessed the “MacDonalds” of scuba training.......there are many factors but, this the result of what a vast majority of our scuba training has devolved into.

There, that.

I've noticed since I've been retired and going diving everyday that these days students learn to assemble gear for the 1st time just before their OW dive. I can hear the instructor explaining how the reg and BCD are oriented like it's the 1st time! During my training we had assembled and disassembly our rigs pool side some many times it was second nature by the 1st OW dive. I am in awe of how few deaths there are in the USA while SCUBA diving. Like someone posted, just enough training to keep them alive.

 

[NAM001]

They don’t really try to train people to be long term proficient divers nowadays, they teach people just enough to know how to use scuba gear and just enough personal skills so they don’t kill themselves. Before boulderjohn jumps me about standards not being changed in PADI training, that might be true, but I’ve been witness to OW training being so minimized and barely grazed over that it’s a miracle more people aren’t getting hurt. Basic OW standards might not have been broken but the effort to thoroughly implant a solid foundation is too time consuming and would cost too much money for most people. Maybe they were taught everything in the book, maybe they weren’t, who knows? What’s the percentage of classes taught worldwide that skip over stuff?

So the result is you get a bunch of bottom crawlers who kind of know how to huff and puff on a second stage and kind of remember what a BC is for, and they know they should never hold their breath, but there are other classes for learning anything above that.
Will they ever take those classes? I don’t know the stats on that, but I doubt the majority will.

Thank you

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I come here for different points of view and always get what I'm looking for.

Too poor to own a boat (too many kids). Maybe one day. I have a friend in Melbourne who has a boat, supposed to go with them in September.

Just avoid guides that are not private guides. All those folks shooting off is great. gives me some peace and quiet to do my dive in.

I know now after last year...no more cattle boats for me..it was an experience though.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I haven't seen boulderjohn around, he probably got something better to do than correct the Internet, at this time.

Over time, he convinced me about the standards being the same including some improvements since the good old days, however when discussing the implementation of the standards by instructors, he sees where we get our point of view quite clearly. Regardless of the standard, if instructors are paying lip service to, or ignoring, those standards, the quality of the diver will suffer.

Divers don't get hurt because they go to easy places with dive proffessionals, and either they get better or quit. I've seen my share quit, usually after something didn't go right.



Bob

I kind of wish they offered 2 cards. Card 1 is if you only ever plan to go vacation diving. It's cheaper and you get the basics.

Card 2 is for those that think they'll really like diving and want to start off by being proficient at it.

I understand now that when I got certified I should have went after the instructor and not the card, but there wasn't really any way to know that until I was on the other side of the class.