Horrible Divers Everywhere?

[Caveeagle]

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.

Unfortunately most people don’t know enough to screen an instructor. And many of the better instructors seem to focus on advanced training. A few years ago I had three of my kids trained, OW,Nitrox & AOW, I found someone I trusted who was able to keep it fun, but got them dialed in with skills and trimmed out right from the start.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Unfortunately most people don’t know enough to screen an instructor. And many of the better instructors seem to focus on advanced training. A few years ago I had three of my kids trained, OW,Nitrox & AOW, I found someone I trusted who was able to keep it fun, but got them dialed in with skills and trimmed out right from the start.

That's my plan with the kids for Christmas this year. I wanted to try and get Trace to do it, but he's MIA.

 

[oly5050user]

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.

There already are two cards. One says open water diver and the other is a "scuba diver" card that has restrictions on depth (40' if I remember right, and must dive with a pro.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

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

Yeah, I’ve had a few quit after taking them on a dive in Norcal. They certify somewhere else that’s warm and clear then think just because they have an OW card they can dive anywhere, until they attempt to dive here.
Our classes are like card #2 by default because they have to be. Waves, surge, low vis, cold, hazards, etc. the OW students who certify here have to be trained for that otherwise nobody would pass OW in our local area.

 

[diver00011]

Personally, I found buoyancy difficult to master, and this with focused effort and good instruction. I think I was 100 dives in before I consistently never yo-yo'd.

I'm grateful for all the instructors, dive masters and buddies who stuck with me through the all the silting and corking until I got it right.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

There already are two cards. One says open water diver and the other is a "scuba diver" card that has restrictions on depth (40' if I remember right, and must dive with a pro.

I think he meant that the current OW is like card 1, and card 2 doesn’t really exist yet. It would have to be OW, AOW, Rescue, PPB, and thorough basic skills proficiency, all in one class. That would a very expensive class but I’ll bet there would be takers. If someone was dedicated enough to spend that kind of time and money on basic dive training then my guess is they would stick with it and become pretty hard core divers.
There is a NAUI class at Sonoma State University that is such a class. It’s one semester long and teaches them everything. They start from square one and when they get out they are real divers. It’s mostly for people studying to be marine biologists and diving will be one of their tools to do their job.

 

[Bob DBF]

Yeah, I’ve had a few quit after taking them on a dive in Norcal. They certify somewhere else that’s warm and clear then think just because they have an OW card they can dive anywhere, until they attempt to dive here.

First it's important to know that having an OW card just means you can get air anywhere. As for the NorCal coast, I have really love diving it for decades, but I've still had my ass handed to me on a number of occasions. I know one of your your favorites is the feather boa kelp sneaking up out of nowhere.



Bob

Mother Nature isn't out to get you, she just doesn't care.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

First it's important to know that having an OW card just means you can get air anywhere. As for the NorCal coast, I have really love diving it for decades, but I've still had my ass handed to me on a number of occasions. I know one of your your favorites is the feather boa kelp sneaking up out of nowhere.



Bob

Mother Nature isn't out to get you, she just doesn't care.

Ah yes, the tentacles and wrapping of the feather boa, it loves hog looped long hoses when you’re on your back. The entrance to South Fisk Mill cove where you must pay passage to the feather boa kelp gods and get molested right at the gate before being allowed into the tranquility of the lagoon. So close, yet so far. This was the breaking point that made me completely rethink my gear configuration and go completely minimalist. Less is more.
I remember when I mentioned that to a few kool-aiders and got nothing but crickets.
I’d give anything to get wrapped up in feather boa again or even that late summer stringy bull kelp that used to hang up on everything. It’s still pretty bleak out there, no kelp just a lot of purple urchins.

 

[rvojr]

On the positive side, I'm amazed at the amount of info on the internet, videos on youtube and abundant knowledgeable people willing to help those trying to get better.

 

[scubadada]

I don't think there are many options for shallow sites for training. BHB is very popular for that activity. I regret that also.