How does one deal with an instructor that makes them uncomfortable?

[yle]

I'm looking forward to having another dive buddy and while I can help later, if they don't walk away from this feeling safe and secure in the water, it may be dead before it gets a chance to start.

Definitely. The best you can do is share with your friend the feedback you've received here. Convince your friend that OW class is an experience that should be fun and enjoyable, not something that must be endured. They should know that an OW class that makes them feel uncomfortable is not normal, and that there are plenty of other instructors available that will make the experience what it should be.

Then let the friend decide what they want to do.

 

[yle]

I'll be honest: I went into your post thinking "Oh no, a teacher complaining about a class." I teach. I teach teachers on occasion. We collectively make the worst students. We're used to being the royalty in the classroom, and it's tough being a peasant again. (Though we play nice with students, the power relationship still exists no matter how much the student thinks about us as a buddy not a boss.) "Condescending attitude" would fit the pattern of a teacher complaining about a class. However, the other items are objective and clearly inappropriate. You convinced me!

Disagree that "we" make the worst students regarding being "Royalty" and being a "peasant" again. I don't THINK I fit that bill at all as a Band Teacher--speak for yourself (as I watch my decades of band concerts tapes and recall those faces).
I wonder if you are talking about teaching scuba courses as opposed to being a school classroom
teacher. I really don't know, but figure there is a big difference.

I'm going to agree with TMH here, disagree with Doc's assessment of teachers becoming students. I've been teaching for 20 years (for my day job... teaching scuba is my "fun" job) and on the rare occasion I get to be a student, I find the experience pretty rewarding: it gives me an opportunity to put myself in my students' shoes (so to speak), and it gives me a chance to listen to another teacher... both of which, if I'm paying attention, help me improve my teaching. But then again, I'm not the kind of teacher that thinks I'm "royalty" and my students are "peasants" either (and I do acknowledge those kind of teachers do exist.)

 

[The Chairman]

It's not about an apology or refund. The money isn't a big deal. Just trying to find out if my friend can avoid the hassle of confrontation and not have wasted all the hours.

Hours underwater are never "wasted". Every instructor teaches differently and many from an entirely different mentality or altruism. My classes are all about getting the student comfortable being in a flat neutral position. Skills learned on the knees can actually be problematic in such a case. Often, I must help students overcome bad habits they have learned from prior instruction before I can instill the good ones. So don't let them feel discouraged if they feel they are starting all over again. Look for an instructor who puts the FUN in Scuba Fundamentals, and there will be no "loss". My second rule of diving, aka the rule of fun, states: You can call a dive (class, instructor, etc) at any time, for any reason, no questions asked and with no repercussions. Restated: If you're not having fun: STOP! Figure out the source of your fun-sucker and remove it. Then go have fun. Don't proceed if you're having to force it.

I'm here in Curacao with almost 80 other ScubaBoarders for a brutal week of dive, dive, dive, rum, rum, rum. Yesterday after the 2nd dive I was sitting in my space taking my BCD off. I had clipped my 2nd stage to the right chest D-ring as I always do. The ocean was sporty and a big wave hit, and my second stage whipped up, around and whacked me in the right eye orbit. Now I have a headache, a black eye and snot is gushing out. I was on the dock in my dive boots waiting to board when a wave of disorientation hit me. As soon as I thought "this isn't going to be fun", I unlaced my boots and told my buddy that she was on her own. If it's not fun, it's not worth doing. We have work where we often have to endure someone else's crap. I'm in the room this morning catching up on that work, but I'll still have fun. It's why I'm here.

 

[EastEndDiver]

"Never turn your back on the ocean" something I was taught as a kid comes to mind after reading that post.

 

[throwaway999]

Hours underwater are never "wasted". Every instructor teaches differently and many from an entirely different mentality or altruism.

I had a feeling someone might comment on that. The time "waste" here is actually not about lessons learned but more about the personal difficulty my friend has had in making time to get through the training. It's been a longer-than-hoped process and they were looking forward to finally getting to do it and joining me on some dives. They're many hours into working with the instructor (more than I recall for this stage), plus travel time (which is a lot because of where they live), plus all the time spent studying the book. Getting credit for the tests and class time, as well as the confined water time (even if there's a confined water refresh/checkout in the future with another instructor), increases the likelihood of completion in the near future. Having to start from scratch changes that. Obviously there's a greater need to feel comfortable in the water and trust your instructor but it would be a big disappointment to have to do it all again.

Sorry about the eye. Nature can be a cruel friend sometimes. Obviously a good reason to call it and point taken.

Thanks again everyone. Much of this has been very inciteful.

 

[JackD342]

Much of this has been very inciteful.

I laughed out loud! Not picking on you over a typo or autocorrect error (insightful) but there are more than a few threads where I would be tempted to drop in your version and see if anyone noticed.

 

[kelemvor]

The only reason to "stick it out" is because of the money they stand to lose by walking away.

I think folks underestimate how significant the cost of scuba classes is for some people. In my town, classes from pretty much anywhere are about $350 (plus books cost and requred snorkel gear).

I would have put up with a lot before I decided to walk away from a $350 purchase. Some shops (extreme exposure in high springs comes to mind) charge more than double that.

 

[mmerriman]

if you're working with a dive shop and not comfortable with one of the instructors - talk to the owner.

 

[MikeT73]

Some shops (extreme exposure in high springs comes to mind) charge more than double that.

That's because it's a completely different course (GUE Rec 1), if that's what you're referring to.

"The Recreational Diver Level 1 course is conducted over a minimum of five days, and includes fourteen dives and at least forty hours of instruction, encompassing classroom, land drills, and in-water work."

 

[throwaway999]

I laughed out loud! Not picking on you over a typo or autocorrect error (insightful) but there are more than a few threads where I would be tempted to drop in your version and see if anyone noticed.

I stand by that statement! (I kid. Total bonehead mistake. How come there's no head-desk emoji built in here?)