How would you have helped this guy?

[Sideband]

Sounds like he really wasn't ready to head out without a DM / instructor.

Glad that he's headed in the right direction.

If that is the case then he shouldn't have been certified to dive in the first place.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

If that is the case then he shouldn't have been certified to dive in the first place.

I think this is (at least the way things are set up today) situational. As I understand it, this person learned how to dive in the tropics, where diving with a DM is the normal way of doing things.

Without getting into whether it's right or wrong, keep in mind that when you complete OW class the caveat is that you are certified to dive in conditions similar to those in which you are trained.

Around here, conditions are considerably different than they are in the tropics ... the water's cold and dark, you're wearing a lot more exposure protection (and therefore a lot more weight), and buoyancy control is very different. Add in that nobody follows a DM around the dive site ... here, the norm is to buddy up with another diver and gain a bit of experience through trial and error. Someone who was trained in the tropics simply wasn't prepared for that kind of diving ... nor, in many ways, could they be. Even the simple stuff, like handling your gear with gloves on, or the decreased "feedback loop" that comes from diving in turbid water, becomes a task-load that the diver simply wasn't exposed to.

It isn't fair to say that this diver shouldn't have been certified ... it is fair to say that he should be diving under the supervision of a dive professional until he has been exposed to, and learned how to deal with, these variables in conditions.

And, in fact, that is pretty much what Lynne recommended ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

Rob, thank you . . . at one point, I actually tried to take control of his BC, but he had the weirdest inflator I had ever seen, with no buttons, just big flat plastic surfaces, and I wasn't sure which one did what. [Memo to self: Should have checked his gear out better before dive -- there is something to be said for standardized equipment!]

Bob, this guy actually certified in Tacoma and did his checkout dives at Alki. (Cold water diving) He told me he had used a 7 mil suit for his checkout dives and knew his weighting. The only non-class dives he had ever done, though, were in the Caribbean.

Anyway, he was grateful for the help and did sign up for a class, so all is well that ends well.

 

[Sideband]

I think this is (at least the way things are set up today) situational. As I understand it, this person learned how to dive in the tropics, where diving with a DM is the normal way of doing things.

Without getting into whether it's right or wrong, keep in mind that when you complete OW class the caveat is that you are certified to dive in conditions similar to those in which you are trained.


... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That is true but I didn't see anything about being certified somewhere else. It just seems I've seen a lot of posts lately about newly certified divers needing to dive with an instructor or guide. If I had felt I needed a guide I would have asked for more instruction.

Joe

 

[H2Andy]

It isn't fair to say that this diver shouldn't have been
certified ... it is fair to say that he should be diving under the supervision of a dive
professional until he has been exposed to, and learned how to deal with, these
variables in conditions.

this is so true

and the reason why there have been quite a few open water instructors
who have died trying to dive caves

and cave diving experts who have died trying to dive wrecks,
and vice-versa

any time you enter a new dive environment, you owe it to yourself
to get a "guided tour" of the new conditions, be it a one-hour
familiarization class or a full cave or wreck diving class.

people have already made the mistakes (and some died
as a result). why not learn from that instead of going
at it yourself, blindly, and making the same mistakes again?

the least "dangerous" ones are probably just as bad.
most people would think of taking a cave class before
cave diving. but most people don't think of the difference
between diving Bonaire and a midwest quarry, and how
much they are going to have to change and/or adapt
their skills to the new set of conditions.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

That is true but I didn't see anything about being certified somewhere else. It just seems I've seen a lot of posts lately about newly certified divers needing to dive with an instructor or guide. If I had felt I needed a guide I would have asked for more instruction.

Joe

Ah ... I stand corrected on his training, and I quite agree. When I train someone for OW, I will not pass them until I feel they would be able to safely dive in our local OW conditions without the need for supervision.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DennisW]

It sounds to me like you did what you could. I can't remember if I was ever taught to do a fin pivor or not, but I was certainly taught bouyancy control. As a matter of fact, you didn't get to do the open water dives until you had your bouyancy under control in the pool. Then in the open water dives, you had to demonstrate your bouyancy control again. I believe the guy needs to take a good OW course. Sounds like he never mastered the basic skills.