I might not like this after all

[Walter]

That is certainly the trend, but it's not the only game in town. Shop around.

 

[wreckchick]

cdiver2, the merits of quick certs has been debated all over this board, and I don't think the debate needs to rage on here.

RV6Pilot, if you want more pool time, you should get it. By understanding the limitations of your class as it was taught to you, you're already on your way to being a good consciencious diver. If your LDS isn't willing to provide you with additional time to practice or relearn the skills, you might want to consider going somewhere else and redoing the cert, OR getting the card and then finding somewhere and someone for more practice until you think you're ready for prime time.

Diving IS fun, that's the point, that's why we're all here, but if I had to endure a 6 hour pool session right now even KNOWING it's fun, I'd probably be feeling pretty icky as well. Don't give up on diving, give up on your training method!

Rachel

 

[Gary D.]

Sounds like your problem is not SCUBA, but rather the method in which it was presented.

Two hour pool sessions are long enough. After two hours, you get cold, your attention span drops and you get tired. Also with two hour sessions, you get more practice putting your equipment together and taking it apart. An added advantage of stretching your course out over 3 to 4 weeks is you move what you've learned from short term memory to long term.

I'm under the impression that you've completed all your pool work. I sincerely hope that's not true. Six hours is not enough time to adequately learn to dive. If you learned 30 skills, that means you had an average of 12 minutes for each. That includes your instructor explaining the skill, then demonstrating the skill, then you learning it and practicing. While some skills can be taught quite easily in 12 minutes, most require more practice time than this.

Conclusion: Don't give up on SCUBA, instead fire your instructor.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I have to agree with Walter 100%. But I think I know the reason for the 6 hours in the water. You took your class at the NAVY's School. 6 hours would be easy for military training but didn't you take a civilian course?

To much information way to fast. Go back and tell them. "We need to slow down". If they don't listen repeat it. WE REALLY need to slow down here". If they still don't listen. "IF WE DON'T SLOW DOWN I'M GOING TO GO CRAZY AND DROWN THE INSTRUCTOR".

If they don't listen get ahold of the sponsoring agency. They should be able to get results. "YOUR FIRED".

Gary D.

 

[JJacobe]

Wow, I feel very lucky to have had a couple of good people guide me to the right LDS. I was vacationing in Key West when the drive to learn SCUBA shifted into hight gear.
The lady I was staying with is a local and a long time diver. One of the college buddies I was with had been diving for years. My other buddy also wanted to learn.
One day we were all snorkeling (a group of 6) and the conversation turned to SCUBA. I expressed how much I wanted to learn. From that conversation I discovered that one of the gals with us was an instructor, though not teaching at the time. She told my buddy and I that she would check a couple of the LDS and let us know when, where and how much the classes were. The last thing she asked was....... do you want a quick Junior College education or Ivy League quality. We chose the Ivy. :leseratte
Her LDS suggestion was right on. The instructor was excellent. The LDS was excellent. The pace was great, the teaching was thorough, and I left feeling like I got my monies worth.
Sounds like you might have ended up with the "Junior College" shop or an instructor that transfered from one. Find a instuctor that is to your liking and I think you'll rediscover why you wanted to learn in the first place. :happy:

 

[gfisher4792]

We spent a total of almost 6 hours in the pool and completed 30 different tasks within that time.

Holy crap! 6 hours of pool time all at once?! I agree with the above responses that 2 hours is long enough. Plus, with all the new knowledge you're getting, you need time to assimilate it, and 3 sessions is much more productive than 1 long one. I would get a new LDS/Instructor, and call and encourage your classmates to do the same.

 

[coppermaus]

1) Is one day enough time to learn 30 different skills? I do not think so. My life depends on knowing these skills and I am not sure I could remember half.

Pilot,

I agree with what others are saying about going back and seeing if you can get extra pool time, maybe 2 hours at a shot. Just tell him you don't feel like you mastered all the skills you need.

For a point of comparison, the OW classes my instructor teaches require 5 sessions of 1.5 hours lecture and 10 sessions of 1.5 hours in the pool. Five weeks total before the actual OW dives. These students come out ready to handle anything.

Good for you for recognizing the importance of really knowing your diving skills and feeling comfortable in the water!

 

[onfloat]

I would recommend that you see if you can’t stretch your course out a little. I know that I’m finding out that some things were missed either by me or the instructor because of the compression of the time frame.

 

[sinja]

Holy crap! 6 hours of pool time all at once?! I agree with the above responses that 2 hours is long enough. Plus, with all the new knowledge you're getting, you need time to assimilate it, and 3 sessions is much more productive than 1 long one. I would get a new LDS/Instructor, and call and encourage your classmates to do the same.

I just completed the pool work for my OW cert, and will complete my OW class with quarry dives in April. Pool work was completed in 2 days, 5-6 hours of pool time each day. But I never felt rushed, as if we were being pushed thru skills. If it took 30 minutes for us to confidently complete a skill, that's what it took...no pressure to get done, no clockwatching. Further, we will be doing a refresher the week before our oopen water dives. I was also tired at end of day. What I did learn, was that SCUBA is a sport, and you need to be in shape to participate. Absolutely, question your LDS or instructor if you are not comfortable with the skills you "learned". But i personally felt the long pool times were actually a good eye-opener as to the physical requirements of SCUBA. Now if it would just warm up enough to finish the open water dives!

 

[cdiver2]

cdiver2, the merits of quick certs has been debated all over this board, and I don't think the debate needs to rage on here.

RV6Pilot, if you want more pool time, you should get it. By understanding the limitations of your class as it was taught to you, you're already on your way to being a good consciencious diver. If your LDS isn't willing to provide you with additional time to practice or relearn the skills, you might want to consider going somewhere else and redoing the cert, OR getting the card and then finding somewhere and someone for more practice until you think you're ready for prime time.

Diving IS fun, that's the point, that's why we're all here, but if I had to endure a 6 hour pool session right now even KNOWING it's fun, I'd probably be feeling pretty icky as well. Don't give up on diving, give up on your training method!

NO debate I simply made a observation. Do you have a problem with that?.

 

[waterspryte]

I am taking sn SDI course and that is not at all how the LDS has the class structured. I have taken 5 (of 6) classroom / pool sessions and am waiting for the weather to cooperate so that we can do our final class and our checkout dives.
Might want to voice your concers to the owner/manager and SDI as well.