In another thread, we momentarily spun out down the path of things we'd wished our instructor might have known/done/been that was different from our experiences. One example given by a poster was wishing that the his instructor was in better physical condition. It got me thinking about the training that I've received along the way and a few things come to mind.
I learned to dive like most: in warm, clear, tropical waters with a PADI instructor who I was certain knew what he was doing. I stayed with that program for over a decade diving wherever I could and progressing through the various curriculum. Eventually, I got into colder water diving and realized that much of what was available to me locally was deeper and beyond my reach, so I began a course of technical diver training.
It was eye-opening to me to realize that nearly everything I'd been doing for over ten years (and over a thousand dives) was incompatible with my goals. I had to un-learn and re-learn even the most basic skills, like air sharing. It was embarrassing, humbling, and frustrating to be revisiting such rudimentary things. I wish my PADI open water instructor had knowledge of this type of diving, I might have learned appropriately.
For the next five or so years, I spent a great deal of time and energy learning to dive deep on open circuit; completing many "pinnacle" dives and getting a feel for things. Around 2010, the gas which we required to complete our deeper dives became scarce and approached unaffordability. About this same time, I had moved from the Northeast to Southern California where there was a very healthy and active rebreather community. I learned a lot about the machines these folks were using and highlighted the gas efficiency as the primary reason I was interested in acquiring one. There turned out to be a lot of reasons that this was a good idea, but it started with helium. During the course of this training I again had to un-learn and re-learn basic skills like buoyancy control, gas planning, etc. Of course, then it occurred to me that I wish my open circuit technical diving instructors were also rebreather divers, they might have steered me in this direction earlier and I'd not have to be relearning basics.
Which brings me to where I landed: I really wish I had learned from someone who knew how to dive at any level. I don't regret the experience, but it was a winding road to get to a fairly straightforward and logical point. I wish that all instructors were fully certified mixed gas open and closed circuit divers so that they can more seamlessly blend the experiences into each other and create a continuum of learning rather than a "scrap it and start over" approach (I won't get my wish, but there you have it).
As I've started to branch out into other rebreather units, I've found myself wishing that my original instructor were less biased toward a specific machine or more knowledgeable about the breadth of offerings available. Perhaps in a few years I'll be wishing for something different there as well?
What challenges or frustrations led you to "wish" something had happened differently along the way in your diving career thus far?
I learned to dive like most: in warm, clear, tropical waters with a PADI instructor who I was certain knew what he was doing. I stayed with that program for over a decade diving wherever I could and progressing through the various curriculum. Eventually, I got into colder water diving and realized that much of what was available to me locally was deeper and beyond my reach, so I began a course of technical diver training.
It was eye-opening to me to realize that nearly everything I'd been doing for over ten years (and over a thousand dives) was incompatible with my goals. I had to un-learn and re-learn even the most basic skills, like air sharing. It was embarrassing, humbling, and frustrating to be revisiting such rudimentary things. I wish my PADI open water instructor had knowledge of this type of diving, I might have learned appropriately.
For the next five or so years, I spent a great deal of time and energy learning to dive deep on open circuit; completing many "pinnacle" dives and getting a feel for things. Around 2010, the gas which we required to complete our deeper dives became scarce and approached unaffordability. About this same time, I had moved from the Northeast to Southern California where there was a very healthy and active rebreather community. I learned a lot about the machines these folks were using and highlighted the gas efficiency as the primary reason I was interested in acquiring one. There turned out to be a lot of reasons that this was a good idea, but it started with helium. During the course of this training I again had to un-learn and re-learn basic skills like buoyancy control, gas planning, etc. Of course, then it occurred to me that I wish my open circuit technical diving instructors were also rebreather divers, they might have steered me in this direction earlier and I'd not have to be relearning basics.
Which brings me to where I landed: I really wish I had learned from someone who knew how to dive at any level. I don't regret the experience, but it was a winding road to get to a fairly straightforward and logical point. I wish that all instructors were fully certified mixed gas open and closed circuit divers so that they can more seamlessly blend the experiences into each other and create a continuum of learning rather than a "scrap it and start over" approach (I won't get my wish, but there you have it).
As I've started to branch out into other rebreather units, I've found myself wishing that my original instructor were less biased toward a specific machine or more knowledgeable about the breadth of offerings available. Perhaps in a few years I'll be wishing for something different there as well?
What challenges or frustrations led you to "wish" something had happened differently along the way in your diving career thus far?