If you could change one thing about the dive industry, what would it be??

[pants!]

It's not about *you* using imperial. We don't care what you do, really.

It's about the *industry* and the *country* using the imperial system, which makes it different from every other country on the planet. It causes a lot of confusion for a lot of people and things would be easier and simpler for everyone if metric were the standard in the States.

 

[ChrisA]

I was thinking about this the other day, and I thought it might be interesting to hear what everyone thought.

The dropout rate is huge. I think something like 75 to 85% of all people who finish OW class don't dive after the class. OK, maybe they do a few dives on vacation right after the class but you never see most of them diving. Maybe that is a Good Thing. The local shops turn out literally hundreds of new divers each year or thousands every few years. If all of them dove then diving would be like skiing where there is a line at the lift. There would be a lines at the ocean and waiting lists to get on boats. Maybe the 75% or 85% dropout rate is good.

Seriously now, I'd make OW class the beginning of a much longer process. where OW class is followed by some suppervised diving and mentoring untill the diver is ready to become completely independent. This period of suppervision and menoring would also get them hooked up with the local dive comunity and let them meet people and learn from divers other then thier OW instructor.

Look at training from pilots. First you "solo" that is you learn enough that one day the instructor hops out of the plan after you land and says "take it around one on your own now" But training continues with both supervised solo flights and instructor in the cockpit but after soloingthe instructor rarely puts his hands on the controlls.

One other tradition from aviation is the "check ride" an instructor will sometimes ask another instructor to take his student up for a short flight. Basically he is asking for a second opinion about "is this student really doing OK". This part is informal. Later comes the "real" checkout with an FAA inspector.

Bottom line: The biggest problem in the industry occesr right after OW: That huge drop out rate. that is where the "fix" needs to go, right after OW. Students need some "hand hlding" at this time. If I ran I dive shop I'd bee looking at the 85% as "lost customers" getting just a few of those back could double my bussiness

 

[outback]

It's not about *you* using imperial. We don't care what you do, really.

It's about the *industry* and the *country* using the imperial system, which makes it different from every other country on the planet. It causes a lot of confusion for a lot of people and things would be easier and simpler for everyone if metric were the standard in the States.

There is a safety issue here. Safety stop - 15 for 3 min or 5 for 3 min - confusion on a dive boat with different nationalities aboard. Seen it happen.

How many people convert by the correct figure (x3.281, or x3.3-ish, or maybe x3 is close enough????) start getting your numbers slightly wrong on a deep dive and you're in trouble. Me, I like dividing and multiplying by 10 - it's simply much easier to deal with than the imperial units. And as for bar vs psi - no contest.

 

[Walter]

It's not about *you* using imperial. We don't care what you do, really.

Admittedly it wasn't you that made this post, but this post is what started the discussion.

Just saw this thread - imo - everyone should use the metric system to dive - no more confusion

There is a safety issue here. Safety stop - 15 for 3 min or 5 for 3 min - confusion on a dive boat with different nationalities aboard. Seen it happen.

Anyone who bases their safety stop based on a dive briefing shouldn't be certified.

It's about the *industry* and the *country* using the imperial system, which makes it different from every other country on the planet. It causes a lot of confusion for a lot of people and things would be easier and simpler for everyone if metric were the standard in the States.

Vive Le Difference! No, it would not make it simpler nor easier for everyone. Conversion would be difficult, complicated and expensive. Once we were converted, we'd have a system that, other than the math, doesn't work all that well in day to day applications.

 

[Walter]

How many people convert by the correct figure (x3.281, or x3.3-ish, or maybe x3 is close enough????) start getting your numbers slightly wrong on a deep dive and you're in trouble. Me, I like dividing and multiplying by 10 - it's simply much easier to deal with than the imperial units. And as for bar vs psi - no contest.

Actually, you have a basic misunderstanding of fsw and msw. Neither are linear measurments, but are measurements of pressure. 10 msw is exactly the same as 33 fsw even though 10 m is not the same as 33 ft and 10 msw/33 fsw is not exactly either 10 meters nor 33 feet from the surface.

 

[pants!]

Actually, you have a basic misunderstanding of fsw and msw. Neither are linear measurments, but are measurements of pressure. 10 msw is exactly the same as 33 fsw even though 10 m is not the same as 33 ft and 10 msw/33 fsw is not exactly either 10 meters nor 33 feet from the surface.

That's interesting. On what basis do you make this claim?

 

[lamont]

That's interesting. On what basis do you make this claim?

i'm sure some authoritative source like the NOAA manual would have it.

 

[TheRedHead]

Most of the instructors i have spoken to around here (colorado) believe metric is a much simpler system and much easier to understand.

Little box ? .. there are only 2 countries in the World that have not officially adopted the metric system - one is a little known country called Burma, the other is the US. I think you need to re-evaulate your little box

That's ridiculous. Of course it is easier to multiply by ten, but is it really easier to visualize a foot or 0.3048 meters? We all know how big 5 inches is, but what about 13 cm or 130 mm? We think in imperial units.

If we can learn to cook using cups, pints, quarts, TSP and tsp, then learning to dive using feet should be a piece of cake (pun intended).

The Conch Republic would secede if we changed their mile markers to kilometer markers (yuk!).

Should we really care if we don't use the same measurements as the rest of the world?

 

[outback]

Actually, you have a basic misunderstanding of fsw and msw. Neither are linear measurments, but are measurements of pressure. 10 msw is exactly the same as 33 fsw even though 10 m is not the same as 33 ft and 10 msw/33 fsw is not exactly either 10 meters nor 33 feet from the surface.

1 bar = 10 msw = 33 fsw

metre/feet = unit of length
bar = unit of pressure
1 fsw = 1 f of sea water hydrostatic head



So technically you're correct. Relevant? Not so sure - it's the calculations that are important to a diver. And I maintain that the 10 msw = 1 bar makes all of our calculations so much simpler and reduces the room for screwing up.

 

[Walter]

Actually, 1 bar doesn't equal 10 msw, although it is close enough the difference can be safely ignored.