I was recently working with a student on a PADI Distinctive Specialty called Tecreational Diving. It's content is similar to GUE Fundamentals. I was sharing the pool with two other classes--an OW class that was (at the beginning) in the shallow end of the pool, learning skills on their knees. The other class was a refresher, sharing the deep end of the pool with me, reviewing their skills on their knees. My student worked on "advanced" skills like buoyancy and trim, frog kicking, etc., moving around all the other kneeling students.
After the classes were over and we were cleaning up the gear, the OW instructor commented on how highly skilled by "cave diving student" was. It was a pleasure to watch someone with those skills. he was surprised to learn that this was not a cave diving student. In fact, he had been certified--on his knees--in a resort less than a month before. That trip on which he was certified was his only dive experience, and he had not been in the water again until that morning. I had sent him a list of videos to watch, we had tried to trim him out as well as possible on the side of the pool, and we had entered the water with the expectation that he would try to dive the way things looked in the video.
After the classes were over and we were cleaning up the gear, the OW instructor commented on how highly skilled by "cave diving student" was. It was a pleasure to watch someone with those skills. he was surprised to learn that this was not a cave diving student. In fact, he had been certified--on his knees--in a resort less than a month before. That trip on which he was certified was his only dive experience, and he had not been in the water again until that morning. I had sent him a list of videos to watch, we had tried to trim him out as well as possible on the side of the pool, and we had entered the water with the expectation that he would try to dive the way things looked in the video.
