Independent diver trainee

[pjomm]

Hi Heffey,

I think the rescue diver program was suggested by someone already. Other rescue training including oxygen administration training is good and ensuring a good first aid kit is at your dive site. Having oxygen equipment available at a dive site is also wisdom. Ensuring a dive plan is well laid out (and followed) as well as making sure that other people are aware of your whereabouts in the event of a problem.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your dives.

All the best,

Paul

 

[friscuba]

During the classroom and pool sessions of my Open Water course the instructor often stressed the importance of being responsible for our own safety. Here on the scuba board I also read a lot about being an independent diver, being a good dive buddy but being able to deal with issues unassisted if need be.

Now that I am just a couple of weeks away from my open water checkout dives I am increasingly beginning to wonder what I can do to be an “independent diver” even during those checkout dives.

Myself, I always hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I know that I will be in well trained, competent hands during those dives but in the end I am ultimately responsible for my own safety.

Any suggestions on reading, extra equipment, mental preparedness or anything else will be greatly appreciated.

Personally, I'd recommend that you try not to act differently, or out-think yourself, during your open water certification dives. Don't be worried about being any more independant during the checkout dives than you were during the class.

There's absolutely no reason to get ahead of yourself at this point. Stick to the information that has been presented to you during your course, once you are certified then branch out to other information. Open Water courses, no matter which agency you use, only cover so much information. There's a system in place, you take things one step at a time.

Message boards are a great spot to pick up extra information once you are certified, but you tend to be exposed to a lot of extraneous information outside of the realm of an Open Water training situation. Look at it as interesting possibilities for down the line, but something not to dwell on 'til you get the basics taken care of.

Just a thought,

 

[Spratman]

I've had difficulty trying to fit all the pieces together. So, is SOLO diving an actually class and cert? I've looked at some intro to tech diving classes through NAUI and it looks more like advanced nitrox training. Also, someone recommended Rescue Diver cert. The former doesn't appear to have a requirement beyond OW cert, the latter however, requires AOW and what?

I'm not a card collector and would just like to benefit from training that is to be most useful. I agree with Steve's statement below regarding cave diving. I have no desire to dive in caves, but it seems that you need to go outside of rec agencies (SSI, PADI, etc) to get more specific training. I'm very much interested in training to make me a "independent/SOLO" diver. Most of the places around here won't allow you to dive SOLO anyway. Once place it's a death sentence if you surface without your buddy.

It's more of along the lines that have already been mentioned. I don't really have a top end goal. For me, it's learning new skills and being able to not depend on the "other guy" if something goes awry. I've also been considering doing the DAN courses, rather than the AOW. I'm heading back to Cancun in Nov. and would at least like to have the deep and wreck cert for Cozumel.

Anyway, thus far I've not got a game plan nor a goal. I reckon if you don't have a goal, the game plan is a non-issue. I think perhaps that maybe I would be better off with private instruction so that I can proceed at my own pace.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Jack

How are you Mike?

Good question. In a perfect world the answer might be: Perhaps not. But I se the course's role filling a gap that exists... let me use the analogy of why so many wreck divers got cave certified back in the late 80s and early 90s saying "I don't wanna cave dive. I just wanna be a better wreck diver...". There was little else back then and it was one of few alternatives. I'm seeing a growing number of "recreational focused divers" who are taking entry-level tech classes and other specialty classes because they want to hone their team skills, awareness and self-sufficiency. Many of them... let me rephrase that... some of them are disinterested in getting into the whole tech equipment thing but take the classes anyway. This Solo Diver cert is a very sound alternative IMO... I was a skeptic at first but reading the materials and running a couple of the classes has "made me a believer"

 

[pjomm]

Hi Jack,

Here is the SDI information on Solo Diving... Yes they offer a course:
http://www.tdisdi.com/sdi/sdicourses.html#Solo

I think you see the requirement also is Advanced O/W Diver for that program and possibly 100 dives??? An SDI/TDI instructor would be better able to answer that.

DAN training and rescue training is also beneficial to have. Myself I have always liked private instruction. I feel that things are geared to my pace and that time is wasted learning things I understand and conversely if I am having difficulty with something the instructor doesn't feel the need to progress the class ahead.

Hope this helps. All the best,
Paul

I've had difficulty trying to fit all the pieces together. So, is SOLO diving an actually class and cert? I've looked at some intro to tech diving classes through NAUI and it looks more like advanced nitrox training. Also, someone recommended Rescue Diver cert. The former doesn't appear to have a requirement beyond OW cert, the latter however, requires AOW and what?

I'm not a card collector and would just like to benefit from training that is to be most useful. I agree with Steve's statement below regarding cave diving. I have no desire to dive in caves, but it seems that you need to go outside of rec agencies (SSI, PADI, etc) to get more specific training. I'm very much interested in training to make me a "independent/SOLO" diver. Most of the places around here won't allow you to dive SOLO anyway. Once place it's a death sentence if you surface without your buddy.

It's more of along the lines that have already been mentioned. I don't really have a top end goal. For me, it's learning new skills and being able to not depend on the "other guy" if something goes awry. I've also been considering doing the DAN courses, rather than the AOW. I'm heading back to Cancun in Nov. and would at least like to have the deep and wreck cert for Cozumel.

Anyway, thus far I've not got a game plan nor a goal. I reckon if you don't have a goal, the game plan is a non-issue. I think perhaps that maybe I would be better off with private instruction so that I can proceed at my own pace.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Jack

 

[Spratman]

Hi Pjomm,

This is the kind of information that I've been trying to get. With PADI and SSI, both hardly have any information available on their websites to get a game plan. 100 dive? Okay, I've got a target for planning now. I like being underwater, just because on the technology at work. No email, no phones, no voicemail, no pages! Solitude is great!

I understand I'm a newbie, but not all newbies are created equal. I'm hoping to do some salt water wrecks, at least one or two river dives, and the remainder is going to be all quarry dives. I'll look for new environments to dive in, just to keep my interest and gain experience in all kinds of environments. I'm hoping for an early retirement in a couple of years, and maybe I'll be able to spend more time underwat

The private instruction I think is the best way to go. Okay, I think it's like about $50-$75 more, but like you said. It takes a lot less time to get the skill right when you have the instructor to yourself. I'm not a group type anyway. But will do whatever is necessary to become a better diver.

Thanks, the link is greatly appreciated.

Jack

Hi Jack,

Here is the SDI information on Solo Diving... Yes they offer a course:
http://www.tdisdi.com/sdi/sdicourses.html#Solo

I think you see the requirement also is Advanced O/W Diver for that program and possibly 100 dives??? An SDI/TDI instructor would be better able to answer that.

DAN training and rescue training is also beneficial to have. Myself I have always liked private instruction. I feel that things are geared to my pace and that time is wasted learning things I understand and conversely if I am having difficulty with something the instructor doesn't feel the need to progress the class ahead.

Hope this helps. All the best,
Paul