INSTRUCTORS PLEASE READ!!! DM's Too.

[drbill]

That's when you and I go around them and go down on the up side...

Well, that's what I do.

Ken... while I have been known to do it on occasion, I was reminded yesterday why I shouldn't. I was riding a wave into the "up" side of the stairs (10 ft away) when a diver's legs appeared on the lower step right in my way. I abruptly stopped and he jumped in right in front of me. I wanted to use a few choice words (since that is a good way to have my housing get damaged on the rocks), but I resisted and just remained silent when he tried to say something "nice" to me. Grrrr. Sometimes silence is the best policy.

 

[cudachaser]

I teach that very skill in all my classes...How to comunicate with the diver that they have a problem...then fixing the problem underwater. The key is for the "rescue" diver is to use their knee to shove the tank back into the back pack.

I had that very problem happen to me at 60ft. One of my students had to "rescue" me real time. He did a good job! Remembered the skill well. When we surfaced we found that my back pack had indeed failed. A fastener had snapped loosing the strap just enough for the tank to slip.

 

[ddavies]

I teach that very skill in all my classes...How to comunicate with the diver that they have a problem...then fixing the problem underwater. The key is for the "rescue" diver is to use their knee to shove the tank back into the back pack.

I had that very problem happen to me at 60ft. One of my students had to "rescue" me real time. He did a good job! Remembered the skill well. When we surfaced we found that my back pack had indeed failed. A fastener had snapped loosing the strap just enough for the tank to slip.

Use the knee. I will try that next time and I am sure there will be a next time. I am still a new diver and I was using my hands. It was not an easy task but then I had never done it underwater before.

Dan

 

[drbill]

I had my ScubaPro hinged tank strap fail on me at 85' on a night dive a few years ago. It was my fault- I didn't check it closely enough topside in the dark since the strap end had apparently been caught under the hinge. Although I could have recovered had I been diving solo, I was glad to be buddied up that night since I was carrying my housing. I very rarely do night dives without a buddy (ecept to film the Fourth of July fireworks from underwater- at 10').

Also had one of my ScubaPro X-Tek bands fail when it ripped out of the backpack. Fortunately there are two bands on those BCD's. And SP fixed it for the cost of shipping.

This is no criticism of ScubaPro. The first failure was my fault. The second was a result of normal wear and tear (perhaps 800-900 dives on that BCD alone).

 

[PhotoTJ]

As an aside, let's hope the vis picks up again soon. Now that's something that drives me bananas!

Doc, be glad your there and not here. I dove in what appeared to be soup stock yesterday. 6"-6' of viz. Arrrrgh!

 

[fishfood]

im sorry nothing chaps me more then watching diver sit on the wall and rip apart the new divers.. here come a nother train reck....
i to hate to wait in line just to jump in... but then i rememer my OW class at the park where i looked like a drunk sea turtle scambling to get into the water

 

[alaity47]

im sorry nothing chaps me more then watching diver sit on the wall and rip apart the new divers.. here come a nother train reck....
i to hate to wait in line just to jump in... but then i rememer my OW class at the park where i looked like a drunk sea turtle scambling to get into the water

I should clarify a little - I definitely WAS one of the more nervous and awkward divers, and I always remind myself of that when I'm out there! My gripes are more with people who neglect to do the small things that can make it all go more smoothly, like going down the down side and up the up side, trying to get away from the stairs as soon as possible once you're in (realizing that getting IN is the hard part), not holding long discussions on the stairs, etc. I have nothing but sympathy for students trying to make the stair-to-ocean transition for the first time! Believe me, I did my share of holding up the line at first (and still do at low tide).

 

[Diver_Jan]

I should clarify a little - I definitely WAS one of the more nervous and awkward divers, and I always remind myself of that when I'm out there! My gripes are more with people who neglect to do the small things that can make it all go more smoothly, like going down the down side and up the up side, trying to get away from the stairs as soon as possible once you're in (realizing that getting IN is the hard part), not holding long discussions on the stairs, etc. I have nothing but sympathy for students trying to make the stair-to-ocean transition for the first time! Believe me, I did my share of holding up the line at first (and still do at low tide).

This brings up another point to Instructors: Why is it that many instructors do not teach their OW students 'Real' Beach Diving??? Many do *their* beach dive at Casino Point. I can't tell you how many divers I come across that have never 'properly' been taught beach diving.

Trust me, if you master California Beach Diving, you are respected anywhere in the world where you go to dive. That is a cool feeling!

 

[drbill]

To consider the Casino Dive Park a proper checkout for a California Beach dive is absurd. How much easier can it get? BOW divers should experience a true surf entry on the mainland before being officially certified. There is no way the Park can be considered proper training for surf entries. In fact, entering via the stairs is ridiculous... divers certifying at the park should be required to enter over the rocks (I know several instructors who already do this).

There has to be some RIGOR in dive training! Of course Dr. Bill is always available to help the beautiful mermaids if they wish more instruction!

 

[alaity47]

I definitely agree. We wound up doing all our OW certification dives at Casino Point, but we'd had some surf entry/exit training in Laguna (turned out to be too rough to do it with scuba tanks; just skin diving). Even that little bit of training on how to judge sets and how to walk in make a huge difference when I got out there on my own, compared to people who were certified entirely off boats. We got another round of surf training in our rescue class, which was also invaluable.

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that Casino Point is completely absurd, though. Depending on conditions, it can be tricky in its own way, and isn't a bad place to learn a little about rocky entries (even using the stairs most of the way down). Low tide last weekend was a case in point!

Every time I see new divers struggling a little (or a lot) on their cert dives, it make me want to get into instructing. I'd love to be able to give someone the extra attention they need to feel confident; I remember needing more hand-holding than most when I started, and my first instructor wasn't really the best match for me - more of a "sink or swim" attitude towards teaching.

But I seriously, SERIOUSLY need to practice my beach diving a lot more before I even think about trying to teach other california divers anything at all.