Instructors who forget to teach basic skills?

[Divingnthedark]

Without getting in to an in depth discussion here... I was wondering if anyone had a similar experience? I referred my sister and a good friend, for their OW cert. classes, to a scuba instructor from which I have taken advanced dive classes. Following their certification, I did some local diving with them over a long weekend. When I lifted my sisters BC up, to hang it to dry, I asked her why she hadn't removed her weights and she assured me she had. I then discovered that her BC was 1/2 full of water! In talking with them both, I discovered that they did not know that they should not use their BCs like an elevator to control their bouyancy, they had not been shown how to manually inflate their BCs or how to dump the water out. Now these seem pretty basic skills to me... I was wondering if the problem was the fact that the instructor referenced is into teaching tech. diving and advanced classes and may have inadvertantly forgotten how to teach basic skills?
Loretta

 

[Kriterian]

I then discovered that her BC was 1/2 full of water! In talking with them both, I discovered that they did not know that they should not use their BCs like an elevator to control their bouyancy, they had not been shown how to manually inflate their BCs or how to dump the water out.
Loretta

Now I understand the first part but buoyancy control is something learned over time, and I don't think it can be completely "taught" since it's also a feel thing.

I'm baffled on the second part though. I was under the impression that water entered the BC every time you let out air, atleast a little bit. How would you go about dumping the water out underwater? Or did you mean afterwards, holding open the exhaust valves and pouring the water out on shore?

 

[mwn]

It seems to me that if you know this instructor, and trust them enough to refer family and friends, it may be that the students just didn't retain that part of the course.

 

[archman]

I was under the impression that water entered the BC every time you let out air, atleast a little bit.

Nah... those are just crummier BCD's, or those in need of service or used inappropriately.

 

[wedivebc]

Please consider the possibiliy that many instructors have to take the rap for students who either don't retain or don't understand what is being taught to them. It is not always the instructors fault.
I teach technical up to the advanced trimix level yet I can and do teach open water quite competently

 

[jonnythan]

I like the use of the word "forget" in this context.

 

[Stirling]

In talking with them both, I discovered that they did not know that they should not use their BCs like an elevator to control their bouyancy, they had not been shown how to manually inflate their BCs or how to dump the water out. Now these seem pretty basic skills to me... Loretta

I don't know what the problem is, but those are very basic skills - and how could a person get through a class without having been required *several times* to drain the water out of their BC before putting it up? How could they have practiced OOA skills without the OOA diver being required to orally inflate their BC upon surfacing?

It isn't just lousy BCs that fill with water. Any BC will take on water if the outlet valve is held open as the air is drained out of it, and student divers are especially likely to hold the valve open longer than is necessary. In the course of a pool session, they can take on a lot of water. But any diver with any BC will get some water in the BC, and should know enough to drain it and flush it out.

 

[String]

Some BCs get water in through normal and proper use. A slight lean at the wrong angle and wrong choice of dump will let some air out and some water in and so on. Over the course of a few dives/weeks you can get a fairly noticable amount in there no matter how careful you are. Thats why draining it is fairly important as is periodically rinsing the inside of it with a mild anti-bacterial/disinfectant.

 

[Divingnthedark]

It seems to me that if you know this instructor, and trust them enough to refer family and friends, it may be that the students just didn't retain that part of the course.

Thought that one through before posting...I could understand if one student wasn't paying attention....but Two? For that matter I only know what I know through what I have learned through instruction, experience and watching others...Who knows what I may have missed during class? and what I learned through experience? Also she has the exact BC and regulator set up I own and nothing wrong with mine or hers...:06:
Loretta

 

[archman]

But any diver with any BC will get some water in the BC, and should know enough to drain it and flush it out.

I'll have to disagree here. Both my ScubaPro and DiveRite BCD's are dry to the bone, used in pools, the tropics, temperate ponds, wherever I dive. The only time I ever get discernible water in the things anymore is when I manually flood them with water myself, during periodic maintenance. And having manned gear rinse stations for years in the Keys, I've seen heaps of rental BCD's (well maintained but also well used) go through multiple student dives without taking in any water. I've also seen sister rigs used the same way, half full of seawater. I can only chalk that up to diver technique, or leaky/stuck valves. Maybe bad luck.

Regardless of that, all divers should be taught during OW classes how to dump water from their BCD's. But having observed the teaching techniques of a couple dozen different instructors over the years, I can personally attest that some OWSI's don't teach near enough on buoyancy control or gear cleaning. It's usually the OWSI's that teach the "cram" scuba classes that do this... pressed for time I suppose.