Is the PADI SMB specialty a waste of money?

[eelnoraa]

SMB specialty !!!??? seriously

when can we see "back kick specialty", "ascent specialty", "safety stop specialty", "backup (fill your own) deployment special" .....

 

[Aanderson81]

Humm.

I never thought of that as a specialty, but just something you should know how to do - however you learn how to do it.

And honestly, £120 (or whatever in your local currency*) seems to be a bit expensive learn how to put air in a bag underwater**.

On the other hand, you have people like this fellow (see below) for whom that 120 quid would obviously have been a worthwhile investment.


*(I'm not slagging your cost there Wookie, it's just right there as a reference - and your outline (you talk about including other gear costs) looks fine...)

**(And maintain buoyancy, and situational awareness, and not kill yourself, etc., etc.)

How..... what? Really?

 

[stuartv]

SMB specialty !!!??? seriously

when can we see "back kick specialty", "ascent specialty", "safety stop specialty", "backup (fill your own) deployment special" .....

I will finally open my wallet when PADI offers the Warhammer Maneuver Specialty Certification. It shouldn't be long now...

 

[eelnoraa]

And before that, you will need "underwater doff/don wetsuit specialty", "balanced rig specialty", "diving diet specialty", then you are quality to enter the Warhammer course. lol

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'd like everyone to close their eyes. Imagine an instructor in a warm water location alone with 8 students. Now imagine all of those students deploying DSMBs. If the DSMB is not small and cannot be pulled back down, the DSMB's are going to be at the surface. Picture the entanglements that result from students too close together.

Here in the Puget Sound, I have to manage my students comfort level as they are in 7 mil farmer john wetsuits in mid 40 degree water. People sometimes drop out after OW#1 and take a referral for somewhere warm to conduct the checkout dives.

While I try to have my students dive as long as possible, if they are excessively cold, they are not having fun and probably won't continue diving. Deploying a DSMB in midwater takes some practice, and unless more dives are added to open water, I don't think it is always good idea in cold water with students in wetsuits. Hence I typically have them deploy SMB's at the surface. If I have a strong class (my class back in October was great), I have them close to the bottom deploy a DSMB from a Junior Manta Reel with a 3' DSMB that I pull back down and hand to each student to deploy. I avoid entanglements that way.

If a student uses a number of different reels, different sized DSMB's and has to deploy a DSMB while maintaining depth within a few feet and perform a slow ascent (10 feet/minute) with a finger spool a la GUE fundies style and keep the line taut the whole way, then I do see value in this course, as to truly master it is going to take more than one dive. It is going to take a fair bit of practice. They'll have to have their buoyancy and trim down, as ascending with a finger spool and keeping the line taut isn't easy.

 

[RainPilot]

All agreed. I'm lucky not to have to dive with that many students. I do max 4 per dive.

They do all use a spool and ascend neutral horizontal though.

I choose a shallow area around 5m depth with no current then get them in a big circle so haven't had entanglement yet, luckily.

 

[Adam Grose]

Just so I'm clear here.... are we talking about doing one of the 5 dives for AOW as an SMB dive, or are we actually talking about a distinct specialty course? I can see doing it as one of the dives, but not an entire course.

Adam

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

All agreed. I'm lucky not to have to dive with that many students. I do max 4 per dive.

They do all use a spool and ascend neutral horizontal though.

I choose a shallow area around 5m depth with no current then get them in a big circle so haven't had entanglement yet, luckily.

Assuming your location (UAE) is correct, I'm assuming that you have fairly sandy bottoms with pretty good. One errant kick out here, and the silt kills the fix from a max if 15' to zero. This is why I like 1:2 ratios and I bought extra lights to keep track of my students. I always keep them moving, but it can be hard if one or two other classes that are all taught on their knees have been there.

 

[RainPilot]

Sandy bottom yes mostly but they are neutral, horizontal and non-silting kicks before they ever get to OW. As per RAID standards.

 

[Wookie]

*(I'm not slagging your cost there Wookie, it's just right there as a reference - and your outline (you talk about including other gear costs) looks fine...)

**(And maintain buoyancy, and situational awareness, and not kill yourself, etc., etc.)

Not me, Mate. Learning a SMB/dSMB is basic skills AFAIC. I teach it for the price of coming to me and asking.