Is the PADI SMB specialty a waste of money?

[DevonDiver]

The course was originally a distinctive specialty for the UK. It was a response to the fact that most at UK divers need to use DSMBs, and at one point, it looked possible that DSMB might become mandatory for UK diving.

Whilst many instructors did include DSMB in open water, and/or subsequent courses, many didn't. The distinctive course gave ample opportunity for divers to seek dedicated training on their use. This was especially important as UK accident statistics (BSAC annual reports) illustrated that a significant number of DCI / rapid ascent issues stemmed from improper DSMB use.

Recently, PADI converted the distinctive version of the course into a standard specialty, available worldwide. It's a valid course, as there are thousands of divers who've never received formal training on DSMB use. It's also a simple course, teaching simple techniques that make a common skill safe and efficient.

The actual validity of the course is, of course, entirely instructor dependent. As with many courses, the expertise and knowledge of the instructor dictates the attention-to-detail and best practices introduced. Naturally, some instructors will teach better, more skillful approaches than others. I'd suggest that instructor well-versed in sound technical diving procedures is more likely to offer quality instruction.

 

[Adam Grose]

Well, you've got red sausages, yellow sausages, orange, lime green, hot pink...four or six foot long...open at the bottom or using a closed air valve often with no overpressure relief...so many complications. I can't see how PADI could possibly cover them all in one course!

Where else can you play with your sausage and get a C-card for it?

 

[BoltSnap]

I am not a fan of PADI or its system in diver training but this course and PADI are getting an unfair amount of criticism that is based on no real information or even consideration to potential divers who need this type of training despite of the several comments above that did a good job of pointing out why this type of training can be of value to divers.

We teach basic compass use and navigation in our entry level diver training program as we do teach "introduction" to the use of DSMB but in the same fashion, there is a lot more to using a compass and how to navigate underwater to the point where we offer more comprehensive specialty navigation course. Same idea applies to the DSMB course. The same levels of grading of content and content will apply in both scenarios. If the specialty course for ANY specialty does go beyond the minimums and has content and "meat" to it covering a wider range of knowledge and skill, I don't see what the problem is and why some folks here are so constipated over the idea.

 

[Wookie]

I am not a fan of PADI or its system in diver training but this course and PADI are getting an unfair amount of criticism that is based on no real information or even consideration to potential divers who need this type of training despite of the several comments above that did a good job of pointing out why this type of training can be of value to divers.

We teach basic compass use and navigation in our entry level diver training program as we do teach "introduction" to the use of DSMB but in the same fashion, there is a lot more to using a compass and how to navigate underwater to the point where we offer more comprehensive specialty navigation course. Same idea applies to the DSMB course. The same levels of grading of content and content will apply in both scenarios. If the specialty course for ANY specialty does go beyond the minimums and has content and "meat" to it covering a wider range of knowledge and skill, I don't see what the problem is and why some folks here are so constipated over the idea.

My responses would be the same regardless of agency. Only because it's PADI do all of the stereotypes come to light. If this were a RAID, NASE, PDIC, YMCA, YWCA, LA county, or Add Helium's Private Agency, I would have responded in the same way. And that is that the training, while important and even critical, does not rise to the level of specialty. It is merely training that should be part of becoming a diver.

I don't mean AOW.

 

[scubadada]

I vote that dSMB be taught and practiced in OW, like several instructors in this thread say they do. It would certainly satisfy the PADI SMB requirement in their curriculum, just more work and effort that doing it with a surface SMB.

 

[stuartv]

If current PADI OW curriculum has been updated to require teaching SMB use, then do current OW grads also get an SMB Specialty C card along with their OW card?

 

[Wookie]

If current PADI OW curriculum has been updated to require teaching SMB use, then do current OW grads also get an SMB Specialty C card along with their OW card?

IF I taught PADI OW, and IF I covered the requirements of the dSMB specialty, I would indeed offer the specialty card for the price of the card. IF I taught PADI OW, I would teach it to meet the requirements of the PPB specialty, and I would offer the card at the price of the card. I do teach RAID OW, and I do teach the classes to include the dSMB and with the intention of peaking the performance of the student's buoyancy. Alas, RAID does not have cards for skills that should be learned in OW class.

 

[boulderjohn]

I think a lot of people do not realize that there is a very practical value to a having skills identified as a specialty course.

A number of years ago, another instructor and I independently created a workshop to teach the core skills found in courses like GUE Fundamentals. It had no certification attached--students just paid their money and took the class. When we realized we had both done the same thing, we compared notes and made our workshops the same. He is an attorney, and one day another instructor/attorney pointed out that he was taking an enormous liability risk by teaching a classes that did not have an approved curriculum. If an accident were to occur, in the lawsuit that followed he would have to prove that what he was doing was safe, and the burden of proof would be on him. If, on the other hand, the course was an approved PADI specialty, he would be able to say that the world's largest scuba instructional agency had examined the course content and given its seal of approval. We then had the course approved as a distinctive specialty. I have since learned that there are many other distinctive specialties approved for individual instructors with almost the same content.

So, the specialty is nothing more than the instruction you could get for the course with the addition of PADI's seal of approval, which gives the instructor backing in case of a problem.

BTW, deploying a DSMB is one small part of that course we created.

 

[BoltSnap]

My responses would be the same regardless of agency. Only because it's PADI do all of the stereotypes come to light. If this were a RAID, NASE, PDIC, YMCA, YWCA, LA county, or Add Helium's Private Agency, I would have responded in the same way. And that is that the training, while important and even critical, does not rise to the level of specialty. It is merely training that should be part of becoming a diver.

I don't mean AOW.

It isn't just about deploying an DSMB, there is more to it, neutral buoyancy, types of SMB/DSMB, retrieval and whatever else in skills and content they want to add to it.

I teach most comprehensive courses here in Libya but there are many divers who were trained by other instructors who didn't have such comprehensive courses. I offer courses to address these deficiencies in their training and meet the requirements for an "instructor specified specialty" so they get a wall certificate and a c-card to recognize their achievements. I don't see this specialty from PADI as any different especially if addresses more content and skill than what can be addressed in an entry level course where only simple deployment is covered in this entry level course.

Heck, if you have a comprehensive instructor outline and guide for this DSMB course, I'd appreciate your sharing it with me so that I can see how I can offer it as a course here to address the deficiencies in diver training and skill level in my market.

 

[Bob DBF]

IF I taught PADI OW, and IF I covered the requirements of the dSMB specialty, I would indeed offer the specialty card for the price of the card. IF I taught PADI OW, I would teach it to meet the requirements of the PPB specialty, and I would offer the card at the price of the card. I do teach RAID OW, and I do teach the classes to include the dSMB and with the intention of peaking the performance of the student's buoyancy. Alas, RAID does not have cards for skills that should be learned in OW class.

You were not raised in the environment where everyone gets a trophy for everything they do. You just have to understand that, for some people the card is more important than the skill.


Bob