Lesson Learned - In Pool Session

[Hank49]

, not being able to completely be in charge of your buoyancy (ie when the other person has the weights and BC on) )

I believe this is one of the aspects of the exercise also. It's to demonstrate planning and overcoming potential problems. If one candidate has a weight integrated bc he should wear a weight belt for this exercise. It's not about demonstrating great diving skills but more about planning with your partner and solving potential problems before you attempt it. And don't you change verything BUT wieght belts for the gear exchange?

 

[simbrooks]

I believe this is one of the aspects of the exercise also. It's to demonstrate planning and overcoming potential problems. If one candidate has a weight integrated bc he should wear a weight belt for this exercise. It's not about demonstrating great diving skills but more about planning with your partner and solving potential problems before you attempt it.

Oh i was talking about the DM test, not the OW example presented in the first post here. When you share one of everything (ok two fins for those smark Mark's out there ), BC, 2nd stage, mask, weight belt. With WI or weight belts shared between two divers swapping kit out it wouldnt be too tough.

I guess what i meant is that if you are the "naked" person in the pair (not swapping wetsuits), your buddy has all the gear on and is in control, very much a "trust me" on that one. Not saying i couldnt drop their weights or inflate/deflate their BC whilst going along with them, but i would have to mostly trust them to get it right unless i felt us ascending/descending by my ears and then would reach out and sort out the offending problem. Of course at DM level should that really be happening - kind of a moot point, but just saying you arent directly in control of buoyancy in that situation.

 

[Hank49]

Hi Sim, I was talking about the DM gear exchange while buddy breathing also. When I did it we were just told to do it. And then we had to improvise and adapt based on the different gear we had etc. If you lost buoyancy control due to not understanding that if you removed you IW bc without a weight belt and floated up, you failed....or at least had to repeat. This was PADI. Is NAUI different?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Hi Sim, I was talking about the DM gear exchange while buddy breathing also. When I did it we were just told to do it. And then we had to improvise and adapt based on the different gear we had etc. If you lost buoyancy control due to not understanding that if you removed you IW bc without a weight belt and floated up, you failed....or at least had to repeat. This was PADI. Is NAUI different?

Nope, that's pretty much how it worked for us too. My buddy was considerably smaller than me, and we were pretty much left on our own to figure out who's gear to use, how we were going to do the exchange, and what touch signals to use to communicate (the maskless guy is effectively blind). We had to swim the length of the pool (guy with gear "leading" the guy without), exchange gear, and swim back ... all while maintaining neutral buoyancy.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Ayisha]

It seems that if the beginners were not so task-loaded, they could have focused on the solutions that are supposed to be second nature, like using your buddy's octo or securing an air source and then turning off the freeflowing reg. It sounds like there needed to be more attention paid to basic skills and more repetition before adding the task-loading that could cause confusion when basic skills are not ingrained.

IMHO, I think that more could be taught earlier however, perhaps by the Advanced course. For example, some basic rescue procedures; clearing a mask or doing a mask re & re while maintaining neutral buoyancy; performing a safety stop without holding a line; or perhaps even buddy breathing. When I did my Rescue course 2 1/2 years ago, I got the opportunity to learn and practice buddy breathing under supervision. I realize that it is unlikely that I would ever need it, but I appreciate learning a skill that is an option nonetheless.

I heard that the Deep Adventure dive is or may become no longer required for the PADI Advanced cert. If that's true, will the recommended maximum depth change? It seems to me that this is a very important course, but perhaps that is because we benefit from it even more greatly in our cold Great Lakes environment.

It seems like peak performance buoyancy should be mandatory too. Maybe even at the o/w level. Buy hey, I'm not a diving professional... :06:

 

[The Chairman]

I found the NAUI to be FAR more sinister! I had to pass it to become an instructor. We only had one mask, one Scuba one set of fins and one weight belt.

I desended and awaited my "buddy". When he freedove to me, we started exchanging gear in any order we wanted while buddy breathing. After he got all of the gear, we swam to the other side of the pool and exchanged gear again, and then swam back. Again, we only had one mask, so buddy breathing was tough without being able to clearly see what was happening.

For my PADI DM we just swapped gear in one place. How boring (and easy).

 

[Scubakevdm]

I liked the exercise, especially for Open Water. I feel that one of the most important lessons in all of diving is that the solution is not at the surface, which is where we instictively turn. The redirection of the surface reflex is in my opinion, critical. I feel that underwater problem solving is beneficial, and does not have to be some kind of harassment, nor be especially stressful. Obviously the level of supervision that is required is high, but hey... that's what instructors are for.

 

[Mama Mynet]

...So My lesson that i learned out of all this chaos is to ALWAYS Know Where EVERY Piece of equipment is on your buddy.

I'm also NAUI. Were your instructors trying to give you a taste of AOW? I'm taking my AOW now and that is one of the skills for AOW, but we didn't have to know it for OW. Good luck, you are going to love doing the "real thing" in OW. It is a blast.