diveski01
Contributor
There are several variables to producing a good diver.
First and foremost is the diver themselves. How much are they willing to put into the sport to become a good diver that cares about not only their own safety, but the safety of their fellow divers and protecting the environments in which they dive? Do they fully realize the potential dangers that can occur during any dive?
Another is the instructor. How much do they put into producing good divers? Do they go above and beyond the minimum standards of their training agency or are they just about cranking out as many as possible to attain personal goals or make as much money as possible? Do they fully understand options for gear and promote that the students have a basic comprehension of options before buying?
That brings up the agency. Do they have any Quality Assurance for their instructors &/or for the divers carrying c-cards issued? What programs do they have post-IDC to ensure quality instruction is taking place? I've never been asked by PADI what I thought of my various instructors and I"ve taken a whole slew of specialty courses.
GUE has a internship prior to anyone becoming an instructor. You can't just show up and plop down some cash to take an IDC, squeek through that then be off to do whatever you please. GUE instructors provide direct feedback to students during each class and provide individualized follow-up feedback after the class to tell students what strengths and weaknesses were observed during the class and what they need to focus on to keep improving. Another benefit is that they typically teach DIRF in teams of 2-3 instructors so students may have many instructors to work with that will contribute to their skills assessments. They have a maximum instructor to student ratio of 1:4. Video is taken of all divers during all training dives and are reviewed at the end of each day of class. The instructors point out what is being performed properly but will also discuss what was not done properly with examples of how to improve upon mistakes made. Students are able to learn from their own positives and negatives as well as those by every other student in the class.
My recent class was a significant turning point in my diving career. I thought I was a pretty decent diver but I knew going in that I probably had much more to accomplish. I know now that I was extremely lucky to never have had an emergency underwater because I was not able to react appropriately to every scenario during a training exercise. Heaven knows what I'd have done during a real crisis!! I have a LOT to work on.
People on any internet list or discussion board should be encouraged to research all available training, regardless of their current level of experience. LDS's generally will not be very open minded about that so we as fellow divers need to make these resources accessible.
Newer divers look to us not only for information, but also to act as mentors and role models. Having an open mind to what we do not already know is a good first step. If you don't know much about a particular agency or class, find out first, then run off at the mouth with opinions.
Becki
First and foremost is the diver themselves. How much are they willing to put into the sport to become a good diver that cares about not only their own safety, but the safety of their fellow divers and protecting the environments in which they dive? Do they fully realize the potential dangers that can occur during any dive?
Another is the instructor. How much do they put into producing good divers? Do they go above and beyond the minimum standards of their training agency or are they just about cranking out as many as possible to attain personal goals or make as much money as possible? Do they fully understand options for gear and promote that the students have a basic comprehension of options before buying?
That brings up the agency. Do they have any Quality Assurance for their instructors &/or for the divers carrying c-cards issued? What programs do they have post-IDC to ensure quality instruction is taking place? I've never been asked by PADI what I thought of my various instructors and I"ve taken a whole slew of specialty courses.
GUE has a internship prior to anyone becoming an instructor. You can't just show up and plop down some cash to take an IDC, squeek through that then be off to do whatever you please. GUE instructors provide direct feedback to students during each class and provide individualized follow-up feedback after the class to tell students what strengths and weaknesses were observed during the class and what they need to focus on to keep improving. Another benefit is that they typically teach DIRF in teams of 2-3 instructors so students may have many instructors to work with that will contribute to their skills assessments. They have a maximum instructor to student ratio of 1:4. Video is taken of all divers during all training dives and are reviewed at the end of each day of class. The instructors point out what is being performed properly but will also discuss what was not done properly with examples of how to improve upon mistakes made. Students are able to learn from their own positives and negatives as well as those by every other student in the class.
My recent class was a significant turning point in my diving career. I thought I was a pretty decent diver but I knew going in that I probably had much more to accomplish. I know now that I was extremely lucky to never have had an emergency underwater because I was not able to react appropriately to every scenario during a training exercise. Heaven knows what I'd have done during a real crisis!! I have a LOT to work on.
People on any internet list or discussion board should be encouraged to research all available training, regardless of their current level of experience. LDS's generally will not be very open minded about that so we as fellow divers need to make these resources accessible.
Newer divers look to us not only for information, but also to act as mentors and role models. Having an open mind to what we do not already know is a good first step. If you don't know much about a particular agency or class, find out first, then run off at the mouth with opinions.
Becki
