Looking Back - Did Your OW Teach You Enough?

[fire_diver]

What agency has removed the tables from the nitrox class?

 

[Superlyte27]

I believe PADI has the option to learn tables or learn the computer. I personally believe in teaching tables.

 

[Hawkwood]

?????

I did mine a few months ago, came with tables, and they are in fact mentioned in the book.

?????

Just like the OW course, Enriched Air can be taught with either the dive table option or the dive computer option. If Enriched Air is taught with the dive computer option the student is provided with an Enriched Air Diver Manual that is specific to the use of dive computers.

 

[fire_diver]

I think ALL tables should still be taught, whether OW or nitrox. Diver's should have at least general understanding of the depth / time relationships, not just blindly following a computer.

 

[TSandM]

While I agree that you are the best person to make that determination, I also think that your current training level skews your thinking.

Well, in my case, I knew darned well at the end of OW that I wasn't safe to "plan and conduct a dive in conditions similar to those in which they are certified." I went straight into AOW because I was afraid to dive without an instructor -- but at that time, I blamed myself. I will admit that it wasn't until much later that I realized that the standards of the agency under which I was certified state that I was supposed to have demonstrated skills I never successfully did.

 

[divemonkey33]

Now thinking back at the OW class there was almost a similar case. For the next class we had to read some chapters and do the reviews before next class. But the reviews started to ask to calc the PG and SI. No one did because the book didn't explain how to do it. Granted this is to be done in class but I think that it should be in the book.

It all worked out in the end we learned the tables the erdp and then did the questions.

I think I was in Padi's transitional phase of changing things around and they really didn't QC the courses to well.

 

[gcarter]

Just like the OW course, Enriched Air can be taught with either the dive table option or the dive computer option. If Enriched Air is taught with the dive computer option the student is provided with an Enriched Air Diver Manual that is specific to the use of dive computers.

Then as has already been said, divemonkey33's issue is either the instructor, his own choice, or some combination of the two.

 

[Razorback76]

I just got lucky with my OW cert choice. I happened to see it on the college available class list. I had always wanted to do it and thought it would be fun. It was one of few good decisions I made at that young age lol. All in all I had 100+ hours of instruction. There were 3 solid instructors. Class size was about 18-20 people. 3 guys did not pass and had to deal with an NC or an F on their college transcript. Simply put if you could not complete any part of their course you were not going to pass. At the time I just thought that is how it was everywhere. Did anyone here have to do an underwater distance swim (82 ft) on one breath? One guy got a NC for not completing that.

 

[spectrum]

Well I do remember that many topics were painfully superficial especially dive planning and navigation. In fairness I had been a ScubaBoard junkie for a year by then done a lot of reading and was an avid cold water skin diver. (Whole story here)

We did drill and test on tables which were still quite relevant in 2005. Pool work was very effective and prepared us for local diving. Hoods and gloves after night 1. For many though the first time the got wet in 7mm was on the check-out dives. Weighting was touched on in very general terms with no weight setting exercise or process.

Check-out was a complete series of in the water drills including some repeats until we got it just right followed by a short tour, until the first diver was low on air. Dive 2 was an aggressive tour led by the instructor upon completion we were proclaimed divers.

As I mentioned we did bring some background to the class and it all worked out well. The next weekend my wife and I did a dive in a local pond we knew well from skin diving. Next was a nice reciprocal course (in and out) ocean dive and we just kept going.

Compared to the many standard thumping over the top instructors that are vocal here we got short sheeted. Compared to many new divers I encounter we were well prepared. Go figure.

Pete

 

[Cixelsyd]

I'd say, for the most part, yes. I was taught the basics on how to be a safe diver. The one part I felt let down on was navigation. I really could have used some more practice beyond swimming and counting kick cycles back and forth. However, it was also stressed to me that I needed to take responsibility for diving within my own abilities, so I paid for a divemaster for my first few dives to help out with that while I got more comfortable with navigating underwater on my own.