Messed up my OW dive - advice for the future please?

[boulderjohn]

Can you quote those standards?

When I took my PADI OWD, we did the confined water part in wetsuits and were then issued drysuits for the open water part. It seemed sensible to me, since we'd probably overheat if we did the pool sessions dry and freeze our butts off if we did the open water sessions in wetsuits. And there was always at least one divemaster plus the instructor on four students underwater when we did the open water sessions.

Well, you just sent me through a search of the standards. Since I have never had to do this, I had not paid a lot of attention to it before. What I saw every single time I filled out student forms for the OW class over my teaching career was the place to initial that I had taught a drysuit session in confined water for that student prior to the student using a drysuit for the open water dives. On the current Student Record File, Drysuit Orientation is located right under skin diving skills.You need to indicate the date, initial it, and put in your instructor number.

I cannot, however, find it mentioned in the standards.

 

[Storker]

Thanks.

It's worth mentioning that there are drysuits, and then there are drysuits. A snug neoprene DS with light undergarments is easy to dive and not that much different from diving a wetsuit. A shell suit with heavy undergarments is quite another beast to handle. Ask me how I know that...

When I did my OWD we had the former type. I was pretty cocky about the challenges of diving dry until I bought my current trilam suit. That's when I quit being so cocky...

 

[mmerriman]

Can you quote those standards?

When I took my PADI OWD, we did the confined water part in wetsuits and were then issued drysuits for the open water part. It seemed sensible to me, since we'd probably overheat if we did the pool sessions dry and freeze our butts off if we did the open water sessions in wetsuits. And there was always at least one divemaster plus the instructor on four students underwater when we did the open water sessions.

From General Standards & Procedures -
Dry Suit Orientation
Orient divers to dry suit use in confined water before
they use them for the first time in open water.

 

[mmerriman]

Well, you just sent me through a search of the standards. Since I have never had to do this, I had not paid a lot of attention to it before. What I saw every single time I filled out student forms for the OW class over my teaching career was the place to initial that I had taught a drysuit session in confined water for that student prior to the student using a drysuit for the open water dives. On the current Student Record File, Drysuit Orientation is located right under skin diving skills.You need to indicate the date, initial it, and put in your instructor number.

I cannot, however, find it mentioned in the standards.

it is in general stds and procedures -
Dry Suit Orientation
Orient divers to dry suit use in confined water before
they use them for the first time in open water.

 

[Storker]

From General Standards & Procedures -
Dry Suit Orientation
Orient divers to dry suit use in confined water before
they use them for the first time in open water.

Thanks. I can't help noticing it says "orient divers", not that the student has to dive the suit in confined water before using it in open water, though.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Thanks. I can't help noticing it says "orient divers", not that the student has to dive the suit in confined water before using it in open water, though.

“in confined water”

 

[mmerriman]

Thanks. I can't help noticing it says "orient divers", not that the student has to dive the suit in confined water before using it in open water, though.

the key word is "in" The intent is that a student diver must have been in confined water in the drysuit before going to open water. mince words at your own peril. I also believe there was something in a traning bulletin that covered this in more detail.

 

[mmerriman]

Guide to Teaching:
Dry Suit Orientation
Orient student divers who have never used a dry suit to dry suit use before using a dry suit in
open water. This orientation allows divers to become comfortable with their dry suits, practice
skills and eliminate potential equipment problems. An orientation may include the following
skills:
1. Put on and remove a dry suit (with help only as necessary).
2. Conduct a buoyancy check at the surface while wearing a dry suit with undergarments
(when needed) and full scuba equipment.
3. Demonstrate neutral buoyancy.
4. Demonstrate a technique for recovering from excess gas in the feet.
5. Disconnect and reconnect the low-pressure hose from the dry suit inflator valve while
underwater.
6. Perform a neutrally buoyant ascent at a normal ascent rate (no faster than 18 metres/60 feet
per minute).
7. Remove and replace both the scuba unit and weight system while on the surface.

 

[mmerriman]

Instructor manual - AOW:
Dry Suit Adventure Dive
Considerations
1. Directly supervise divers at a maximum ratio of 8:1
or have a certified assistant supervise divers at a
maximum ratio of 4:1.
2. Orient divers to dry suits in confined water before
divers use them for the first time in open water.
3. Each student diver must use a dry suit.

 

[Gareth J]

I am sure a PADI instructor can fully enlighten me, but I did all my PADI OW dives in the sea, other than the swimming test and the first lesson. (This was many years ago).
The site was sheltered, shallow. Granted, I was in the warmer waters of the Red Sea in the winter. Rather than UK waters.

I am pretty sure sheltered water doesn't exclusively mean a pool. Just a controlled environment.

A lot of UK facilities teach the open water sessions in drysuits. It is generally far more comfortable for the students to be in a drysuit than a wetsuit. Water temperatures are still only between 7C and 15C dependent on depth in the local freshwater quarry.
Often the surface conditions are not much warmer....although we are going through a heatwave.

A recent shallow sea dive only reached 14C.