This subject has probably been beaten to death lately but here's a more positive slant to the OW education issue...how can it be improved within the existing time constraints?
I think part of the problem is just that the scuba industry is so much larger than in the past. Change comes slowly in a bigger industry/organization.
I'm sure better students could come out of the educational process even given the shortened time frames of today if there was more flexibility in the standards (perhaps there is flexibility there). Maybe we need more efficient or creative instructors in some cases? I'm not sure what the actual impediment is but here are some changes that can be done easily enough...
I'm also pretty sure that many/most of these things are being done by many of the instructors here on this board but certainly not by most "out there".
Teach neutral buoyancy from the start mid-water rather than by laying on the bottom.
Teach side-by-side buddy positioning from the start while swimming around in the pool.
Teach a non-silting kick from the start. One kick's as easy as another if taught from the start.
Show students how to use a compass (relative heading) from the start. Use it to swim from one end of the pool to the other.
Show a student that it is possible to ascend just by inhaling in a horizontal position.
Too many things that could be taught correctly from the beginning are shelved as being too much for a new student to learn.
Get rid of fin pivots and Buddha neutral buoyancy tests and just simply introduce what you really want the student to be able to do and don't have students sitting on the bottom while waiting for their turn.
Why wait until OW to get a student to realize that single file buddy pairing is difficult for the diver in front...do it in the pool when currently everyone is just milling around getting used to scuba.
If OW students come out of the certification process buddy diving side by side with a better appreciation of buoyancy control, with some exposure to the compass and never having been on the bottom of the pool or in OW they would be much better novice divers. Non silting kicking isn't hard if you've actually been exposed to it. It takes no more time to teach these things correctly from the beginning.
Are there any other more efficient ways of doing things within the modern time constraints?
I think part of the problem is just that the scuba industry is so much larger than in the past. Change comes slowly in a bigger industry/organization.
I'm sure better students could come out of the educational process even given the shortened time frames of today if there was more flexibility in the standards (perhaps there is flexibility there). Maybe we need more efficient or creative instructors in some cases? I'm not sure what the actual impediment is but here are some changes that can be done easily enough...
I'm also pretty sure that many/most of these things are being done by many of the instructors here on this board but certainly not by most "out there".
Teach neutral buoyancy from the start mid-water rather than by laying on the bottom.
Teach side-by-side buddy positioning from the start while swimming around in the pool.
Teach a non-silting kick from the start. One kick's as easy as another if taught from the start.
Show students how to use a compass (relative heading) from the start. Use it to swim from one end of the pool to the other.
Show a student that it is possible to ascend just by inhaling in a horizontal position.
Too many things that could be taught correctly from the beginning are shelved as being too much for a new student to learn.
Get rid of fin pivots and Buddha neutral buoyancy tests and just simply introduce what you really want the student to be able to do and don't have students sitting on the bottom while waiting for their turn.
Why wait until OW to get a student to realize that single file buddy pairing is difficult for the diver in front...do it in the pool when currently everyone is just milling around getting used to scuba.
If OW students come out of the certification process buddy diving side by side with a better appreciation of buoyancy control, with some exposure to the compass and never having been on the bottom of the pool or in OW they would be much better novice divers. Non silting kicking isn't hard if you've actually been exposed to it. It takes no more time to teach these things correctly from the beginning.
Are there any other more efficient ways of doing things within the modern time constraints?