rstofer
Contributor
Why does this topic (worded just a bit different) keep coming up? For the past two or three weeks there have been continuous threads dealing with the same issue. All bemoaning falling standards...
All of the threads make the erroneous assumption that the training is inadequate. Yet there isn't a single fact to prove it. Sure, new divers crash into reefs and that's not good but Mother Nature is pretty tough. She'll get even!
The only thing you can possibly prove from diver fatalities is that they could be reduced by 82% by eliminating divers over 40. The next big chunk could be eliminated by prohibiting any type of diving beyond recreational limits. No caves, no deep, no wrecks, no deco... But all that is just common sense. Diving isn't for old people and penetration dives are dangerous. No big mystery there!
So what if new divers look like new divers. They'll either sink or swim and it doesn't matter which. If they only want training to the level of a tourist, so what? If they want more training, it's available. But there is no reason for the tourist diver to spend any more time than absolutely necessary just to dive at resorts.
Resort diving is the market. Everything else is a niche. The problem with SB is that the experienced divers here are in the top 1 or 2% of all divers and are clearly beyond the 'resort' mentality. The vast majority of divers just want to swim around a bit; follow a DM and see some fishes.
On one recent thread, the most vocal critic of the current training finally conceded that it wasn't an issue with the written standards. It was a problem with the instructors no requiring (or even understanding) 'mastery'. If there is a problem with training, it is all the fault of the instructors. Nobody at any agency ever said "Don't worry about 'mastery', they'll get it eventually." Yet the instructors just push the students through. Why? Because the LDS won't have much of an opportunity to sell gear until the students are certified. And if the LDS doesn't sell stuff, the instructors won't have a job. Yes, I know there are 2 or 3 independent instructors. But try instructing if there aren't any LDSs. It's all about selling...
So, if there is a problem, and I'm not suggesting that there is, it rests with the instructors and the LDSs. Perhaps a small bit of the issue, if there is one, rests with the students for not understanding that diving is dangerous. They will have to discover this outside the training context where the hobby is presented as this cute, cuddly, pastime that anyone can enjoy with little or no effort.
It would be good to go back to the early '60s style of training. If you can't jog a mile or two while humping your gear, you are simply unfit for diving. With these prerequisites , we could spend 6 or 8 weeks in training and come out pretty well prepared. All 3 of us. We could each have our own coast! Well, not me, I'm too old to do push-ups while wearing my rig. You other guys can divy up the oceans.
The training program is what it is and it will not change. If it does change, it will not improve. So what? Get rid of the old divers and everything will be fine. Fatalities will decrease by 82%. Amazing!
Richard
All of the threads make the erroneous assumption that the training is inadequate. Yet there isn't a single fact to prove it. Sure, new divers crash into reefs and that's not good but Mother Nature is pretty tough. She'll get even!
The only thing you can possibly prove from diver fatalities is that they could be reduced by 82% by eliminating divers over 40. The next big chunk could be eliminated by prohibiting any type of diving beyond recreational limits. No caves, no deep, no wrecks, no deco... But all that is just common sense. Diving isn't for old people and penetration dives are dangerous. No big mystery there!
So what if new divers look like new divers. They'll either sink or swim and it doesn't matter which. If they only want training to the level of a tourist, so what? If they want more training, it's available. But there is no reason for the tourist diver to spend any more time than absolutely necessary just to dive at resorts.
Resort diving is the market. Everything else is a niche. The problem with SB is that the experienced divers here are in the top 1 or 2% of all divers and are clearly beyond the 'resort' mentality. The vast majority of divers just want to swim around a bit; follow a DM and see some fishes.
On one recent thread, the most vocal critic of the current training finally conceded that it wasn't an issue with the written standards. It was a problem with the instructors no requiring (or even understanding) 'mastery'. If there is a problem with training, it is all the fault of the instructors. Nobody at any agency ever said "Don't worry about 'mastery', they'll get it eventually." Yet the instructors just push the students through. Why? Because the LDS won't have much of an opportunity to sell gear until the students are certified. And if the LDS doesn't sell stuff, the instructors won't have a job. Yes, I know there are 2 or 3 independent instructors. But try instructing if there aren't any LDSs. It's all about selling...
So, if there is a problem, and I'm not suggesting that there is, it rests with the instructors and the LDSs. Perhaps a small bit of the issue, if there is one, rests with the students for not understanding that diving is dangerous. They will have to discover this outside the training context where the hobby is presented as this cute, cuddly, pastime that anyone can enjoy with little or no effort.
It would be good to go back to the early '60s style of training. If you can't jog a mile or two while humping your gear, you are simply unfit for diving. With these prerequisites , we could spend 6 or 8 weeks in training and come out pretty well prepared. All 3 of us. We could each have our own coast! Well, not me, I'm too old to do push-ups while wearing my rig. You other guys can divy up the oceans.
The training program is what it is and it will not change. If it does change, it will not improve. So what? Get rid of the old divers and everything will be fine. Fatalities will decrease by 82%. Amazing!
Richard
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