My pet peeve with dive instruction

[24940]

I'm just glad this thread is buried back where the "New Divers and Those Considering Diving" can't see the blatant childish behavior of the instructors that purport to teach them how to survive in an admittedly hostile environment.... oh wait...
R

Yeah, it's not pretty. On the other hand, it is the reality. Not all instructors are professional and I would consider that knowledge worth having for any potential student.

 

[String]

A lot of them have their consoles on retractors which may give the impression they are dangling free...

It is dangling though - whether its on a retractor or not the end result is a gauge hanging down low free to snag and bang on things.

If they're retractors they're very poor ones. Not a lot of point clipping something off if it sits exactly where it would if you hadn't bothered.

 

[ucfdiver]

Aren't those split-fins gorgeous!!! Nice to see SSI likes them.

I absolutely hate them, but there's video of divers in peacock #3 cave diving and not stirring up silt using them, how IDK, but they do it, so more power to them.

 

[alchemist117]

I hate seeing gauges dragging. Sloppy, and how can you see what the hell are they reading??

 

[peterbj7]

I don't know whether 24940 and Nick_W are actually best buddies, but the exchange between them would have been better by PM. That said, the vitriol seems to have come from 24940and Nick_W has had to defend himself.

On the substance of the thread, sure there are historical nonsenses perpetrated by many agencies, in standards, manuals, videos. So what? A decent instructor should be aware of these and work around them. For example, when I'm teaching PADI I never teach people to ascend at 60'/minute, but always make it 1/3 of that, and get people to be able to stop their final ascent just below the surface to show they're in control of their buoyancy. Not part of PADI standards, but in due course they'll be amended.

 

[rickydazla]

It is dangling though - whether its on a retractor or not the end result is a gauge hanging down low free to snag and bang on things.

Indeed. SSI sent out a call for instructors last summer to go to the Cayman's and film for the revised DVD's they were working on. I was hoping to go but couldn't leave the States as my green card was being processed. I wasn't commenting either way, I was just stating facts. I very rarely look at my console anyway so I usually just stick it in my BC pocket out the way. JUST KIDDING!

 

[String]

I think i'd rather a *console* in a pocket where its not banging than on a worthless retractor hanging down 3ft and battering things.