Actually you may have been lucky with this learning opportunity.
1. A regulator does not need a mouthpiece to breath. Not as comfortable as needed. I hope that the instructor took this opportunity to instruct the class in that. Good chance to practice.
I understood that. And, fortunately, so did the guy who was "OOA" and got handed the reg with no mouthpiece. And, no, the instructor really made no mention of it to the class at all after the incident.
---------- Post added October 31st, 2014 at 10:11 AM ----------
He picked a shop by the lowest price, talked to the people, and liked them. Good. But he had no knowledge of diving, of scuba instruction, of the equipment, of what he ought to ask and find out, etc. For someone who questions everything, it makes me wonder. He did not know what he did not know. He still doesn't. This is the problem with folks who think they can work it all out for themselves because they are smart and they know how to ask questions. He did not know enough to ask the right questions, and that continued through the pool and OW dives, too. He accepted what he was handed at face value and complained afterwards. I'll bet he wishes he'd known more about defogger, about how a BC ought to work, about a lot of things. Right now he has zero experience other than two pool sessions and 4 cert dives in a quarry, apparently with a bunch of different instructors. And he is making assumptions about how comfortable a necklaced alternate is? And getting advice to pursue DIR?
Jeez, what he needs is a mentor and a lot more experience. And he needs to at least comparison-shop before choosing a dive shop. I did a Goggle search for dive shops in his area and came up with a lot more than 2. Looks to me like he chose the closest and cheapest. I'll bet if he had asked on SB for some suggestions in his area he might have found it informative. But he chose to think it all through by himself...and I'm wondering how that worked out for him. Not well, it seems.
"No knowledge of diving". Obviously. Because it is certainly the case the nobody has ever gone diving without having a certification, or learned anything about diving without taking a class and paying an instructor.
"complained afterwards". Really? I have related my experiences, when the context was appropriate to illustrate where a question I was asking was coming from. Can you please identify a post where I have complained?
"he is making assumptions about how comfortable a necklaced alternate is? And getting advice to pursue DIR?" Where have I done that? I have explained my imaginings and then asked knowledgeable and experienced people about them. Where did I make an assumption? May I respectfully refer you to Jim Lapenta's post that started this thread and ask you which parts of it you disagree with?
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ering-diving/283566-who-responsible-what.html
Because I am here, NOT making assumptions. Instead, I am here, taking responsibility for my own education and asking questions. You seem to think that I should take whatever you tell me is "the right way to do it" and proceed as if what you say is The Gospel. Somehow, you seem to think that by asking "why" I am rejecting what I am being told.
Also, I have not sought advice on pursuing DIR, though there have been some posts from others about DIR. I may have even referred to a DIR principle that I read about, but I have not sought and am not seeking advice on pursuing DIR. I have read enough about it on my own to know that it's not something I care to pursue at this point in my diving education.
Now, since you want to do the research and find a shop for me to take my class over again, let me give you the full set of parameters that I had, for finding a shop.
1) I organized 8 other people, plus myself, to take the class and get certified.
2) 5 of those people are a family who lives out between Marshall, VA, and Flint Hill. Your Google Mapfu is obviously strong, so you can see where that is for yourself. You already know where my g/f and I live (apparently). And the other 2 people live in Bull Run, VA. Our class also needed to a reasonable driving distance for all of them.
3) Price was a primary factor. By bringing a group of 9, we got the class discounted to $300 per person. No other place I looked at could remotely touch that price. But even at the price, the family of 5 was still paying $1500, plus they spent another $700 - 800 getting everyone all the snorkeling gear and boots they all needed. If the class had been $400 or 500 per person, they whole thing would have been a no-go.
I did the best I could to find a shop that worked for everyone logistically, financially, and schedulewise. It came down to this shop or it wasn't going to happen - as far as I could determine.
So, please, let me know where we could have all gone instead of the place we chose (Coral Edge Adventures). We're not going to all take the OW class again, but I'll certainly consider whomever you recommend for my more advanced training as I go forward, and recommend them to others if anyone ever asks.
I would LOVE to have a mentor and I definitely need more experience. But, what I don't need is a Big Bowl O' Condescension. In fact, if you feel like responding to any of this, the thing I would like to know MOST is what, in your post, do you think is helpful to me or anyone else that may come along and read it? Is there even a single thing in your post that is actually helpful? Or is just self-gratifying to go around kicking newbies in the balls?
