On being a Scuba student in a class

[Ceberon]

Lets say I am a student in a Scuba class (OW or AOW), and the instructors pair up the students into a few groups of buddies. We're underwater and waiting to perform skills, and my buddy is having problems with his buoyancy. I've got buoyancy down pat, no problems. The teachers are busy with other students and haven't had a chance yet to check on us.

Do I assist him with his buoyancy, or should I let the instructors notice the problem and let them help him? I don't want to interfere, but when I see an obvious problem it's hard not to help. IE, I noticed he would hold down the inflate button for a few seconds, get too much air, let it out, repeat.. I could just show him to tap his inflate button, which might help.

What would be proper? Show the student how to fix things, point out the problem to a teacher, or just let the teachers do their things?

 

[diverbrian]

I am asked to leave this situation alone unless I am ASKED to help. The reason is that the instructors have there own style of teaching. They may get around to showing the student in a way that someone else hasn't thought of.

You may mention it to an instructor if you feel that this student is being ignored as that is certainly an option. But the instructor's control of the class is important and should not be interfered with.

That having been said, if the buddy is friend or relation you certainly aren't barred from mentioning this to them after class. Tapping the button on the power inflator is a good thing .

 

[Col.Maniac]

Hi,
When i did my OW and AOW we had 1 instructor per 4 students and 2 divemasters, 1 divemaster per 2 students. The divemasters kept an eye on the students waiting for their turn. This prevented major problems when the Instructor was consentrating on teaching/watching 1 student do a task. Sounds like from what you said it was a bad setup

 

[Ceberon]

I think my solution will just be to become a divemaster.. then I'll be expected to help people out

That situation was a general one, in the classes I've taken I've had plenty of experiences where I would notice a problem when the instructors weren't right there. I just had the thought that the teachers probably want to teach skills in a certain way, and even if I just wanted to remind someone of the proper way to do things, I probably should wait until I've been trained as an instructor.

I have a few times told people to not leave their tanks standing when they walked away, or to secure their octo properly, simply because those are things that could affect the safety of myself or others.. I think correcting safety issues is probably expected from everyone

 

[diverbrian]

If I am assisting, I will tell the instructors if I see a problem. Sometimes it is a problem that will be dealt with later in the course and nothing needs to be done. Sometimes, I have been asked to work with the student myself. Sometimes (very seldom, as the Instructors/Assistants are more observant than many students think ), the instructor thanks me and chooses to work with the student themselves.

The ratio that Col. Maniac refers to is typical for us. I also don't see many severe problems when we use it. I did an open water a few months ago. I was assigned one buddy pair and my counterpart was assigned the other buddy pair. The instructor then had the ability to control the class and do the skills with the students without worrying about the safety of the others.

Again, whatever option a student chooses in this situation, it is best (IMHO) to let the instructor exercise control of their class.

 

[SubMariner]

What would be proper? Show the student how to fix things, point out the problem to a teacher, or just let the teachers do their things?

There are two sides to this:

1) If you are already lined up doing skills with an Instructor it's usually best to let us or a Certified Assistant (DM or AI) handle student learning issues, especially if it pertains to the particular skill that is being taught and evaluated. Besides the Secret Handshake that we learn as Instructors, we've also been taught to anticipate and prevent any potential problems. For example, there are special techniques for controlling someone who may inadvertedly put too much air in their bc, etc.

2) If it is the end of the skills session and you are having play time in the pool, that is a great time to practice skills with your bud. Things like mask removal/replacement, hovering, etc. always are more fun when you do it with a friend.

You have a great attitude! Hope you one day decide to turn your desire to help into becoming a DM, AI or Instructor. Then we can show you the Secret Handshake!

DSDO,

~SubMariner~