Nope, I've merely heard stories about them. Is there a point in there somewhere?
I completely agree.
That will vary depending on the student's ability, experience and willingness to learn.
Actually, it has a lot more to do with the diver's confidence in their own abilities than either number of certification dives or their experience after the card arrives. Students need to learn how to solve problems; they need to know how to breathe to avoid panic. Experience after the card arrives is helpful, but that can also be a house of cards if there's been no actual teaching of how to deal with problems.
There is absolutely no way you can know if fatalities per dive have gone up, gone down or stayed the same. No one knows how many dives are made annually, so no one knows what the fatality rate might be. Just for the sake of discussion, let's assume fatalities per dive have declined (I'm not conceding that to be the case). Remember, while standards were higher in the 70s, so was the % of divers who received absolutely no training at all. Your point is pointless.
I don't see anyone trying to be "tough." I agree there was a time when some instructors didn't teach. Standards were high, but some instructors taught by the sink or swim method. They didn't teach, they weeded out folks who couldn't figure it out for themselves. I know of no one who proposes such an approach to instruction.
Classes with higher standards are actually easier. They are easier because students have more time to work through problems with a patient teacher, not a DI. Skills are broken down into more steps, so they are easier to achieve. Positive feedback in those smaller steps provides a source of accomplishment and justifiably builds self confidence. A student learns how to fix small problems prior to them becoming big ones. Weaker students learn much better with a more comprehensive approach. The typical class will either certify weak students who aren't ready to be diving or wash them out. A more comprehensive approach will help those weaker students get to the point where they are excellent divers. When I was teaching, my business card stated, "We Specialize in Cowards!" The approach you write off as abusing students is actually the kinder, gentler way to learn.
It doesn't work that way. The things left out are never addressed in future classes.
They survive because they are rescued in alarming numbers. Once upon a time, I worked on a dive charter in the Keys. My record was 12 rescues in one day, one of those was an instructor. I rescued one guy 5 times in one weekend. Yes, there is a big problem with the current state of diver training.
:krach: :boxing_sm :smash: 
