PADI DM Standards for 20 Skills

[RU4SKUBA]

I was interested in Critical Attributes to the 20 Basic Scuba Skills, but I worded it poorly... I thought perhaps these were somewhere located in the digital version of the manual and could be useful to a DM candidate.

What do you guys think?

 

[Peter Guy]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand your question. What do you want "us" to write?

 

[boulderjohn]

I was hoping someone with access to the OWSI manual could complete the Evaluative Criteria in the PADI “Divemaster Course Instructor Guide” from the PADI Instructor Manual for DM candidate reference purposes... for each of the 20 basic scuba skills.

I am not sure what it is you are looking for and why. Could you explain more?

EDIT: Sorry for repeating Peter's question--he posted whilst I was otherwise engaged.

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm not sure either, but I think you mean something like this-- It would be a good idea to have a list of the 20 skills including the critical steps in exact order for doing each skill. Ei.: point to this, count "3" when you do that, etc. We all (should) know how to do the skills from OW class, but if there was a detailed official PADI list of the steps, it would save the instructor from having to point out all the details and stuff we didn't do as we go. I'm doing well with most of the skills, but find that after a pool session I try to remember and write down the steps I missed so I can get it perfect. These details are likely spelled out in the Instr. Manual, no?

 

[boulderjohn]

I'm not sure either, but I think you mean something like this-- It would be a good idea to have a list of the 20 skills including the critical steps in exact order for doing each skill. Ei.: point to this, count "3" when you do that, etc. We all (should) know how to do the skills from OW class, but if there was a detailed official PADI list of the steps, it would save the instructor from having to point out all the details and stuff we didn't do as we go. I'm doing well with most of the skills, but find that after a pool session I try to remember and write down the steps I missed so I can get it perfect. These details are likely spelled out in the Instr. Manual, no?

A couple of points:

The DM section of the Instructor Handbook recommends that DM candidates have their own copy of the handbook. I did not have my own when I was a DMC, but the shop gave me access to one. Knowing how to find things in the handbook is a requirement for the course, so you will need to have access to it.

The instructor in charge of my class gave us a bulleted list of the key skills. He and some other course directors had created it. It was not found per se in the handbook.

The descriptions are not provided in a nice, neat special section as you might think. It would take someone an extremely long time to get it all together. If that is what is being asked, then you are asking someone to do hours of work to spare you the time of looking them up in the book yourself.

Finally,...

The instructor teaching your course should be providing you with access to this information. If you are taking the course, you are paying a huge chunk of change to get this information. I suggest that you contact that instructor to get your money's worth.

 

[RU4SKUBA]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand your question. What do you want "us" to write?

LOL... I was thinking more along the lines of copy/paste

 

[boulderjohn]

LOL... I was thinking more along the lines of copy/paste

It is scattered all over the place--we would be copy/pasting a hundred pages or so.

 

[AzAtty]

There's a thread kicking around the Going Pro forum called something like "the 20 skills broken down." I don't recall how many skills are spelled out in that thread, but it might be a good starting point.

 

[TMHeimer]

I printed that post breaking down the skills. Good info. there, but not exactly what I was talking about. I'm not avoiding looking up stuff in the Instructor's Manual (which I heard is soon to be revised/condensed?), but a way to maybe streamline the DM course some. I don't think it would take hours of time for PADI to assign say one of it's top Instructors to list the steps. Every Instructor that I know (8) obviously knows the skills inside and out. A simple say, 2 page typed list stating exactly the order of what to do to demonstrate each skill exactly right may take someone a couple hours to type up. For example: Snorkle-Reg. exchange: 1. Point to snorkle 2. take a breath 3. remove snorkle and point to exhaling of bubbles 4, etc. Knowing these exact steps before the first pool session would probably elliminate that session. We could start right in on perfecting the skills, doing them slowly, etc. All 4 of us needed to be told/shown these steps for each skill, which is something we could have already studied on paper at home. I would imagine that this is usually the case in most DM classes, unless a candidate bought the manual or came into the shop before time and looked up all these steps (as stated, spread all over the Manual). Heck, any DM should be able to make up this list.

 

[Divedoggie]

If you want to observe the skills, you might watch the Open Water DVD. The Confined Water Portion of the video clearly demonstrates the skills.