PADI Holds The New World's Record for Fastest OW Class

[scubaaaronh]

In all fairness, you are completely discounting the home study aspect. Some of us are very capable of learning the concepts from a bookBut I get it that you want to start yet another "shred PADI" thread. Have at it.

Totally agree with the home study part. I am doing half my credits at home for a network security degree. What you put into the bookwork is what you will get out of it, whether in a classroom with someone regurgitateing the book or studying the information on your own. With that said i can believe it. As long as you can show you can do the required skills, and prove you know what you read, then i say fine. It is less time an instructor has to spend and still make the same money, like the instructors on our campus.

 

[LI Diver]

If PadI was the designer of college curriculum they would give you a BS degree in a week, an MS in a month and everyone would claim that it is not the school or degree that is important because it is just a beginning. OK, can I get a PHD in two weeks?

The good news is that the majority of these "add water and stir " instant divers never dive again so I hopefully think perhaps their impact upon the reef systems is minimal. I have seen an awfull lot of long time divers crushing the reef to get a camera angle on some fish. If I had an underwater electric cattle prod I would use it often. N

If Cousteau can dynamite a channel into the Blue Hole why can't I plant my fin on a Purple Fan Coral????????

 

[Web Monkey]

1/2 day class, 1/2 day pool, 1/2 day pool.

Terry

Help me to understand how this is 1 1/2 days. It looks like four days to me.

 

[Bobbin-along]

Doing the classroom independently isn't bad. I sat with a friend through her class (as an interpreter) and they were a complete waste of time. they made you sit through videos, then hauled you to the pool for an hour. Why would learning book info via video at home be any different?

I've also sat in on classes where the instructor spent the entire hour not covering relevant materials while he regales the class with his diving stories that have nothing to do with Basic OW. Again how does that make a better diver. If the students are capable of passing independent study exams with the same standards as classroom taught students, what's the problem?

If you are lucky to get an instructor who knows how to transfer knowledge the classroom portion is priceless. But the adage of "those who can't teach" is just wrong. Not everyone can take information and make it knowledge for the student.

The details should be about the water time and the practical skills learned therein. Perfect skills come with perfect practice. If the skills are sloppily taught, then they will be sloppily executed.

 

[Web Monkey]

I've also sat in on classes where the instructor spent the entire hour not covering relevant materials while he regales the class with his diving stories that have nothing to do with Basic OW. Again how does that make a better diver. If the students are capable of passing independent study exams with the same standards as classroom taught students, what's the problem?

I was comparing "read the book - take the test" to "read the book, listen to a quaified instructor, ask questions, get answers, take the test". If you're just spending the time listening to stories, you're not getting your money's worth.

If the topic was flying instead of diving, which pilot would you want to be flying with.

Terry

 

[Skeeter1097]

You can drag it out all you wont. Most clases do the same as this one. you do the bookwork and then the test. a few hours in the pool, 4 dives 2 at 30' and 2 at 60. I did all my book work and a vido at home. fryday after noon in the pool, 5hrs. Sat. morning two 15' dives about 20 mim each. Sunday 2 60' dives about 30 min each. [ badi sais at lest15 min each. we did about 30 each.

 

[timle]

1/2 day class, 1/2 day pool, 1/2 day pool.

Terry

At which point they wouldn't be certified as an OW diver as they have not done 4 OW dives. Need to add 4 dives over at least 2 days. My instruction was much the same except it had 2 classroom sessions followed by pool each time.

I'm not sure what the issue is with lack of classroom time. I took my OW course with 2 classroom sessions - you have to do all the book work ahead of time - the classroom session is review and testing. If you don't do the material ahead of time - I don't think you will pass the exam at the end of the second classroom session.

 

[xiSkiGuy]

While I'm not a huge PADI fan, I do hold some certs from them and am somewhat familiar with their standards.

It sounds like the program we're discussing offers 4 dives in a pool and 4 OW checkout dives (which probably include tours as well as skills).

This is very close to NAUI standards which would add only a required skindive or 5th scuba dive. The required skills are a slightly different, but that's not the topic in this thread. I'm not familiar with SSI's standards, but I would be surprised if they require more than 4 pool sessions and 4 or 5 OW dives for basic certification.

The other issue is academic requirements - PADI has decided that students are capable of learning by reading the text book themselves instead of having it read to them. I can't really fault them there.

Maybe you can be more specific about what you believe the problem with this operation is.

SDI also has the same required number of dives/pool time/classroom time.

Like Atticus says, this isn't a PADI issue as much as a general state of Scuba instruction almost everywhere. Lots of people ***** and moan about how brief the instruction is now, but unfortunately that is what it takes to sign up new divers these days.

Does it leave new divers lacking in information and skill? Yes.

Has it resulted in a higher injury/mortality rate since the days of month-long-rip-your-mask-off-turn-off-your-air training? Not that I can ascertain.

Web Monkey, instead of focusing on what is lacking, maybe you should be offering to mentor or tutor new divers. . . . Or would you be happier with another PADI bashing thread?

 

[Skeeter1097]

I have to say that we talked about all that we weher sapost to have read and went over all the questins in the work book and some. In the pool was just two of us for 5 hrs. He did cover a lot some 2 and 3 times. Then we did it all over at 30'. The point was you caqn do it all in 1 1/2 day if you had a the book work doon in advance.

 

[chrispete]

If the topic was flying instead of diving, which pilot would you want to be flying with.
Terry

Actually, I'm about to take my private pilot checkride and most of the ground training nowadays is done via multimedia CD's or DVD's, even for more advanced certificates such as instrument or commercial. Basically you do the lesson at home, meet with the instructor, ask any questions and then fly the lesson.