PADI speciality courses

[MXGratefulDiver]

Fish ID is one that I am shocked at even charging remotely the price asked as in most cases you can buy a good book on fish and do the same in your leasure.

A good fish ID class can be a fun learning experience ... although the best ones I've seen are offered as workshops or seminars rather than as a diving specialty.

I dived with someone this past Saturday who has one of the strangest specialty cards I've ever heard of ... "Manatee ID". I wonder what, exactly, the intent of that class is ... and why they'd actually issue a card for it ... I mean, how many divers need to know more than "hey look, it's a manatee" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

"PADI or any other RSTC member Open Water Divers are qualified to:
• Dive with a buddy independent of supervision while applying the knowledge and skills they learn in this course, within the limits of their training and experience.
• Plan, conduct and log open water no stop (no decompression) dives when properly equipped and when accompanied by a buddy in conditions with which they have training and/or experience."

So when they are not able why do they still possess a certification card? I've seen more than enough people who should still be in the pool sitting across from me on dive boats. They have cards yet they require a DM to put their gear together, lead them around, plan their dives, keep track of their air pressures, etc. Why were they issued an OW card? Acccording to the quoted item they should not have gotten one. In all seriousness, why did they get a card when they are not able to meet the above stated goals?

This happens in a lot of cases because people don't practice what they "learn" in OW class. It's a lot easier to watch someone do something and mimic it back to them than it is to actually learn how to do it. People demonstrate a given "skill" in a class once, and then may not use it again until next year or five years from now. Most people aren't capable of remembering something they don't do regularly ... and so the "skills" they demonstrated in class aren't retained.

I recently gave a seminar in which I asked the audience of about 20 divers how many had practiced a shared-air ascent since their OW class ... one person raised his hand.

How many of those other folks do you think would be capable of doing that skill if they were ever in a situation where they had to?

I submit that most cases of incompetence aren't the fault of the instructor ... it's the fault of divers who don't understand that a skill isn't truly learned in a class ... the instructor only has the ability to show you how to do it. Learning comes from repeating the skill over and over until it comes easily and repeatably ... which is where personal responsibility comes in.

If you don't practice skills regularly ... at any level ... you won't retain them.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

I think specialty classes have the potential to offer a diver a great deal, if the instructor puts some thought into the class, and thinks about adding value.

My PPB class consisted of a couple of dives, one where the instructor took weight off and put weight on and I ended up confused, and one where he handed me over to the DM and told him to take me below 60 feet, so I could get comfortable.

The PPB my husband teaches starts with evaluating somebody's equipment, and making sure everything is adjusted correctly, and understanding where all the inflation and deflation options are, and where weights can be put. Then weighting is evaluated, and THEN balance is assessed, and weight is moved around until the diver can float more or less horizontal. The diving portion consists of going to vertical features of the dive site, and doing small ascent and descent and hover exercises (which often aren't described as that, before we dive, in order to keep students from getting anxious and losing their buoyancy because of it ). In addition to the information about what proper weighting and balancing of equipment does to your buoyancy, they get specific practice, and good role models. It's still only two dives, but I think it's worthwhile, and I think we definitely add value to what you could get from reading the book and trying it yourself.

My Fish ID class was a distinctive specialty, and was one of the best classes I have taken (and I've taken a LOT of classes) in terms of increasing my enjoyment of Puget Sound diving.

It's all about what the instructor does with the class. If they do nothing more than what is in the book, you paid them for very little; if they have thought about it and figured out where they can make the experience of working with them ADD to the minimum, you can get a very good deal.

 

[boulderjohn]

Over the years I have taken many college and graduate school courses, and in my career in education I have worked with hundreds of colleagues. I have known many teachers who have poured their hearts and souls into courses, giving students outstanding experiences. On the other hand, I have known some who have done as close to nothing as they possibly could without being fired on the spot.

I once took a Medieval literature course from a professor who I am quite sure was an alcoholic. She was usually late for class and sometimes missed class altogether. When she was there she was close to incoherent. I have never told people that they should not take courses in Medieval literature because Medieval literature instructors are incoherent alcoholics who will frequently not show up for classes. I concluded that the poor experience I had in that class was the fault of this individual instructor, not the course concept itself.

If we see this much difference in professional teachers engaged in their livelihood, why would we expect ALL part time scuba instructors barely getting paid for their work to be paragons of instructional skill, and why do some people think that a single instructor not fulfilling the requirements of a course is indicative of all instructors world-wide?

 

[tlj3071]

Over the years I have taken many college and graduate school courses, and in my career in education I have worked with hundreds of colleagues. I have known many teachers who have poured their hearts and souls into courses, giving students outstanding experiences. On the other hand, I have known some who have done as close to nothing as they possibly could without being fired on the spot.

I once took a Medieval literature course from a professor who I am quite sure was an alcoholic. She was usually late for class and sometimes missed class altogether. When she was there she was close to incoherent. I have never told people that they should not take courses in Medieval literature because Medieval literature instructors are incoherent alcoholics who will frequently not show up for classes. I concluded that the poor experience I had in that class was the fault of this individual instructor, not the course concept itself.

If we see this much difference in professional teachers engaged in their livelihood, why would we expect ALL part time scuba instructors barely getting paid for their work to be paragons of instructional skill, and why do some people think that a single instructor not fulfilling the requirements of a course is indicative of all instructors world-wide?

I think she taught English Lit in Louisiana prior to that

Tom

 

[gcs118]

If we see this much difference in professional teachers engaged in their livelihood, why would we expect ALL part time scuba instructors barely getting paid for their work to be paragons of instructional skill, and why do some people think that a single instructor not fulfilling the requirements of a course is indicative of all instructors world-wide?

This hits on one of my pet peeves as well. It bothers me that dive shops (at least ones I have been associated with) push the Divemaster level to start instructor training. From DM on up should be by will of the candidate only - not a money-making or need-based class for the shop. Not everyone is meant to teach and not everyone is good at it. Some people just don't get it, which is why turning everyone into "Pro's" doesn't make any sense to me. Just because someone enjoys diving and may have experience doesn't mean they can communicate to others well. To finish my rant , new divers or those with about 20-30 dives who say they want to make diving instructor their career - seriously? It's always incredible to start something new and fascinating, but to jump the gun like that is a really bad idea.

I am also in the education field, albeit very new. As a graduate student I am responsible for teaching one 3 credit hour course per semester to undergrads. It takes a lot of time and effort just to plan effective lessons like John said, not even considering the administrative side to things. It's clear how students respond to different instructors - those who put a lot of time into it, and those who don't. I've found that after a brief conversation with a potential scuba instructor you can really determine what will be covered in the class and if it will be thorough or not. A lot can be picked up on instructor enthusiasm and attitude without even talking about the course itself sometimes.

 

[Downing]

So when they are not able why do they still possess a certification card? I've seen more than enough people who should still be in the pool sitting across from me on dive boats. They have cards yet they require a DM to put their gear together, lead them around, plan their dives, keep track of their air pressures, etc. Why were they issued an OW card? Acccording to the quoted item they should not have gotten one. In all seriousness, why did they get a card when they are not able to meet the above stated goals?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that nearly all of those divers you just referenced could meet those goals but choose not to. In other words, they were taught how to set up their gear, plan a dive, dive a plan, track their air consumption, etc. Then they chose not to practice these skills because they'd rather pay someone else to do their thinking for them.

And they would probably argue that their style of diving, as limited as it is, works just fine for them.

I've been to a number of dive resorts where one of the selling points is that the staff will set up your gear, take you to the sites and lead you around the dive. They're familiar with the times, depths, SI's, etc. If resort diving is the only kind of diving you do, then you don't really need to know how to do anything other than entry/exit procedures.

 

[DevonDiver]

I dived with someone this past Saturday who has one of the strangest specialty cards I've ever heard of ... "Manatee ID".

How do you tell the difference between a manatee and a dugong?

How do you differentiate between the 4 orders of Sirenia?

What identifies each of the 3 Trichechidae family members?

Why did the pre-columbian 'Taino' word for 'breast' become the name for Manatees?

On what continents, regions and habitats are manatees distributed?

Can I ask some questions about manatee behaviour, diet, culture and conservation now?

I wonder what, exactly, the intent of that class is

It probably has a duel role. To satisfy the demands of divers who enjoy having a deeper understanding of those animals and to increase awareness of conservation efforts related to them and their ecosystem.

... just a guess...

and why they'd actually issue a card for it ...

Because a speciality course provides a pre-existing structure for educational delivery, along with a understood 'vehicle' for costing. Also, some people just like to collect cards - especially tourists from regions that don't have manatees. It's nice for them to go home and show their diving buddies what they did....

I mean, how many divers need to know more than "hey look, it's a manatee"

Need to? Very, very few.
Would like to? Obviously enough to make it worth offering the course.

 

[Downing]

Hmm. One of the specialties I'll be doing this summer in Belize is Whale Shark.

I thought that would be the coolest cert on the planet.

But now I see there's a Manatee card.

Dang it.

The quest continues.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

How do you tell the difference between a manatee and a dugong?

By the shape of the tail ... manatees have a rounded, paddle-shaped tail ... dugongs have flukes, like a whale.

How do you differentiate between the 4 orders of Sirenia?

By size and habitat ... the Amazonian manatee is the smallest of the three orders among manatees, while the West Indies manatee (which includes those in Florida) are the largest. The West African manatee is the least known, but most closely related to the West Indies order. The fourth order comprises dugongs and stellar sea cows.

What identifies each of the 3 Trichechidae family members?

See above ... Trichechidae is the scientific name for manatee.

Why did the pre-columbian 'Taino' word for 'breast' become the name for Manatees?

Because the white folks who first spotted them thought they were mermaids.

On what continents, regions and habitats are manatees distributed?

Southeastern US, West Indies and adjacent parts of South America, Amazon basin, and the tropical western coast of Africa.

Can I ask some questions about manatee behaviour, diet, culture and conservation now?

If you like ...

It probably has a duel role. To satisfy the demands of divers who enjoy having a deeper understanding of those animals and to increase awareness of conservation efforts related to them and their ecosystem.

All well and good ... but you can develop that deeper understanding through personal interaction, or with a moderate usage of the Internet, and save your diving dollars for things that actually apply to diving.

Because a speciality course provides a pre-existing structure for educational delivery, along with a understood 'vehicle' for costing. Also, some people just like to collect cards - especially tourists from regions that don't have manatees. It's nice for them to go home and show their diving buddies what they did....

I don't live there, so perhaps I have this bit wrong ... but it was my understanding that you don't scuba dive with manatees ... they shy away from bubbles ... and so human interaction is limited to snorkelers.

That's why I find this to be a strange specialty for scuba diving ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)