PADI's new *solo* course
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I agree ... but if we're going to promote buddy diving, we really, REALLY need to train divers how to be a dive buddy. There's far more to it than just jumping in the water with another diver. There's setting expectations ... communicating (before, during, and after the dive), ... positioning and spacing ... learning the concept of "predictable behavior" and applying it to how you dive ... and mostly, there's the notion that it's not "my" dive, it's "our" dive. We need to ... from day 1 in OW ... teach people how to dive together.
Once they've developed those skills, making a transition to solo diving becomes far easier and more intuitive ... because you will have developed a solid foundation of skills and knowledge from which to make the transition.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
I know that SEI will never offer a solo course and I'm ok with that. As such unless I crossover to another agency I'll never be able to teach one. Two years ago I sent Steve Lewis from SDI/TDI my qualifications at the time to see if he would accept me for training with him to get my solo card as there was no one else closer I felt ok taking the class with. The response I got was that I should not be taking it but teaching it myself.
I want to take the course with Steve even though there is now an instructor near me that I could get the card from so if I make it down to Key West I can dive from Wookie's boat solo if I choose to. But I have a real problem with just paying for the card. I have an AOW student who took the course from the instructor in question and he informed me that my AOW class was better and better prepped him for diving alone.
I have no doubt that the way Andy teaches the class would be worth it but if it will not get me a pass on boats that require a solo card what good is it if taught by someone who can "self certify" to teach it? Or like the time they came out with a digital photography workshop for instructors and DM's that would allow them to teach the class. At the time it was offered locally it was one day. Did not require any pool time. But if you took the workshop you could now teach UW digital photo. REALLY? I have shot hundreds of photos perhaps thousands, have what I consider to be above average skills, and know photoshop. Yet I will not offer an UW Photo class because I don't think I can put one on good enough that I would take it myself. I would not recommend an UW photo class by anyone other than someone who makes a living at it. There are two guys I recommend to students and neither teach scuba for a living but they are accomplished and published photographers.
Same with this "Self Reliant Diver" course. Again no doubt Andy's is great but what about the instructor who is only going to teach it to make a buck and will go by the bare minimums? And again it is not a "solo" course and will not be recognized as such except perhaps by 5* centers looking to get more diver dollars.
I also feel the Self Reliant Diver is what we should be turning out in OW classes and do everything I can to see that it is the case with my own students.
Bob was typing as I was but agree with his sentiments on buddy diving. I devoted two chapters to it. Buddy Skills and Trust Me dives both deal with the consequences of the buddy system failing and the piss poor way it is taught today in too many cases as evidenced by the ignorance of proper procedures in the posts of many newly certed divers.
I want to take the course with Steve even though there is now an instructor near me that I could get the card from so if I make it down to Key West I can dive from Wookie's boat solo if I choose to. But I have a real problem with just paying for the card. I have an AOW student who took the course from the instructor in question and he informed me that my AOW class was better and better prepped him for diving alone.
I have no doubt that the way Andy teaches the class would be worth it but if it will not get me a pass on boats that require a solo card what good is it if taught by someone who can "self certify" to teach it? Or like the time they came out with a digital photography workshop for instructors and DM's that would allow them to teach the class. At the time it was offered locally it was one day. Did not require any pool time. But if you took the workshop you could now teach UW digital photo. REALLY? I have shot hundreds of photos perhaps thousands, have what I consider to be above average skills, and know photoshop. Yet I will not offer an UW Photo class because I don't think I can put one on good enough that I would take it myself. I would not recommend an UW photo class by anyone other than someone who makes a living at it. There are two guys I recommend to students and neither teach scuba for a living but they are accomplished and published photographers.
Same with this "Self Reliant Diver" course. Again no doubt Andy's is great but what about the instructor who is only going to teach it to make a buck and will go by the bare minimums? And again it is not a "solo" course and will not be recognized as such except perhaps by 5* centers looking to get more diver dollars.
I also feel the Self Reliant Diver is what we should be turning out in OW classes and do everything I can to see that it is the case with my own students.
Bob was typing as I was but agree with his sentiments on buddy diving. I devoted two chapters to it. Buddy Skills and Trust Me dives both deal with the consequences of the buddy system failing and the piss poor way it is taught today in too many cases as evidenced by the ignorance of proper procedures in the posts of many newly certed divers.
Wookie
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If you go by Drew's letter no. As I read it the class for a "solo" diver could only be taught by a DSAT instructor to allow solo diving since they view it as a form of technical diving.
Wookie
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Interesting. None of the technical agencies support solo diving. I've asked the heads and training department of every one except GUE/UTD.
In defence of the SDI solo course, which I teach, any course taught to minimum standards will be a crap course. You can't apply the same standards to an experienced trimix diver as you can to the newly minted DM who just logged his 100th dive. The instructor needs some latitude to tailor the program to the student and when I have students with mixed backgrounds the more experienced divers come with the understanding that I will be teaching to the LCD and there may be some repetition.
- Messages
- 98,137
- Reaction score
- 99,751
- Location
- On the Fun Side of Trump's Wall
- # of dives
- 2500 - 4999
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