Peer Pressure

[DivingGal]

Great going Fishkiller. You'll have a blast with the Rescue course. I still say it's the course I had the most fun with. So much so, when ever the shop is running one, I bug the instructors to DM for them -- being the "victim from hell" is sooooo much fun.

 

[DivingGal]

Originally posted by ScubaBaby
....and now I am trying to fill my head with even more on the DM - god save me!

Abby - a lot of work, but worth it. I love seeing the joy in a new diver's face when they've achieve a skill, and then when they get their cert-card. Some of them look like it's a Christmas / Birthday present all rolled into one.

But like you said

Anyway, none of us really enjoy diving at all...we all hate it....just pretend to enjoy it so this board can be successful and recruit more divers!!!

-- sure, sure that's us hating the diving, the getting wet, the meeting new people, and generally having fun lololol

 

[syruss32]

You're right DivingGal it is like getting a christmas present whe you get your card. I just got mine! Cooooooooooooooooooool! SO I am official now. So I guess it is time to start working towards my next card. I don't think I can get into the poker game with less than 5 cards, so I have 4 more to go!

 

[blacknet]

Hello,

Fishkiller, quick question. Did you find that the course was worth the money you spent (and overall worth while) and was the material up to date?

Ed

 

[Fishkiller]

Don't think of it as getting cards think of it as diving with someone that WANTS to teach you.

I think that the money I spent for the class that I get to take WILL be worth it.

 

[FinMeister]

Fishkiller,

Congratulations on your rescue class enrollement. I predict you'll find it to be one of the more interesting and exhausting scuba courses you'll ever take.

PADI considers Divemaster to be the first 'professional' level certification. However, my instructor said in his mind 'Rescue Diver' was the first professional level cert, and he taught the course with that approach.

Good luck. And, remember, one-thousand, two-thousand, three-housand, (inhale), breathe. . .

Warren

 

[Butch103]

..........keep pushing on. i hope to do my Rescue next summer.

Butch eace:

 

[JoelW]

I did the Rescue class a few weeks ago and it was interesting for several reasons. I took it through a shop I had never dealt with before since my usual charity was done doing them for the year. As with most of my hobbies I do a fair amount of research when I am heavily involved. As a result I had read the material thoroughly and found that some of the information presented in the class to be incorrect. I understand, it happens to the best of teachers.

While doing the dives I found that the instructor and especially the divemaster were less than appreciative of my gear selection. I wear a bp/wing, use a long primary hose, etc. It was felt that it just be a matter of time before I became a statistic,and not a good one. I kept quiet and went through the class. On a side note, I had dived before with one of the guys in the class and he normally wears a bp. For the first day he copped out and wore a back inflate BC. On the second day he wore his plate so we could do the equipment removals in what we normally wear. So, instead of one future statistic the instructor now had to deal with two.

It was a good class but I could have wished for an instructor and divemaster who were a bit more up to date on "emerging" trends. I truly believe that this was the first time they had seen a bp/harness setup.

On another side note, two weeks later a friend who had not been diving since January and had only dived in Cozumel called me up to go diving here. I picked what I felt would be an easy lake to dive in since conditions here are a bit different. My pick was bad. The water temp was getting into the lower 60s at this point and the viz was down to about 5'. He wanted to go ahead anyway. As we started to descend he ran into problems. It was rental gear, he was not used to a thick suit or hood, as well as some other issues. I was at about 3' and notice him head back up. I came up to a very large set of eyes, the mask is off and the arms are starting to work. We spent about 10 minutes while he calmed down and rearranged gear so that he would be more comfortable. The dive proceeded after that. It is amazing how quickly someone can get worked up. Even on the surface floating nicely it took a bit for him to calm down. The rescue class was worth it due to this event alone.

JoelW

 

[The Chairman]

Hey JoelW and all...

I had that same experience with my Rescue Diver AND Dive Master classes. They just didn't like my OMS IQ. Some divers complained that there was just too much to undo to get me out of the pool or lake. I pointed out that not ALL divers used a vest type BC and to just "get over it". This was about learning to overcome adversity out in the open sea. In the end, the instructor used it's complexity to really challenge the whole class with. I am not sure I was well liked after that :tease: ...

For the u/w equipment exchange (Divemaster), I was told point blank to wear a vest type BC and that there would be no further discussion about it. I have been further counseled that when I do my IDC this December, that I should be sure to only use my vest type BC as well as a weight belt. Of course that is to best replicate what the students will be using, and I understand that. Still, I see a great reluctance in the professional dive community to embrace new equipment.

 

[Warhammer]

Congradulations on signing up for the course, Fishkiller. I just completed it myself and I can tell you that it was the most fun I have had diving since I drew my first breath from below. It's alot of work, but the rewards are more than worth it.