Protocol for discovery dives

[ayshe]

So after telling my whole family about the wonderful world of scuba, I convinced my mum to go for a discovery dive. Knowing my mum, I knew it was going to be a case that she either loved it or hated it. We aren't naturally outdoorsy people, and she doesn't particularly like swimming or the sea...or sand.

Anyway, I wondered what people's experience of the discovery dive has been? Personally, I jumped straight into the course so I have no idea. Is there a standard protocol? I assumed they would take her into a shallow area of the sea, get her used to breathing through the regulator, do a couple of skills, then go out a little deeper. What she described to me was that the first dive they tried to hold the line to go down at the back of the boat, she got very nervous and was also having issues with water coming in through the regulator, which turned out to be faulty somehow and she switched to the alternate, which was better. That said, she still was too nervous to ascend and they ended up moving to a shallow area and trying again. The second time round she did manage to get down and said it was fine and she liked looking at all the fish. They didn't do any of the skills (presumably because she had been so nervous), but she did have to clear her mask when it started to flood. They got back on the boat, she felt unwell (rough seas) and decided she didn't want to try again.

Obviously, the point of the discovery dive is to get a feel for if you like it: And there are so many factors that can affect that. Oman is usually beautifully sunny and the sea not too rough, yesterday happened to be wet, grey and rough seas. I was disappointed to hear that she had a problem with the regulator, it just seemed like something could have been avoided? Of course, my knowledge of the day is all second-hand but I did wonder if a different approach would have made the whole thing a nicer experience?

p.s just feel I should add, mum didn't consider this a bad experience and wasn't at all traumatised or anything like that. I think she was surprised at herself for getting nervous and doesn't really know why she did. Like I said, she did say she liked seeing all the fish once she was down there.

 

[KevinNM]

Normally I though they did the first dive in a pool or other confined area. I did mine years and years ago and all I remember of it was the reef, but the recent dive operator I was working with for a relative had an initial dive in a pool with a shore dive next if the instructor and student felt comfortable. We never did it, so I don't know.

 

[TMHeimer]

Normally I though they did the first dive in a pool or other confined area. I did mine years and years ago and all I remember of it was the reef, but the recent dive operator I was working with for a relative had an initial dive in a pool with a shore dive next if the instructor and student felt comfortable. We never did it, so I don't know.

 

[AdivingBel]

I did a bunch of DSDs at different locales over several years before I got certified. They all included a morning pool or beach session doing basic intro to the gear along with mask clear and lost reg drills as well as just getting used to the idea of swimming around. This was followed by an afternoon reef dive with an instructor. Most shops allowed me to go out with them for up to 2 weeks with an instructor without having to redo the morning pool segment. It was a positive enough experience that it was how I dived for years since I only had diving opportunities once a year or less. By the time I got certified (had a lot more "free" time to dive) it was pretty "old hat." I don't recommend this as a path to certification. It was just a matter of circumstance for me, but I feel I really benefited from the opporunities and I got to do a lot of my early diving with instructors. I'm very positive on the program in general and probably wouldn't be diving today without it.

 

[stuartv]

I did a DSD in 2013 in Maui. They took us out on a dive boat and we snorkeled while the divers on the boat did their first dive. Then the boat moved to a different location. Along the way, we got a brief lecture on the basics of scuba diving. Mainly, don't hold your breath. But it also included an explanation of the 4 (I believe it was 4) skills we would have to demonstrate in the water, on the surface.

We got to the site which had a bottom at about 30'. They put us in scuba rigs and had us giant stride into the water and meet at a buoy they had dropped in. The instructor had us descend just a few feet, one at a time, and demonstrate the 4 skills. I think they were all related to mask clearing, but I don't really remember now. There might have been a reg swap to the octo in there, too. Each person did their skills then went back up and waited. After we all did the skills, we descended to around 25' or so and followed our instructor on a dive that lasted about 30 minutes, I think. There were 4 "students" in our group, but 2 of them were actually OW certified. They were just brand new divers, with a resort course for their cert, so they wanted to do the DSD to build some confidence.

There was no classroom or confined water anything.

I was hooked from that point on.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

Every agency is different, but there are in fact very strict protocols for each that must be followed. Unfortunately, sometimes those protocols are not followed, and that can lead to problems.

If it is done through PADI, then there is supposed to be a classroom session (which can be done anywhere--mine was done on a beach) followed by a shallow water session in a pool or an area of open water with pool-like conditions. It is possible in some circumstances to do it from a platform hanging from a boat, but that would be very rare.

 

[ayshe]

Every agency is different, but there are in fact very strict protocols for each that must be followed. Unfortunately, sometimes those protocols are not followed, and that can lead to problems.

If it is done through PADI, then there is supposed to be a classroom session (which can be done anywhere--mine was done on a beach) followed by a shallow water session in a pool or an area of open water with pool-like conditions. It is possible in some circumstances to do it from a platform hanging from a boat, but that would be very rare.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sounds like there wasn't a protocol in this case and, personally, I think the addition of a pool dive/shallow dive portion would have made the experience that much better. You live and learn, I guess. I had been considering doing my AOW with the same people, but they haven't made me feel very confident.

 

[ayshe]

Every agency is different, but there are in fact very strict protocols for each that must be followed. Unfortunately, sometimes those protocols are not followed, and that can lead to problems.

If it is done through PADI, then there is supposed to be a classroom session (which can be done anywhere--mine was done on a beach) followed by a shallow water session in a pool or an area of open water with pool-like conditions. It is possible in some circumstances to do it from a platform hanging from a boat, but that would be very rare.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sounds like there wasn't a protocol in this case and, personally, I think the addition of a pool dive/shallow dive portion would have made the experience that much better. You live and learn, I guess. I had been considering doing my AOW with the same people, but they haven't made me feel very confident.

 

[abscuba]

Confined water is the best place to start with a DSD. That being said depending where you are at there are many places that is just not available. Here in Hawaii very few people have access to pools, and the spots that can be used for confined water training are away from the spots where you would take them to see reefs. Most here do the skills on the line off of a boat in 5 to 10ft of water. Once the divers have completed the 4 skills then they are taken on a shallow dive. Bad gear can very much be a detriment to working with a DSD as they are normally very stressed anyways so it is important that the instructor check the gear as best as possible before they give it to the student. If the shop is not giving you confidence go to a different one the quality of training is most important part of deciding who you are going to do your certification with.

 

[tursiops]

Confined water is the best place to start with a DSD. That being said depending where you are at there are many places that is just not available. Here in Hawaii very few people have access to pools, and the spots that can be used for confined water training are away from the spots where you would take them to see reefs. Most here do the skills on the line off of a boat in 5 to 10ft of water. Once the divers have completed the 4 skills then they are taken on a shallow dive. Bad gear can very much be a detriment to working with a DSD as they are normally very stressed anyways so it is important that the instructor check the gear as best as possible before they give it to the student. If the shop is not giving you confidence go to a different one the quality of training is most important part of deciding who you are going to do your certification with.

Yes, but....
The standards allow for only one DSD diver in the water at a time, while doing skills on a line in deep water. The other divers should stay on the boat, and take turns being in the water. A diver at the surface is not under direct supervision, so counts against the 1:1 ratios.
From the current Instructor Manual: "If participants will go on an open water dive, and shallow water for skills practice is inaccessible, an instructor conducts the skills session from a boat, dock or other surface support station by using a descent line, horizontal bar or platform that is within 2 metres/6 feet of the surface. The ratio is 1:1 when using the descent line option." The six required skills, also from the IM, are:
Breathing underwater. Regulator clearing. Regulator recovery. Mask clearing. Equalization techniques. Inflate and deflate a BCD at the surface.