Quality of Students

[voidware]

Of the choices, the instructor is most definately the most important factor because all agencies have basically the same requirements. However, I think that students are not assigned enough responsibility for their abilities.

If you'll allow me to be blunt, some people are stupid (George Carlin). Some shouldn't be diving. Some don't want to dive. Some don't care how well they dive. There are too many vacation divers out there, but we can't do anything about that. Allow me to illustrate:

A good instructor could teach a monkey to pass the OW requirements. Because said monkey has fulfilled all the requirements, the instructor needs to pass him, irrespective of the fact that he's a monkey. Not only is it fair, but it's also the law. This, however, does not mean that a monkey should be diving, although it would be pretty cool. You can't blame the instructor or the agency for the fact that the monkey stresses out, doesn't attempt to improve his skills, or doesn't ever dive again.

As a DM, I love it when people ask me questions about diving. If a diver wants me to teach them or help them with something, then I am ecstatic. I do it because a love to dive. That's why I am a good diver, and that's why I am so easy to teach.

brandon

 

[Walter]

voidware,

"all agencies have basically the same requirements"

Not true. Standards vary greatly from agency to agency. Those differences are very important to some, while others do not care.

 

[voidware]

I am not sure what you mean. All agencies have you do the same basic skills (OOA, CESA, doff, don, pivot, hover, etc.) and learn the same information, with very little vacilation. By the way, I don't consider DIRF an OW class.

brandon

 

[DiverBuoy]

That instructor AND agency thing has go to go - start a new poll. We were getting a kick out of the idiots who chose agency. Now the moderator has added a compromise entry and of course the majority would vote that way because there is no commitment

I cry foul!

 

[GDI]

:doctor:
I did set a number of days for this poll to run. And there are a lot of valid points out there. Ok the agency sets the standards and the Instructor is the main focus for the student, that makes him the bottom line as far as the standards go. And you are correct that the student is also responsible for those standards. There should be no limits for time on the student and their cert. The agencys already account for this - it's called a scuba tune-up. The mind set of the instructor will plant a seed in the student. how that seed grows depends on the student and how it was planted by the instructor.

 

[detroit diver]

voidware once bubbled...
..... By the way, I don't consider DIRF an OW class.

brandon

DIRF is not an open water course and was never intended to be one. In fact, you don't get any "official" recognition from attending it (ie c-card). And you don't "pass" or "fail" the class either.