Question for instructors out there...

[scubajcf]

Personally I don't take students to the open water until I'm certain they are capable of helping me if I run into problems ..... but I depend on the open water student's competence to bring us back safely from each dive as much as they depend on mine.

This is a great standard! When students are at that level, they are ready to be cut loose. If they can't be trusted with you [an instructor], how can they be trusted with someone who is less seasoned?

Unfortunately, I [like many others here] see far too many students being rushed to the Open Water after their two day wonder course. They get their cert card and you wonder if they can even make it back to the boat on their own Then they are ready for advanced :11:

Great input!

jcf

 

[nereas]

Thank you for bringing this to my attention as I did not know that!!

...Thank you again for Informing me of something I did not know!!

A revelation, to you, I am sure. Typical PADI IDC-trained. Only knows one way to do anything, PADI's way.

 

[Jim Ernst]

A revelation, to you, I am sure. Typical PADI IDC-trained. Only knows one way to do anything, PADI's way.

Yup....

I am so not worthy...

But I still love you Brother ... Even though you are so much better then I am.

Take care now my brother!

So Passive aggressive

 

[Ann Marie]

For me my students are my "kids" no matter how old they are. I take a lot of guff from a friend and fellow instructor when I say something like "Guess I better round up my kids and get started." because he insists they should be referred to as students. I've spent 10 weeks training them and learning how they cope with challenges and encouraging them to succeed...I can call them my kids if I want to.

He he! I call mine "duckies". Like a momma duck with her babies. If I have a moment where I can't remember a students name (I'm usually good with names), I tease and will say something like "come-on duckie". When I take them to open water I often think to myself, 'Ok show me you can fly.' I'm such a

I tend to be a teensy bit overprotective; you mess with one of my students and you're messing with me .

Oh me too!

 

[clint@uniquescuba.com]

There are a lot of divers out there that have no business possessing a c-card. I've seen a lot of divers do a lot of stupid things underwater and I most likely would NOT put my life on the line for one of them just because I'm an instructor. At least I'd like to think so.

However, when it comes to a student, thats a totally different thing.

When you teach a person to dive you have taken on a responsibility and moral obligation to the education and well being of that person. No matter what, if I train a person to dive and then take that student to the open water, I consider myself completely responsible for them. If the student needs more work and is not quite comfortable yet, they get more work...not the open water. If things go wrong underwater, I do everything in my power to fix it, or control it as much as possible. That's my job, thats what I signed up for, and thats what I've been paid for.

If I see a burning building, I'm most likely not going to run into it. But, a firefighter will. Thats what they signed up for, trained for, and are being paid for. It's who they are.

"There is No bad student, just bad teacher."
Mr. Miyagi