(Question for Instructors)Time in confined water OWD course

[guille.corleone]

Hi there!

I know that everything depends on the student, if they are fast or they have a problems with one exercise... but How much time do you use to do all 5 Confined water sessions to a Open Water Diver Course?

The thing is that in the dive center where I work they give me 1.5h-2h from the moment the student comes to the moment they finish. And I feel that I have no enough time to do a proper course so instead I have to rush everything... So it's me that I am slow or it is not enough time to do a proper course?

Thank you! (And sorry for my english!)

 

[guille.corleone]

Oh! i am talking at PADI course

 

[JackD342]

2 hours or less to do ALL 5 pool modules, not for EACH module?
No effing way.

If I have 2-3 relatively decent students that do well, but not always immediately, no DM for help, we are probably talking at least 8 hours.

 

[flyboy08]

Welcome Guille.

 

[dcg69]

Hi Guille,

it's not you being slow, don't worry.
For a small class ( 1-2 students ) I plan by default 5 sessions of 1.5 hours. Good students can finish in 4, a few of them need some additional time.
Having students master all skills, skin diving skills, 10m float, 300m snorkel swim and mini-dive in 2 hrs is obviously not possible.
At the first lesson it may take 30 min just before hitting the water ( assembling the kit, the weight belt, etc. etc )
Your dive center is clearly asking you to cut corners and to violate all PADI standard, I would not be happy with them.

For comparison, I would plan 1.5 hrs for the skill circuit of my Instructor candidates in the IDC...

Cheers,
Carmelo ( PADI IDC Staff Instructor )

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Confined water time is critical. I feel that students learn to dive in confined water and you confirm it in open water.

The question you could ask (which will probably get you fired is): "what standards do you wish me to violate? What skills should I disregard all together?"

I will say that the fastest way I've run a course is by focusing on neutral buoyancy and trim from the beginning of CW1. Getting students comfortable with being still and floating in the water, rising and falling with each breath, makes all the rest of the skills go much faster. And you can do this without violating PADI standards (former IDC Staff Instructor who discussed this at length with HQ)

 

[Edward3c]

I know you said PADI, but elementary training is pretty similar no matter the agency.

BSAC have 5 sheltered water lessons. Each one is a minimum of one hour - competence is our top criteria.

 

[guille.corleone]

Thank you all!
All of you are saying my thoughts.

And as "wetb4igetinthewater" said my focus in the buoyancy. I guess that a resort is a factory of divers, in fact the students normally stay one week, this means 3-4 days for the course.

Again Thank you all and I will do my best knowing that my time is short.

 

[JackD342]

Thank you all!
All of you are saying my thoughts.

And as "wetb4igetinthewater" said my focus in the buoyancy. I guess that a resort is a factory of divers, in fact the students normally stay one week, this means 3-4 days for the course.

Again Thank you all and I will do my best knowing that my time is short.

Can you clarify your original question? Are you describing multiple sessions each lasting 1.5-2 hours, or are you saying EVERYTHING needs to be done in a single session of that length? If multiple, then we also need to know how many to answer.

 

[guille.corleone]

Can you clarify your original question? Are you describing multiple sessions each lasting 1.5-2 hours, or are you saying EVERYTHING needs to be done in a single session of that length? If multiple, then we also need to know how many to answer.

2h for ALL 5 sessions with 1 or 2 students...