After having just completed DM and now starting on AI I wanted to share some thoughts about what I've seen fellow travelers on the road to OWSI do. I'll try to keep this thoughtful and not just a bitch-fest but after my final skills session on DM (equipment exchange) and my first classroom session of AI I wanted to throw a couple of observations out there and see what others think.
Without further ado, and in no particular order:
If you are going to be helping other people learn to dive or to dive safely you should be really comfortable in the water and not just proficient at demonstrating skills in ideal environment. This is only my opinion, but if you're not comfortable in the whole range of sea conditions your locale has to offer your probably shouldn't be doing this at a professional level.
It turns out your agency has put some time and effort into putting out instructor manuals, course guides, or similar. If you are teaching for that agency you really need to follow what they say. Don't have to agree with it, don't have to like it, but for reasons such as liability you need to be following your agency's rules. If you think they're that restrictive switch agencies.
Along the same lines you should be familiar enough with the standards so that your students don't know more then you.
Guess what? If you are a dive professional, well, that ought to imply some level of professionalism on your part. Such as showing up on time, wearing the attire your shop requires, being polite to the people paying to dive with you, on the ball with equipment etc. etc. Believe it or not people do not fly thousands of miles and spend hundreds of dollars so that your smelly, stoner ass can forget to pack a reg for them.
If you like diving, dive. If want to teach other people to dive and if you have the ability to do so competently and safely then you should think about becoming a dive pro.
This isn't rocket science. You don't have to be particularly bright to do this. You just have to be safe and follow the standards.
Michael
Without further ado, and in no particular order:
If you are going to be helping other people learn to dive or to dive safely you should be really comfortable in the water and not just proficient at demonstrating skills in ideal environment. This is only my opinion, but if you're not comfortable in the whole range of sea conditions your locale has to offer your probably shouldn't be doing this at a professional level.
It turns out your agency has put some time and effort into putting out instructor manuals, course guides, or similar. If you are teaching for that agency you really need to follow what they say. Don't have to agree with it, don't have to like it, but for reasons such as liability you need to be following your agency's rules. If you think they're that restrictive switch agencies.
Along the same lines you should be familiar enough with the standards so that your students don't know more then you.
Guess what? If you are a dive professional, well, that ought to imply some level of professionalism on your part. Such as showing up on time, wearing the attire your shop requires, being polite to the people paying to dive with you, on the ball with equipment etc. etc. Believe it or not people do not fly thousands of miles and spend hundreds of dollars so that your smelly, stoner ass can forget to pack a reg for them.
If you like diving, dive. If want to teach other people to dive and if you have the ability to do so competently and safely then you should think about becoming a dive pro.
This isn't rocket science. You don't have to be particularly bright to do this. You just have to be safe and follow the standards.
Michael
