Scuba
Contributor
(Last Yes should be No, Mod. please change if possible)
A diver straight out of OW is going to have a handful number of dives and hours experience underwater with skills to match. Some will have better or worse skills than others. They are all in need of more dive experience, in order to acquire the practice and knowledge that enables one to achieve an adequate level of skills competence. An experience level which extends general knowledge, acclimation to a new environment, greater control over skills, gear, underwater situations, in essence, greater comfort and confidence to deal with common and unexpected issues. All of which translate into greater safety. A critical step in a sound learning process which consists of sequential progressive steps.
If this step, in which a diver gains fundamental dive skills in a relatively safe shallow underwater environment is missed, the diver will face a greater risk and danger upon exposure to the greater challenge and complexity of a deep dive. Even when this substantive learning step is not skipped, a deep dive presents a challenge to the diver expanding his limits beyond fundamental skills, into better dive management, a greater understanding of the underwater environment, self awareness, and general underwate problem resolution issues. Skipping this step is a premature and unnecessary exposure to risk. It is not only a question of whether or not this step can be skipped or moved to a higher risk environment with an acceptable success rate, but also whether it is prudent to do so in the interest of imparting good safe diving practice norms on new divers. Therefore, my answer is No.
In some cases a new diver will, by choice or lack thereof, choose to dive in an environment were he will, planned or not, go significantly deeper than OW limits. Sometimes this will happen on a vacation guided dive. The argument can be made that in these cases, it is better to gain first exposure and experience to depth under professional supervision in a class. Yet, these scenarios are mostly avoidable without great inconvenience for the majority, and to be discouraged from a safety perspective by those promoting diver safety through training and safe practice. This can be done by imparting a thorough understanding and setting the example.
To accept this greater risk will likely be the choice of a minority when relevant subject information (risk analysis and consequences) is presented in a thorough, clear and objective manner. Meeting the needs of this minority is certainly not a case for promoting these dives to the general new inexperienced OW diver population. Neither is using the vacation dive operator realities in some cases, who entice divers by touting their training agency affiliations, while violating agency standards and recommendations.
Advanced Diver courses claim to provide the student with additional experience and exposure to different dive environments. Without mention of the unnecessary higher risks and challenges a diver will face when confronted and challenged by some of these different environments, before he has gained the competency necessary to manage and reduce the risks of a less challenging environment. An individual who is very likely to lack the requisite knowledge necessary to make an informed assessment is given the option and asked to make the decision, or worse yet, is manipulated and encouraged into it by those who should have the knowledge and ability to make a sound judgment, and thus should know better. Regardless, I look to see anyone make a case against there not being higher risk and the necessity to accept it at this stage of dive training.
Experience is best gained slowly, gaining an acceptable degree of competence in a challenge, before exposing oneself to other more challenging environments and tasks. I would include night diving in here too. The time to acclimate and gain experienced is a critical aspect necessary to exert control over risk exposure. Step by step progression keeps it manageable. Skipping steps increases the risks of a dive, and reduces the chance that one will adequately manage them.
I have used the premise that the greater depth at issue in AOW is numerous times riskier compared to the beginning OW depth. Everyone can use their judgment, and debate the issue if desired. I do not address the question of how many dives and hours experience most new divers reach an acceptable level of competency to expand their limits with depth. Everyone is different, but a majority probably fall within a narrow range. Comments?
An Advancing class should include things such as buoyancy control, dive planning, navigation, buddy skills, self sufficiency, computer use, deco theory, etc. This may serve to better retain those who decide OW is not enough, and further encourage those who want to progress to more advance diving - safely, instead of it being another filter that quite possibly serves the purpose of weeding out more divers out of our sport.
So, why Yes or No for you?
What justifies exposure to the greater risk inherent in this deeper dive, before an adequate level of basic skills competence has been acquired in an easier environment, and the violation of an optimum learning sequence progression, in a dangerous activity?
A diver straight out of OW is going to have a handful number of dives and hours experience underwater with skills to match. Some will have better or worse skills than others. They are all in need of more dive experience, in order to acquire the practice and knowledge that enables one to achieve an adequate level of skills competence. An experience level which extends general knowledge, acclimation to a new environment, greater control over skills, gear, underwater situations, in essence, greater comfort and confidence to deal with common and unexpected issues. All of which translate into greater safety. A critical step in a sound learning process which consists of sequential progressive steps.
If this step, in which a diver gains fundamental dive skills in a relatively safe shallow underwater environment is missed, the diver will face a greater risk and danger upon exposure to the greater challenge and complexity of a deep dive. Even when this substantive learning step is not skipped, a deep dive presents a challenge to the diver expanding his limits beyond fundamental skills, into better dive management, a greater understanding of the underwater environment, self awareness, and general underwate problem resolution issues. Skipping this step is a premature and unnecessary exposure to risk. It is not only a question of whether or not this step can be skipped or moved to a higher risk environment with an acceptable success rate, but also whether it is prudent to do so in the interest of imparting good safe diving practice norms on new divers. Therefore, my answer is No.
In some cases a new diver will, by choice or lack thereof, choose to dive in an environment were he will, planned or not, go significantly deeper than OW limits. Sometimes this will happen on a vacation guided dive. The argument can be made that in these cases, it is better to gain first exposure and experience to depth under professional supervision in a class. Yet, these scenarios are mostly avoidable without great inconvenience for the majority, and to be discouraged from a safety perspective by those promoting diver safety through training and safe practice. This can be done by imparting a thorough understanding and setting the example.
To accept this greater risk will likely be the choice of a minority when relevant subject information (risk analysis and consequences) is presented in a thorough, clear and objective manner. Meeting the needs of this minority is certainly not a case for promoting these dives to the general new inexperienced OW diver population. Neither is using the vacation dive operator realities in some cases, who entice divers by touting their training agency affiliations, while violating agency standards and recommendations.
Advanced Diver courses claim to provide the student with additional experience and exposure to different dive environments. Without mention of the unnecessary higher risks and challenges a diver will face when confronted and challenged by some of these different environments, before he has gained the competency necessary to manage and reduce the risks of a less challenging environment. An individual who is very likely to lack the requisite knowledge necessary to make an informed assessment is given the option and asked to make the decision, or worse yet, is manipulated and encouraged into it by those who should have the knowledge and ability to make a sound judgment, and thus should know better. Regardless, I look to see anyone make a case against there not being higher risk and the necessity to accept it at this stage of dive training.
Experience is best gained slowly, gaining an acceptable degree of competence in a challenge, before exposing oneself to other more challenging environments and tasks. I would include night diving in here too. The time to acclimate and gain experienced is a critical aspect necessary to exert control over risk exposure. Step by step progression keeps it manageable. Skipping steps increases the risks of a dive, and reduces the chance that one will adequately manage them.
I have used the premise that the greater depth at issue in AOW is numerous times riskier compared to the beginning OW depth. Everyone can use their judgment, and debate the issue if desired. I do not address the question of how many dives and hours experience most new divers reach an acceptable level of competency to expand their limits with depth. Everyone is different, but a majority probably fall within a narrow range. Comments?
An Advancing class should include things such as buoyancy control, dive planning, navigation, buddy skills, self sufficiency, computer use, deco theory, etc. This may serve to better retain those who decide OW is not enough, and further encourage those who want to progress to more advance diving - safely, instead of it being another filter that quite possibly serves the purpose of weeding out more divers out of our sport.
So, why Yes or No for you?
What justifies exposure to the greater risk inherent in this deeper dive, before an adequate level of basic skills competence has been acquired in an easier environment, and the violation of an optimum learning sequence progression, in a dangerous activity?
