Question Separate pool equipment for DMs/instructors?

[Tracy]

It's not that it's impossible, but it doesn't seem guaranteed they'd have enough kit for a large class as well as instructor and DM. The two courses I've DM'd for so far with this shop had 6 and 8 students and when I went digging for a rental BCD my size (large) there were none to be found. I think they do have around 8 larges, but 6 of the students were wearing larges. I'm not sure where the other 2 might have been. Realistically, I could probably get a hold of a rental from the shop if I tried a little harder.

When I help teach at a different club, they have all their equipment right at the pool and I do use that stuff. They're jacket style BCDs and I don't like them much, so I wondered just how badly the pool chemicals would affect my back inflate BCD and if it may be worth keeping an eye out for a cheap back inflate BCD or jacket I liked to extend the life of my "main" gear which I'd use in the ocean.

You can do whatever you want, it is your money. The pool chlorine will have negative effects on any gear you bring into it. That said, the average time that active divers are in the sport is 6 years. From OW to instructor and out in 6 years. So shortening the lifespan by half of geat that would normally last 10-15 years still means on average it will be just fine even using it in a pool.

 

[rverma]

You can do whatever you want, it is your money. The pool chlorine will have negative effects on any gear you bring into it. That said, the average time that active divers are in the sport is 6 years. From OW to instructor and out in 6 years. So shortening the lifespan by half of geat that would normally last 10-15 years still means on average it will be just fine even using it in a pool.

Excellent point - thanks for putting that into perspective!

 

[SlugLife]

It probably varies from shop to shop, but I suspect most shops would allow you to use their rental gear, the same gear they give their Open Water students. An advantage of using the same gear, is it's less likely to confuse or distract the students.

Do you recommend acquiring a second set of pool specific equipment, or just a cheaper "throwaway" pool BCD?

If I couldn't use shop-gear for an open water (intro) course or refresher, I'd be concerned the shop was too cheap. More advanced courses may of course require gear that is not normally available for rentals. The shop obviously needs enough rental-gear for students, so what is one additional set?

That said, an advantage of having your own, is you don't have to adjust it, it's always available, you don't have to worry about fit, and you know how well it was (or wasn't) maintained.

I don't understand working for free, but if that is what you want to do, enjoy.
If I'm not making money teaching, then I would much rather be fun diving.
Teaching is work. Even if you enjoy it, it is still work and should be compensated.

100% this. The shop, dive-boat, or other business will be making money off of students one way or another. Even when a business does something "at cost" they usually do that to drive other business.

A couple months ago, I had to listen to a rant by a LDS owner about how he supposedly makes no money off of tank-service including fills, inspections, tumbling, etc. I get some of those things are probably not that profitable, however I know he was lying about VIPs, because I've been trained on that, and on most tanks that's practically printing money, especially when done in bulk and at the prices he was charging.

it may be worth keeping an eye out for a cheap back inflate BCD

You could always grab something off the used market.

 

[Bowers]

Definitely want a separate set weather it’s yours or the shops. You will see significant color fade in the first season and things begin deteriorating after that.
That being said, you can extend the life of your pool gear by watering yourself down with fresh water BEFORE you get in the pool. Fully soaked material doesn’t try so hard to absorb chlorinated water and is easier to rinse afterward as well.

 

[Divedoggie]

I own a shop and have to replace suits, booties, and BCD’s more frequently than I would like.
When customers purchase new equipment, we suggest that they try it and do final adjustments in the pool, then rinse it and keep it out of the pool thereafter.

Chlorine will fairly quickly be the demise of any neoprene product. The material becomes brittle and starts ripping after a year or so of pool Use. Use a wetsuit and boots that are dedicated to pool use.
If you rinse your Reg properly after each use, the pool water should have no effect on it.
The BC or Wing will bleach and eventually weaken from chlorine.
I’ve had no issues with masks after thousands of hours in pools.
Fins will bleach a bit, but that is just cosmetic.

I use pool dedicated BP&W, boots and Wetsuit. Wing has to be replaced every few years. Boots and Suit get replaced every year.

 

[Subcooled]

we were getting cold at the end of a 4 hour session.

Four hours in a pool? Wow, that's epic! I've only seen 2 hours max.
It wasn't a full time job, though.

 

[boulderjohn]

Four hours in a pool? Wow, that's epic! I've only seen 2 hours max.
It wasn't a full time job, though.

We scheduled a class for two 4-hour sessions. The first day would start with the swim tests and go though the first couple CW dives. We had a short break in the middle. Students would be very tired at the end of that day. The second day would finish off the rest of the CW dives.

When I see people post that they finish all the CE work in 2-3 hours, I simply cannot believe it.

 

[mrmckaye]

When I was teaching I just used the shop gear for pool. The chlorine is going to be most damaging to the BCD fabric and your wetsuit. It should have minimal impact on a regularly serviced reg. I think it also helps to teach using the same equipment that the students are using rather than my much more complex kit.

 

[USdiver1]

I have dedicated pool gear for teaching. I source my gear from rental equipment used at the shop where I teach. By doing so I kill two birds with one stone: I have gear that the shop sells and I have picked up at a great price, used teaching gear from the rental fleet. While the regulators are generally 'entry level' rather then premium, they work fine and I keep them in good repair. I rebuild each regulator every 18 - 20 months as chlorine is tough on gear. My BCDs usually fade away kind of quickly and the Velcro dies a painful and public death. I've given up on booties for pool work. I just use closed heal fins. I agree that using the same or similar gear to what the students have helps with teaching.

Rinse, rinse, and rinse your pool gear. Tap water is your friend.

 

[Dann-Oh]

I use my personal gear in the pool sessions. The shop I'm affiliated with allows 1 gear overhaul on them per year. So I get to use the gear I like and the shop incurs the maintenance costs. When my wetsuit degrades enough it will become my pool wetsuit and Ill get a new one but I don't see that happening anytime soon as I mostly dive dry these days.