Should Tech instructors have to teach Rec?

[rjack321]

I read on DIRx that GUE does not, but I can't verify the accuracy of that.

Some GUE-F instructors have no other teaching credentials. Its not common though. And I don't think any of them are (yet) teaching Tech1 or Cave1. Some may teach rec-triox but I don't think so. Whether they will retroactively be teaching the "new" GUE OW course I don't know. I suspect that might be a new ITC.

 

[Flightlead]

Thought this would be an interesting debate to kick the week off!

Do you feel that tech diving instructors should be required to teach recreational diving to become a tech diving instructor, and do you feel that they should have to continue teaching recreational courses after they start teaching tech?

OR do you think that the instruction is so different in tech diving that it really doesn't matter?

I'd like to hear from students and instructors alike.

no, but I wish I'd taken rec from a tech instructor. I'd have saved a boat load on gear I don't use anymore

 

[diverbob]

I have a 2003 version of IANTD standards, and it states you can become a tech instructor without teaching OW.

Although I see the merit in it, I dont think you should have to teach rec to teach tec.

 

[Robert Thompson]

If you go from Divemaster to tech instructor you are going to miss dealing with the issues that new divers typically present. As an instructor you will over time learn to identify your challenged divers and know who to watch more closely. In tech you need to be able to identify these folks long before you get them in decompression. I don't think this is something you will learn by taking an Instructor development course, it takes more time. Yes you should learn alot of that during your divemaster class, but I think they got that down to 3 weeks now or something How would you really feel if you found out your tech instructor had been teaching for 1 month?

 

[ucfdiver]

How would you really feel if you found out your tech instructor had been teaching for 1 month?

I clipped your post because I agree with a most of what you said, so I'll just respond to this part of it.

It's been my experience that some instructors have been teaching for 30 years, and teach old, antiquated information that doesn't take full advantage of technological and procedural advances in diving. You've got to balance experience with reluctance to change.

Now, furthermore, my judgment of an instructor is based on what he/she teaches TODAY. Because a person has no experience teaching, wouldn't cause me to not take a class with them. There's benefits IMO to getting a fresh instructor who's motivated and excited to make the best divers he/she possibly can. Also these divers stand a good chance at being more active in diving, which might allow them to see more new divers on a weekly basis, so they're reminded of what to look out for. There's also benefits to experienced instructors who have been teaching for years though, and I'm not denying that.

Some great instructors lose interest in teaching 10 years into it, and begin to just do it for the money. Asking a student who took the class 10 years ago to give an opinion isn't something I'd do. I know I've seen friends in every field that are excited about a new job and bust their butt for a year or two, and then slowly become lazy and put less effort into it.

All in all, I think the best thing a diver can do is spread his training around to several people, and look for the best instructors based off of reviews of recent students.

 

[Robert Thompson]

You bring up some good points. Now let me also say that just because an instructor has many years of experience doesn't mean he should teach tech. Does he dive tech and for how long? This level of diving requires maintenance of your skills in order to be proficient and safe. If you can't accomplish the skills you teach (i.e. valve drills, bag deployment, propulsion, stage switching,) and look good doing it. How are you going to teach someone else? Also if you don't have alot of experience what are you bringing to the table? You can't just teach from a text book, the real world experience has to be there.

As far as the instructor getting burned out, it happens to every instructor I've known. I like to dive still, but the biggest thrill for me is that I can brag about my students. I really enjoy watching the transformation from single tank No deco divers to fully capable technical divers. That's the product I get to deliver and its a great sense of accomplishment.

 

[mr.rongilbert]

oops see next post (forgot to quote Flight's post)
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[mr.rongilbert]

no, but I wish I'd taken rec from a tech instructor. I'd have saved a boat load on gear I don't use anymore

Haaa! Ditto on that!

 

[Trace Malinowski]

A scuba diving instructor is a teacher of diving just like a kindergarten teacher, a high school teacher or a college professor are teachers of their disciplines. Remember the teachers we had in school who really didn't have passion for their subjects compared to the teachers who had passion? Whatever the scuba class the instructor should have passion. If passion is lacking, the drive to teach well and the attention to detail and ability to motivate students toward excellence will suffer. So, requiring an instructor to teach a course in which he or she isn't really interested would only hurt students.

After 20 years and 6000 dives it can be hard to emphathize with an open water diver who can't deal with water going up his nose in the shallow end of the pool or having to teach the PADI Wheel when you've been teaching ratio deco on the fly. If you are new instructor with minimal requisite dives you might be more understanding and patient or be able to speak of tricks to overcome the problems of the new diver because being new is in your recent memory, but you may lack experience. At PDIC Headquarters we use team teaching to counteract the disparity between the old salts and the young bucks. The older guys can step in with wisdom, additional pointers and information while avoiding the tedium that newer instructors still find challenging and rewarding. It's tribal and it works to the benefit of all.

In many agency standards keeping active also involves assisting in teaching a class. This would be a great time to encourage the technical instructors to sit in on a recreational class and help out by imparting their wisdom and experience while the recreational instructors do the work techies dread and both sides can learn from one another. The recreational instructors can add to their skill and knowledge base and the technical instructors can meet prospective students, see new recreational gear at work in the water, find renewed stimulus and the reminders that diving was once seen as purely fun with wonders to explore and get a break from ego trips and politics.

I don't think an instructor should have to be a recreational instructor to teach technical diving, but if an agency requires recreational instructor development in order to teach technical diving something can always be gained from the experience.