Since when did DM's and instructors become experts of everything.

[grouchyturtle]

FYI - This is the thread that kind of spawned this one, in case anyone is interested.

 

[Thalassamania]

No offense to the pros out there, but does being an instructor really certify you as an expert of anything other than teaching people how to dive?...

The latest. There's an ad on here looking for people to write for a website, but you have to be a DM or instructor. WHY? Now being a DM makes you a writer and journalist.

These days most new instructors don't even get that, they do not know how to outline and develop a course, write a lecture, present a lecture, develop training aids, etc. About all that today's instructor has to learn how to do is to administer knowledge reviews and supervise students who are receiving a tightly controlled and restricted suite of in water skills. Experts ... hell no.

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However, instructors are trained how to communicate information...and are more accountable for ensuring safe diving practices are upheld....

From what I have seen, few if any new dive instructors have any idea of how to communicate information. Those who do are the ones who came into the ITC with that sort of training or skill to begin with.

Sure a tech diver with lots of experience is almost certainly a better tech diver. But would that tech diver be better at teaching a bunch of rookies how to clear their masks than an instructor with 100 recreational dives? It is quite possible that a diver of limited experience would be a superb instructor of elementary skills. Teaching people how to learn elementary skills is a whole different skill than being expert at something.

It is possible, but rather unlikely. It is possible, given the right attributes, knowledge and skills on the part of both the candidate and the CD, to teach a relatively inexperienced individual to be a "superb instructor of elementary skills." But such candidates are almost are rare as such CDs.

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Needing a dedicated buoyancy class is evidence that the initial instructor didn't do his job in the entry level class.

That about says it all.

TSandM - Great point! Expert in something, even a pro, doesn't necessarily mean you'll be good at teaching it. Perfect example: How hall of fame professional athletes turn out to be horrible coaches.

PatW - I think you're missing the point. You're talking about basic scuba skills. I'm talking about specialties where a lot the skills aren't even really scuba related.

Coaching and teaching are oft not the same thing.

IF DONE PROPERLY even the "boat diving specialty" can present the student with a lot of good information that he could get elsewhere but not in such a concentrated format. Within the PADI system, I think all of the "specialties" can be useful -- but they do require an instructor who has thought about what should be taught and not just turned on whatever electronic outline is there.

BTW, I took a DPV course and found it VERY enlightening -- from how to rebuild one's DPV to various methods for airsharing while scootering to understanding scooter dive planning. Again, IF DONE PROPERLY, any "specialty" can add tons of value and knowledge for the student.

Yes.

I saw an ad from an online retailer who had prominently displayed "All of our regulators are assembled by instructors" I chuckled to myself. I don't want my life support apparatus assembled by some idiot dive instructor. I'd rather take it to my mechanic.

I had exactly the same response.