I feel I am an inexperienced diver as well, no matter how many people tell me my skills have improved or how natural I look. (I figure they'e calling me a whale or a manatee)
My friend Gibbon looks like a merman when he casually freedives for a minute or more to thirty feet. When I get in the water, I am constantly thinking of my skills. Then again I'm still paranoid of not having much practice even though I've been certed since 01.
I feel that you only become better by practice. My instructor had the luxury of only having myself and my dive buddy as students in our private class, so we had concentrated instruction. The skills I was absolutely terrified to do then, r&r/clearing of mask and breathing without a mask on, I can do somewhat comfortably now. I want as much practice time as I can get even if it's doing so in three feet of water in a pool. I just don't have that luxury. I also agree with Andy that as liability goes (and he should know) today's world is not as honorable as it used to be. Now, even if there is no liability, an unscrupulous person can create the liability and somebody else loses everything! As a rangemaster in Law Enforcement, I was responsible for the actions of anyone on the range, even if tey weren't in my area. You suddenly become VERY aware of ignorant (lack of knowledge/uneducated) people, and stupid(careless/reckelsss in the face of knowledge) people. There is not much worse on a range than to see a twelve year old son of an LEO wlaking arond on state propery shooting birds with a BB Gun.
There are so many different training agencies, and so much information, it is hard to say what is needed and not needed. That's why we have advanced classes. I don't feel I have a need to learn to exchange gear with a buddy. If something is that wrong, we need to surface. Also, with weight integration, when removing the bcd, people like me tend to pop up like a cork if not weighted down. My buoyancy needs are different from Gibbon's when we dive as well. These are all things to consider. In a pool, there is a false sense of security that develops as well. Ten feet deep in a pool has the same hazards as ten feet deep in a spring for the most part. I will personally inform my dive buddy of skills I will want to practice, either before I do them or before we dive. Dive slates are a wonderful thing. If a Dm invites peole to practice though, he immediately accepts the liability for the group and its actions. If everyone just "shows up to practice" there is an assumed liabilty if everyone knows he is a dm, or any of the divers are previous students. That's one of the hazards of being an instructor. He definitely should not be loaning his gear because it increases the potential. As for the actual practice of skills. I find it better to be alone with my dive buddy and nobody else around. It is more comfortable, and creates a better focus on what we're doing. Anywhere there is a "training" situation, even if it's a veteran diver giving tips to a noob, the liability is present. For me, teach me whatever you want to. Just teach me correctly, please! I would love to be able to dive every day in a class. Practice makes "second nature" not perfect. I applaud you guys for practicing skills at all. Many people drop out of diving for lackof wet time. rock on!
