So what is NOT covered in open water cert that should be?

[SparticleBrane]

Sounds like there's so much information that should be covered in an OW course that it would almost be a university class.
Oh...wait.

 

[drrich2]

My wife, friend & I got our open water certification back in or near April '06. Due to our upcoming honeymoon in the Carribean in April, we wanted to certify in winter; we were new to scuba & the instructor I found via online searching about 1.5 hours away. He was supportive and we were welcome to come whenever he was teaching pool dives, etc..., for extra time at the civic center pool, but the 3 of us have jobs and coordinating things at a distance was a hassle.

The open water certification enabled the 3 of us to do dives at 2 local quarries (one under a mile from me!); we needed C cards to use the quarries. That let us do some dives where we hopefully built up some skill.

I viewed the OW certification as necessary to give us some latittude to work on basic diving skills on our own pace and schedule, while exercising due caution. A lot like when I got my first driver's license.

Richard.

P.S.: I do wish they'd introduced Nitrox.

 

[tonka97]

...a stuck inflator was not covered PERIOD----EVER---NOT ONCE---NOT TALKED ABOUT----NOT PRACTICED IN THE POOL---NOT DONE IN OPEN WATER. I did not retain it, because I was not taught about such and event...

Same for my training, Leah.

My OW training did not (but should have) included : control of tank valve IN the water (turning it on), ditching weights (letting them actually fall), and effective protection of ear drums.

40% of my OW class experienced significant eardrum damage, including rupture, in the 3 years following the class.

Happy Holidays!

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

I know agencies can't cover everything in OW and in class some things can and will be left out due to the instructor.

With that being said, I wish at least in the written book I got that there was a little more info on in water emergencies and safety like dealing with a stuck inflator hose or getting entangled etc. I also wished that there had been an explanation about how to figure proper weighting---I leared how to do that on here. I was really over weighted in class and continued to dive that way for a while. Now that someone was kind enough to tell me how to figure it out, I will be doing that next time I go out diving. My instruction on that was, yeah you are a bit over weighted, you will figure out later on that you don't need so much. I can live with that explanation even though not the best. As far as dealing with in water emergencies, I read all the time about simple things going wrong and I wonder if they were ever taught about them or if it was even ever bought up. I did hear a lot in my training about how very very very safe it is to dive. And to a point I agree---if you have and follow good training it is very safe.

I doubt that most of the folks in my class will ever dive again. I have bumped into a few of them and that seems to be the plan. So for many getting certified is just a nice experience and that is the end of that.

 

[divemaster_jim]

I'd like to see more time given to gas planning and bouyancy control.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Leah, you really got ripped off! If all the things you mention were really not covered, then either the instructor didn't do his job or the agency has substandard standards. Checking for neutral buoyancy is standard. In fact, I do it twice each dive, once before the dive and once at the end.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Leah, you really got ripped off! If all the things you mention were really not covered, then either the instructor didn't do his job or the agency has substandard standards. Checking for neutral buoyancy is standard. In fact, I do it twice each dive, once before the dive and once at the end.

Yep, SDI sets itself up as the way of the future and says it is unique in that it teaches the use of computers to entry level divers. Tables are mentioned, but you are really taught to rely on the computer. I think we did two or three first dive repetitive problems and I don't recall any repeat dive table problems--just look at your computer, it will tell you when you can get back in.

We talked about netral buoyancy and did fin pivots, and so on. I feel that the instructor did an ok job with that and that I had the information to go out and improve after class.

I guess it is really the safety aspect that has me scratching my head a bit.

 

[tonka97]

The overweighting in my OW class was a glaring error, and resulted in the usual yo-yo-ing when we did OW certification dives, and probably injured eardrums and eustachian tubes.

I was overweighted in my OW class by 100% and didn't enjoy diving until a PADI instructor in my AOW smiled knowingly as he pulled lead off of me. What a difference 12 lbs to 6lbs. No more buoyancy issues!!

EVERY diver should feel comfortable turning their air ON if they enter water with valve off. I mean it's life support!! I have read at least one experienced technical diver who splashed with air valve off, and he sank to the bottom/drowned. There is no reason for this to happen!

 

[Walter]

Overweighting is a very common problem in OW classes. I know of no agency whose standards encourage this.

 

[SparticleBrane]

The agencies don't but the idiot instructors do.
"Here, have 35 pounds, it'll keep you on the bottom."