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

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Leah - not to be picky - but PADI (and I suspect the other WRSTC Agencies) already teach response to runaway inflators (remove LPI hose) and that divers should carry a cutting tool.

Well Mike, for my part just to be PICKY, I have not had the opportunity to go through PADI, NAUI, SSI or any other training but SDI. And as far as SDI goes only with one instructor. So not having the total universe of diving knowledge at hand to be able to evaluate all agencies and all instructors, I have some questions about where intructors generally cut corners in teaching. I ask the question with the hope of identifing areas where my knowledge may be lacking.

Even agencies that have all inclusive teaching, some--not all, but some instructors are likely to cut corners on things that are not seen as that important. And I suspect that there is some trend into what is left out on a regular basis.

Responses of my cert agency already has it together and I have great training--well I say great for you!!! Hoooray! But how does that help me to become a better diver and help me to identify areas where my training may have lacked???? How does that help to point me in a direction so that I can learn more and become a safer more informed diver?

Becoming a safer diver was the goal of this thread for me. After reading the thread on the run away inflator hose, it got me thinking about what else might have been left out. There were a few others who said in this thread that they had not been taught either.

 

[Bill51]

This is one reason why I love for students to really read the training material and ask questions about anything mentioned that we might fail to cover in class. Am I the only instructor to have gotten sidetracked by a student’s question on one topic in class and accidentally skipped over an item on my classroom checklist? It happens, and the better aware students are of what was in the book, the better they are to help the instructor with their education.

 

[RonFrank]

I got certified through SDI

In my class, my class---I cannot speak for all SDI classes or instructors worldwide, but in my class, 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.

It did not occur to me about how to deal with such an event until I read about it here on scuba board. We talked about and practiced a free flowing regulator, but never inflator hose.

As far as tables go, SDI spends about 5 minutes on them and then says--use and read your computer--it is better and you will be fine. I am currently doing table work on my own and using the free table tutor from Scuba Toys.

OK, so maybe rather than PADI bashing, we should all be VERY thankful we are not using SDI? Seriously, people REALLY bash PADI, but as they teach dive planning using the RDP, and they stress BC failure as well, I can not really fault that training other than to say they just don't get it in the heads of most students.

Leah, I'm so happy you are learning via SB, and IMO it's a great resource for everyone who wants to be better divers! Maybe SB IS the next step in training!

 

[Tigerman]

OK, so maybe rather than PADI bashing, we should all be VERY thankful we are not using SDI? Seriously, people REALLY bash PADI, but as they teach dive planning using the RDP, and they stress BC failure as well, I can not really fault that training other than to say they just don't get it in the heads of most students.

Leah, I'm so happy you are learning via SB, and IMO it's a great resource for everyone who wants to be better divers! Maybe SB IS the next step in training!

Or maybe you should just realize that just like in school, not everything you are taught sticks? If it did, everyone would have 100% on every single test, but thats just not how it goes, is it??

 

[Bay Island Diver]

The first bit of advice is to be more selective in the training agency you choose and the instructor. There is a reason some are much bigger than others and the more resources they have, the more likely a good deal of skilled thought has gone in to their courses. The instructor is the most important thing though. If you needed an operation would you prefer to go to a surgeon who is an accountnt monday to friday and a surgeon at weekends - or a surgeon who is a surgeon full time? The same applies to dive instructors, find one who does it often and for a long time - look for recommendations and ask them about their experience. Ask them a few questions about diving, are they detailoed and clear in their explanations or brusque and impatient? A good teacher is easily identified after a few searching questions. Finally where you learn is important. If you chosse to go somewhere where the conditions are nice you can concentrate more on the skills you are learning and less on the difficult conditions or cold or whatever, more importantly your instructor will find it easier to teach in good conditions. Poor conditions lead to task loading.

In PADI Confined water dive 1 you would have been taught how to remove the BCD inflator hose from the BCD. The purpose of this exercise is exactly for the reason you mention, a stuck inflator. You probably did the exercise without being given a thorough understanding of why you were doing it, without that explanation you are only getting half the value out of the exercise.

During the instructor development course instructors are always taught to explain the reasons for the exercises they make you do, but pure experience in teaching students makes an instructor understand more and more why they are teaching the skills. But that is like anything when you want to learn something it is important to seek out an instructor with as much experience possible, the PADI Open water Course is an extremely well thought through course which taught properly covers everything you need to be safe. Someone suggested gas planning, you should not need to plan your gas consumption if you are staying within your no decompression limits and regularly checking your SPG - both of which you are taught in the open water course.

However I would love to see more bouyancy exercises in it. I think the Peak Performance Bouyancy dive from the Adventures in diving course should be included as dive four of the open water course.

Remember this is an entry level course teaching you to dive in CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO THOSE IN WHICH YOU WERE TAUGHT. I have certified hundreds of students and am always careful to explain to them at the end of the course that they have been learning in the easiest dive conditions they are ever likely to encounter - the Caribbean coast of Honduras, where the average visibility is 60-100ft the water temp 80f and the water almost always calm. That means they are not qualified to now rent a tank in go diving in their local Quarry with 5ft vis! That is what the discover local diving course is for - to teach you the specific shills you need to dive in that area.

If you are wanting to fill gaps in your knowledge those gaps can only be identified by looking at where you learnt and where you want to dive. The differences in the conditions you are likely to encounter are the gaps you need to fill through the discover local diving system. I would also recoommend the adventures in diving program to further increase your knowledge and skills, this flexible modular course allows you to choose the areas of dive skill you specifically want to improve, such as bouyancy or diving at night.

 

[D_B]

I know this does not directly answer the question of what you did not get taught in your OW course, but ... why not get more training Leah and find out? .. the Adventures in Diving course (was/is called AOW by PADI) as Bay Island Diver suggested, is a great way to get more training while exploring different aspects of the diving world that might spark an interest in you .. and I will say as many others have, take the Rescue course too ... best, hardest, most rewarding, most fun thing you will have done

 

[Richesb]

Alot of instructors do teach you to pull dump in that situation. Disconnecting the inflator hose is NOT an option since under pressure many will not uncouple.
Open water cert. is designed to get you into the water so you may "seek your own level".
Safety training never ends as new situations arise daily.

 

[MikeFerrara]

As has been mentioned already, responding to a stuck inflator is required in a PADI course.

One time I had a PADI class out doing their OW dives and a diver (not one of ours) suffered a rapid ascent due to a stuck inflator and was hauled off in an ambulance. Since I always taught this skill, you can imagine my surprise when my students started asking me what one should do if that happened. I taught it, demonstrated it and they each did it but somehow the actual application of it didn't stick. From then on I was careful to emphisize the skill more with the intention of making it stick.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Alot of instructors do teach you to pull dump in that situation. Disconnecting the inflator hose is NOT an option since under pressure many will not uncouple.
Open water cert. is designed to get you into the water so you may "seek your own level".
Safety training never ends as new situations arise daily.

I've never seen an instructor teach to pull the dump in that situation. The inflator hose connection can be easily uncoupled under pressure. Metal to metal is not affected by pressure.

OW cert is designed to get you into the water in a safe manner. New situations do arise, but training should be designed so that you are prepared to handle them.

 

[redrover]

I thought I’d let this thread run a while before looking but another sent me over, and gee, I think a lot of you guys got screwed. So far at least, almost everything people feel aren’t taught were taught to me in a couple of several hour wonders for exactly $200 bucks.

There is a lot to learn, basic like the original post provoking situation and more specific for condition. I’d have had a hard time getting into Dry Suits for example when I may never even see one. Knowing they existed, as well as *insert inflammatory trigger item of gear of choice* was enough, I could and did look into it later. The specialties are that, particular situations with their own needs. My class was on boat dives and they covered boat diving well. If I wanted to know more about shore diving than the class taught I could get instruction for it, made sense to me.

I was satisfied to learn about the gas I was going to be using and the knowledge there were other gasses in use to be explored if my interests led to X, Y,…. Gas management was rudimentary but the principal was presented. Yes, NWGratefulDiver, what reefraff said is just some of what was impressed upon me.

I thought it was important for me to know if I was to dive at altitude there were considerations I would need to learn about beforehand. Same with Cold water, Deep Diving, decompression, rebreather etc. I don’t recall any mention of Hard Hat diving though.

I had to go thru several ways to do things like equalizing or adjusting buoyancy – every one whether the first suggestion worked fine for me or not and I welcomed knowing as many options they were willing to share. I’ve never understood the references to a bunch of students kneeling in the sand bored out their skulls. I just entertained myself by checking out all the ways and find one that liked me.

I’m glad I could concentrate on, what I now agree some time after BOW, are the basics, as I was taught and required to demonstrate understanding and adequate proficiency. Clearly I was expected to further refine the skills and continue to seek additional education.

Did anyone ask about the things they missed? Like; uh, excuse me, this thing puts air in right? So what happens if it doesn’t quit? I’m having trouble equalizing, is there some other way to do it? Does every one complaining think its rude or something to ask questions or think for them selves?

The one thing I wish was dealt with more was computers. Somehow I did manage to figure out how to work it by myself but it took a while to just figure out what it was going to do. I asked during class but told to deal with the tables first, gotta have a back up.

I had come away from my class with the opinion I had received adequate instruction, not outstanding or poor. After reading many of these claims and tales of woe, I’m really beginning to wonder. I came away with a lot of options, avenues, variety of perspectives and directions I could take this rudimentary beginning to.