b1gcountry:I believe the PADI instructor manual limits the number of dives OW students can make in one day. In the latest course standards section, it states that no more than two OW training dives may be made in one day.
It was upped to three some years back and they even made provisions for what they call excursion dives...extra dives for just touring that don't count as training dives. Check your standards again.
First off, in a pool, there really is no midwater. In an 8' pool, you are either on the surface of on the bottom. You can't clear a mask well straight horizontal, your mask has to be about vertical.
When I read this, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. 3 ft of depth is plenty of room to hover and do mask R&R.
You do not need to looking straight up but I think I addressed that in an earlier post.
Buoyancy control is HARD. Expecting beginner students to be able to do this right away is setting them up for failure.
Ever try it? My experience is just the oposite. Buoyancy control is only hard for the student when they aren't taught the mechanics and techniques they need in order to get trimmed. Students don't usually get very good at buoyancy control in OW classes because the class is conducted while kneeling. There isn't anything about kneeling that will develope buoyancy control.
There are a lot of mechanics to doing these skills, and they need to know them before they can perfect a skill. Doing them in easy conditions first lets students gain confidence and prepare for doing it under more stressful conditions midwater.
When they first get in the pool they won't be able to avoid the bottom, however, if you demonstrate everything horizontal and midwater and have them remain horizontal (even if they are touching the bottom, you'll find that they'll get midwater much sooner. Many even just see it and do it with very little instruction required.
I don't agree. I won't even take divers to OW until they have a pretty good handle on buoyancy control (doing skills midwater).An OW class does not make you a good diver. Period. Call your ideal class what you may, but even after their first four dives, your students will have less than ideal buoyancy control and comfort level in the water than someone who has been diving for a while.
Are some classes better than others? Yes, definitely. Is a more intense, more in-depth course beneficial? Defintely, it would make students better divers.
I wouldn't call the class I taught "intense". It was thorough but that made everything easier.
Would most students still choose the easy one weekend courses? By far! People wanting to learn are generally doing it in their spare time, and there just isn't a lot of that for most people.
Lots of shops only spend about 5 hours in the pool. I found that with most class I was happy with the results if we spent about 15 hours in confined water. With what we taught in the classroom and 15 hours of confined water our OW students were good...diving midwater the whole way. The four OW dives were a blast except they were always asking why all those other divers were all over the bottom. LOL
Splitting up instruction into multiple classes gives students more flexibility in scheduling, in changing instructors, or in dropping the sport altogether if they didn't enjoy it. The main problem I have with the courses being offered is in the advanced classes. You really don't learn anything of value in your AOW class if you teach it to the minimum requirements.
Well, yes. Unfortunately, the skills and theory that isn't taught in entry level courses often isn't in any of the other courses either.