Trace -- while this general topic seems to continue to be beaten to death with the same "usual suspects" making the same comments, perhaps, someday, some good might come from one of these threads. OK -- end of whine.
For what it is worth, my thoughts coming from the PADI instructor perspective:
I wouldn't focus on the courses at all because, quite frankly, IF they are taught properly AND TO STANDARDS, the students will come out with good skills (depending on their level). Whether it be "underwater pumpkin carving" -- ok, what skills -- excellent buoyancy control, good kicking technique (including helicopter turns and back kick), manual dexterity in tool use all the while with great situational awareness/buddiness to keep track of your buddy and your own situation while carving a pumpkin. Hey, what's wrong with that? OR the boat specialty -- not only do you learn basic knowledge of a boat (what is the pointy end? and what is that thing called a head (and why would I pee in a HEAD for pete's sake!)) but various ways of egressing/ingressing from a boat (back roll, giant stride, etc.), SMB deployment, problems with square profiles, live boat vs. fixed boat, all available gas plan vs. thirds, and so on. Not bad for a weekend course in my book.
Trace, the problem isn't with the courses (at least in PADI land), where I would put the emphasis on "streamlining" is with the instructor corps. First of all, I would require instructors to have a broader experience range than they now may have -- including honest experience in night diving, deep diving, boat diving, multi-level diving, etc. I would also require all instructors to be trained BEYOND "recreational limits" so that they were teaching below their maximum level of training/experience. (This is in line with GUE's requirement that to teach DIR-F you must be Tech-1 for example.) So all OW instructors (in PADI Land) would have to some minimal Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures training. And since I'm waiving my Magic Wand, I'd require all PADI Instructors to have "mastered" the "Essentials" of Diving as outlined by the UTD Essentials course. This would mean they have excellent buoyancy skills, a whole passel of kicks and on and on.
[Digression - This reminds me very much of 'Enry 'Iggins singing, "Why Can't a Women Be More Like a Man?" when he sings, "Why can't a woman Be like me!?" End of digression.]
Well trained instructors create good students and what we need to "streamline" is the creation of well trained and experienced instructors.
I've said before that what "the old guard" says is a minimum for an OW scuba diver is nuts - especially since the vast majority of people learning to scuba dive are just doing it for the rare tropical experience. They really don't need to know all that "the old guard" thinks is required to dive safely and enjoyably -- but with better instructors at the getgo, those students will have more fun and just may graduate to being something more than the every three year DM following vacation tourist.
"It's the instruction stupid" is the key, NOT the courses.
