Streamlining Training

[The Chairman]

Yet, most people dom't want to be a Navy diver. They want to know "just enough".to have fun. Good for them.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Yet, most people dom't want to be a Navy diver. They want to know "just enough".to have fun. Good for them.

... or you can have fun in the Navy ...



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[The Chairman]

What was I thinking?

 

[fire_diver]

Yet, most people dom't want to be a Navy diver. They want to know "just enough".to have fun. Good for them.

Yet sadly, "just enough" is also the right amount to get seriously hurt or killed when things suddenly go from ideal to crap.

 

[The Chairman]

There is no evidence to support that contention. Peoe should learn and stick to their limits.

 

[scubafanatic]

Of course some of the "old guard" are still diving 50 years later. The question is how many of the the new guard who go no further than OW or possibly AOW will still be diving 50 years hence.

I'll venture a guess that, in way less than 50 years from now, given the catastrophic decline in the health/life of earth's oceans, scuba won't exist as a sport anyway.

 

[fire_diver]

There is no evidence to support that contention. Peoe should learn and stick to their limits.

People can dive within thier limits and still run into trouble.

If a diver is minimally trained, how are they going to react when....

Thier reg begins a violent free-flow?

Someone kicks thier mask off thier head?

They get attacked by an OOA diver?

They get vertigo?

Training a diver to handle minor problems can be the differance between life and death. Most diver deaths are because they didn't know how to handle a small problem, which led to many other small problems, which became one big FUBAR situation.

 

[fire_diver]

I'll venture a guess that, in way less than 50 years from now, given the catastrophic decline in the health/life of earth's oceans, scuba won't exist as a sport anyway.

If there is water, there will be divers. Just go to a quarry or lake on the weekend if you don't believe me.

 

[scubafanatic]

The path to instructor does need to change. Too many 90 day (or less) wonders. Too many people with outdated teaching skills teaching. But this is about OW.

I like the shift to e-learning. It works and can give the instructor more time in the pool or in OW. However, the biggest change needed in the industry is a price overhaul. The current pricing system was based on being almost a loss leader so that profit could be made on gear sales. Let's double or triple the cost of a basic class so that Instructors can teach smaller classes and not feel the need to cut corners in order to be able to live. The current list of skills as outlined by the RSTC is fine, but the teaching environment is failed due to the number of people needed in each class to make this work. Course length needs to be at the discretion of the instructor,

Man, I so agree with you on upping the price of training with smaller classes, more in-depth material, but given the age in which we live, I can't conceive of this happening....our society's whole mantra is 'cut corner's/costs' and present a lowball bid up front to get business (cheap intro classes that consumer's don't know are cheap for a reason!), once consumer's bite the hook, THEN surprise them with the whole life-support gear is supposed to be expensive mantra (ripping off consumers on the back-end of the transaction.)

 

[scubafanatic]

If there is water, there will be divers. Just go to a quarry or lake on the weekend if you don't believe me.

I rather doubt many people are attracted to diving for the whole quarry/lake scene, and I rarely see any promotional materials/DVDs/T.V. shows/etc. extolling the virtues of such locations. The diving industry will be a tiny fraction of it's former self, any way you slice it.