Teaching nothing

[BoltSnap]

I'm placing this is basic scuba instead of instructor-to-instructor for the reason that I'd like feedback from divers of all levels, from not even certified yet to experienced instructors. This absolutely belongs here in basic scuba as we are talking about open water courses, and there is nothing more basic than that.

Now I do take open water instruction seriously, but still make sure it is fun, and convey concepts in a way that students will remember them.

In my opinion, the most important thing a diver must be able to do is to remain motionless at a fairly constant depth (depending on the length of their breath cycle, they will ascend and descend slightly). But when you really think about it, it is important for a student to do what exactly? That's right! Nothing!


It is my job to first weight my students properly, which as I have said many times includes weight distribution so that the student can float horizontal effortlessly with little change in depth. Second, it is my job to teach my students how to do this (and I'm in the process of ways to improve that).

For students that saw Seinfeld when it aired (US, Gen X and later), I think they'll remember this. What about the idea of doing nothing as to understand what buoyancy control is all about?

Why is that important? What benefit is there for the diver from being able to remain motionless at any depth? How does it directly affect their safety or enjoyment of the dive? Why does it have to be this exact? As long as the diver can/knows how to control their buoyancy and doesn't crash into the coral or other things u/w and can go up or down when they want/need to, why does it matter to be so precise/exact? What evidence do you have to buttress your argument/thesis here?

Inquirer minds want to know

 

[KatieMac]

I actually never have carried extra weight to give the student, and I have never needed to

I've never been with an instructor who didn't carry extra weight. I've seen perfectly weighted newbies lose complete control when they get too anxious and can't get their mental center back. Proper weighting is a start but things can go awry for any number of reasons.

Depending on who I'm diving with I might add a few pounds "just in case".

Being slightly underweighted is worse than being overweighted as having students struggle to not cork is bad

Of course. But if you ever had to give off weight - and since you don't carry extra weight - YOU would be underweighted. I have been in this situation myself after giving weight to someone struggling. I managed. I expect you can too. But you didn't do it by doing nothing.

Comfort in the water is a foundation of "doing nothing", as is proper weighting.

Proper weighting isn't everything either. Being able to hold position in the water comes from many things beyond just proper weighting. I can switch from a wet 3mm in one dive to a dry 5mm in the next without changing the weight in my bcd and still control my position.

Can you teach your students that? You didn't trivialize. I just feel the duck is a much better analogy because it takes something to look like you are doing nothing

 

[MichaelMc]

Next thing he does is goes on another vacation, rents his gear and get's stuck with a crappy bcd and a 2 kg overweighted belt because he's a new diver and that dive op will treat him like a new diver. Congratulations ladies and gentleman, now he's frustrated and uncomfortable.

Yes but they likely then know the source of the frustration is the bad setup from the dive shop, not the diving itself. And they likely know how to fix it, redistributing their weights.

 

[MichaelMc]

Maybe being able to be still is a better thought. Things go into being still, but it is not some frantic duck paddling under the surface. It is setting up the weights properly and slowing down your extraneous movements in the water. A smooth skater on ice vs one who never found their balance and flails all over the place.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Ok, since I already wrote what i think in the locked thread, here's a reason why.
When you get a student who never dove before, you put him in a wing, put up trim weights and get him 100% properly adjusted, train him how to stay trim and still (which you won't in 5 days, or 10 but never mind that) you just made a trim and streamlined owd diver. Congrats.

But I have done this in as little as 2 evening 3-hour sessions in the pool, and 4 open water dives over 2 days. And I'm not the only one. But please don't say it isn't possible. I'm not trying to be argumentative here, but it was other instructors who taught me how to do this. I have invented nothing. I'm more looking at ideas to get the concept across that may be helpful.

Next thing he does is goes on another vacation, rents his gear and get's stuck with a crappy bcd and a 2 kg overweighted belt because he's a new diver and that dive op will treat him like a new diver. Congratulations ladies and gentleman, now he's frustrated and uncomfortable.
And still a newb who has no use for being trim in the water, but his graduation dive pictures do look great.

I rarely see weight belts, but integrated weight pockets for BCDs. Now most divers are overweighted by dive crews. I do teach my students to do weight checks at the end of their dives with a nearly empty cylinder (handing off some weight of course) to check.

Now I've dialed in my warm water weight: I just have a SS plate and an STA and that's all I need with a 5 mil wetsuit. I was buddied up with someone from my area who took the class portion of fundies but didn't get the the inwater sessions due to a sudden illness if I remember correctly. Anyway, quite foot heavy as she'd go vertical whenever she stopped finning. Some amount of her energy went to just getting horizontal and the rest propelled her forward. She was incredibly overweighted, so at her safetly stop, I signaled that I was going to remove one of her weight pockets. I grabbed onto her strap, then removed the weight. I signaled her to dump some gas from her wing (she had a Halcyon single tank setup - when she was setting that up, I teased her "Oh, we all know who is the GUE diver here", but I digress). Once she dumped some gas, I let her go, adding a bit of gas in my wing to compensate for the 8 lbs (yes, you read that right) that was in her weight pocket. Back on the boat, we talked and I had the dive guide step in as this was their show. When he saw how much weight she had, his eyes went wide as it was simply way too much. Basically what she had used in her cold water open water class.

Yes but they likely then know the source of the frustration is the bad setup from the dive shop, not the diving itself. And they likely know how to fix it, redistributing their weights.

Exactly. Given how the smiles that my students have at the end with their enjoyment and confidence, they know how to address weighting issues.

 

[Vicko]

I find the idea of having to redistribute weight to enjoy my recreational dive ridiculous and improbable in normal rented dive gear (the one that again, 90% of divers use)

I had some dives where I started with 18kg of weights on my belt and ended it with 6 rocks in my pockets and a co2 headache from all the skip breathing I had to do so I don't shoot up to the surface. The divers I was guiding had fun though.
The thing you guys are preaching have nothing to do with reality.

 

[KatieMac]

Yes but they likely then know the source of the frustration is the bad setup from the dive shop, not the diving itself. And they likely know how to fix it, redistributing their weights.

You prove my point. Weight and setup is not everything. It's a great start. But setting someone up correctly when they can't control their limbs, their breathing or their trigger finger on the inflate button does little.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I think that the point and term about "Doing Nothing" was really meant more to illustrate that an instructor demonstrating neutral buoyancy should appear calm and comfortable and basically doing nothing other than breathing... When I was teaching confined water sessions I would routinely have my DM's cross their legs, fold their arms and hover in the "lotus" position while controlling perfect neutral buoyancy with breath only.... and I very much believe that the "appearance" of them basically doing "nothing" to maintain that neutral position was both intriguing and motivating for the students.

We would of course also demonstrate neutral buoyancy by appearing to do "nothing" in the full horizontal "skydive" position.

 

[MichaelMc]

I find the idea of having to redistribute weight to enjoy my recreational dive ridiculous and improbable in normal rented dive gear (the one that again, 90% of divers use)

And again they likely know the source of the problem, that that gear does not allow the needed adjustment, but they know that some gear does, as they did that in OW. Perhaps the difference is as small as extra weight pockets.

You prove my point. Weight and setup is not everything. It's a great start. But setting someone up correctly when they can't control their limbs, their breathing or their trigger finger on the inflate button does little.

Which goes to the second thing I said: They learn to slow their extraneous movements and just be calm in the water.

 

[KatieMac]

@wetb4igetinthewater
If you want to teach "nothing", you need to teach that it takes a lot of things to do nothing - weight, trim, proper use of equipment, breathing, control of body position, mental state. Did I miss anything?