I could post this in the tech diving section but then I think it might be missed by those who are considering venturing into this disciplined area of diving and by those who just want to go diving in general.
KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT AND HOW TO USE IT, DEVELOP AWARENESS and PRACTICE YOUR BASIC SKILLS
Given a situation that occurred this past weekend I thought it best to review some historical notes on other divers having the same level of experience and training (at least on paper). These notes I am referring to are of diver's who did not receive their certification for the training they set out to complete, at least not by this instructor.
The failure of these students to reach their objective was in part more or less a result of a few things:
1. They did not know their equipment and how to best use it;
2. Their skill was not where it should have been prior to starting the training
3. Their Awareness level was lacking
4. Their abilities to handle multiple tasks or prioritize tasks was limited
Granted we do have to start somewhere, but a diver who is thinking of advancing on into a more advanced level should make certain that they have achieved a comprehensive understanding and skill set before making that move. Entry level technical courses are designed to develop the diver so that should they decide to advance further they will have the foundational skill set to do so (provided they practice). When and if you decide to advance your diving skills/knowledge be that by taking a AOW class, a rescue course or even a cavern class or an Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures class One of the first things you should do is qualify yourself by determining if YOU think YOU are ready to take the class or not, Weigh the opinions of your dive buddies carefully. I had one student that was repeatedly told by his buddies that he would breeze through a cavern class with no problem. When he took the class he realized that his buddies needed to improve their diving skills and that he was no where ready for this course based on the observations of a few cave instructors. Another student taking a Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures class, considered to be a entry level tech class failed because in the short period of doing six dives it was not enough time to realize the new equipment he was wearing and when task loaded failing to know and understand his equipment and the requirement to maintain the basic skills was just simply too much to handle and thus was not safe. A third diver felt that by coming to me they could circumvent their previous instructor's warnings and wanting to take a AOW class with me so that he could get the card and do the dives where it was required to be AOW. My first statement to him is I'm not about the card I am about the training. I asked him what it was his previous instructor warned him about? He answered that the other instructor told him to go out and practice some first. When I saw him in the water I told him straight up that he was not ready for AOW and that in my (subjective) opinion he should not have passed OW, Our class ended right there. A month later I see him and he shows me his AOW card signed off by yet another instructor, Was his skill any better? Sadly no
I could list many examples ranging from divers subject to peer pressure, not knowing their equipment, arrogant and unsafe attitude, to just lacking the basic skill set but I would rather just simply pass on these few points of guidance to those divers thinking of taking more advanced levels of diving.
-Judge yourself and be truthful
-Weigh your buddies opinions carefully, they may not be any better of a diver than you are. A truly experienced buddy who not knowing how to conduct certain more advanced types of diving usually will not mislead you
-Practice you basic skills set on each and every dive, what else do you have to do at a safety stop
- Ask a instructor, one that you have confidence in, what you should be looking at before taking that more advanced class, listen to what they say and ask them for illustrative examples
-Watch how other divers move and react underwater. A diver can talk smack on this surface all they want. Its all for not if they can't dive up to their believed abilities
-Prepare and know your equipment, Learn your equipment, it's function and capabilities, work with it and practice using it in all capacities. Even if you have little guidance to go by the time you take to understand your equipment and how to use it will never be wasted. A good instructor when he/she meets you will tweak you in the right direction and fine tune your performance when using it. Work with new equipment in a known environment, one that is usually shallow so you can get out and make needed adjustments
-read and learn books on the topic of choice then put that into practice
Hey good luck get out there and dive and have fun
