The 20 Skills Broken Down
- Thread starter lishen
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
5. Five Point Descent - (SOSTD)
Barry- I'm trying to incorporate your additions but the "edit" button isnt showing up for the original post. As for the buckles, it was meant to be for those BCDs that have those quick release shoulder straps. I saved it on my word doc though
- Signal to descend
- Orient yourselves to something
- Switch to regulator
- Time (check watch, computer, start timer)
- Descend: Start letting air out, quickly at first until at eye level, then exhale to descend
- Equalize
- Do not crash land!!
- Move into a swimming position as you approach the bottom
- Adjust for neutral buoyancy
Barry- I'm trying to incorporate your additions but the "edit" button isnt showing up for the original post. As for the buckles, it was meant to be for those BCDs that have those quick release shoulder straps. I saved it on my word doc though
OP
6. Remove and Replace Weight System Underwater
- Remove weight belt
- Hold weights close to body
- Hold both ends of the belt in right hand
- Lean back so tank drops away from body
- Pass buckle end to left hand
- Turn on stomach
- Straighten and buckle
- Run hands around waist to make sure nothing is caught
Sorry to be a wet blanket here, but who says these are the ways to do a skill? Just because your shop taught them this way....
A real issue with professional level training is how DMs are introduced to the skills from the OW course. Most instructors only have one way of doing a skill, they teach this skill to the DM candidate, who then goes on to only teach the one way.
If you look at your deep water entry, you've actually given two solutions to meeting the performance requirement - but there are many! Seated entry and forward roll to name just two more. Why must the give the DM the "ok" signal? In many drift dives or where there are strong currents, for example, you will do a negative entry to ensure that you stay together as a group.
Rather than get hung up on the details of the skill, focus on understanding what the performance requirement is. Every PADI course director I know, and every IDC I've staffed on, always says the same thing - as long as the performance requirement is met, it doesn't matter how the skill is done. How is a paraplegic going to do a giant stride? Does this mean that they can't be certified as divers by meeting the performance requirement in any other way? Do I meet the performance requirement for clearing a partially flooded mask if I take my reg and purge it into my mask until it is empty?
Please, please, please do not perpetuate this myth that there is one right way of doing a skill - it will make you a better DM if you can separate the actual performance requirement from the mechanics of how you _choose_ to do the skill.
A real issue with professional level training is how DMs are introduced to the skills from the OW course. Most instructors only have one way of doing a skill, they teach this skill to the DM candidate, who then goes on to only teach the one way.
If you look at your deep water entry, you've actually given two solutions to meeting the performance requirement - but there are many! Seated entry and forward roll to name just two more. Why must the give the DM the "ok" signal? In many drift dives or where there are strong currents, for example, you will do a negative entry to ensure that you stay together as a group.
Rather than get hung up on the details of the skill, focus on understanding what the performance requirement is. Every PADI course director I know, and every IDC I've staffed on, always says the same thing - as long as the performance requirement is met, it doesn't matter how the skill is done. How is a paraplegic going to do a giant stride? Does this mean that they can't be certified as divers by meeting the performance requirement in any other way? Do I meet the performance requirement for clearing a partially flooded mask if I take my reg and purge it into my mask until it is empty?
Please, please, please do not perpetuate this myth that there is one right way of doing a skill - it will make you a better DM if you can separate the actual performance requirement from the mechanics of how you _choose_ to do the skill.
I didn't see where he said this is the only way or even the best way to perform a skill, just that this is how he was taught.
Maybe not - but this is the internet, someone will read it and take it as gospel.
dbittner
Contributor
Personally, I appreciate having the skills broken down this way. I'm a divemaster candidate with Maui Dreams Dive Co., but I live in Edmonton, Alberta. (I'm doing my DM by "commute.") Since my chances to continue working on the DM process are limited to two or three dive trips per year (with long periods of dry time in between), I appreciate having a place where I can look up a detailed break-down of each of the skills.
I know that there are other ways each skill can be done. Nevertheless, I have already benefited from this reference posting -- a good place to check out as I prepare for another dive trip to Maui to continue working on DM certification.
Thank you very much for spending the time and effort to provide this service!
Dave
I know that there are other ways each skill can be done. Nevertheless, I have already benefited from this reference posting -- a good place to check out as I prepare for another dive trip to Maui to continue working on DM certification.
Thank you very much for spending the time and effort to provide this service!
Dave
Lishen, This is a great idea!
I suggest:
1. Post each of the 20 skills as you were taught.
2. Listen to feedback from others and modify as necessary.
3. Once finished, create another post with all 20 skills broken down, and request it be stickied to the top like my PADI Divemaster Study Guide.
Make sure you preface the skills guide with a disclaimer that this is a PADI guide, and this is the way you were taught to demonstrate them. Your Instructor will either accept this way of doing it or tell you how they want it done. Remove Andy's wet blanket
by making sure you post what is important to Demonstration Quality Skills: Slow, deliberate, fluid, exaggerating the Critical Attributes.
This thread can be a great working tool for developing the sticky post for the 20 skills.
Part of our Divemaster program is a 20 Skills Workshop. We will spend as much pool time as necessary with you until you can get a 4 or 5 on every skill. We accept no less from our budding professionals. We only fill out the 20 Skills sheet when you are ready to run through them and can succeed. We also offer this to IDC/AIDC Candidates, but you are expected to enter the program with your Demonstration Quality Skills ready to go. If you need a 20 Skills Workshop, it is expensive!
I suggest:
1. Post each of the 20 skills as you were taught.
2. Listen to feedback from others and modify as necessary.
3. Once finished, create another post with all 20 skills broken down, and request it be stickied to the top like my PADI Divemaster Study Guide.
Make sure you preface the skills guide with a disclaimer that this is a PADI guide, and this is the way you were taught to demonstrate them. Your Instructor will either accept this way of doing it or tell you how they want it done. Remove Andy's wet blanket
by making sure you post what is important to Demonstration Quality Skills: Slow, deliberate, fluid, exaggerating the Critical Attributes.This thread can be a great working tool for developing the sticky post for the 20 skills.
Part of our Divemaster program is a 20 Skills Workshop. We will spend as much pool time as necessary with you until you can get a 4 or 5 on every skill. We accept no less from our budding professionals. We only fill out the 20 Skills sheet when you are ready to run through them and can succeed. We also offer this to IDC/AIDC Candidates, but you are expected to enter the program with your Demonstration Quality Skills ready to go. If you need a 20 Skills Workshop, it is expensive!
OP
This thread wasn't meant to be the definitive, "this is the only way/right way/best way/etc..." of how to demonstrate a skill. Rather, it was meant to help out DMCs and DM's improve their skills as a teacher/assistant. I had hoped to do something similar to what Joe-Diver was talking about, give an outline, incorporate everyone's feedback and post it as a guide so that people would have a start point of reference from which to build. Also, breaking down the skills like this has helped me to recognize the critical attributes and I wanted to share what I've learned with everyone here. I'm just trying to help others out.
Oh, and I'm not a guy (though how would anyone know, this is the internet).
Oh, and I'm not a guy (though how would anyone know, this is the internet).
OP
7. Fin Pivot
- Make yourself negatively buoyant on the bottom (dramatically dump air)
- Spread legs for balance
- Inhale you should NOT go up
- Add a small burst of air into the BC (point to your inflator), let go of inflator
- Inhale you should go up (if you do not, repeat small burst of air)
- Go up to a 45 degree angle, start exhaling
- Go down, stopping before crashing into the buttom
- Repeat several times
Similar threads
