The best money a new diver can spend on anything, is right here.

[TSandM]

You know, as much as I adore Bob, it isn't the one-on-one that's making this so valuable. It's the information and experience he has and that he communicates so effectively. You actually could learn as much and do as well with a couple of buddies in the class.

What's so apparent here is the big gaps in OW training, some of which are fairly unavoidable. For example, we do not spend a great deal of time trying to balance equipment for shop students, because they are not going to dive either the BCs or the tanks that they use in class, once they are certified. The theory of balancing equipment is universal, but the nuts and bolts of it are kit-specific, and so that is better done once divers have settled on a configuration they are going to use.

Gas management was the eye-opener for me, that made me ask, "What ELSE didn't they tell me?" Honestly, I do not understand why this information is considered unnecessary for recreational divers. I think everybody should have at least the basics of it, and thank goodness for things like Bob's article on his website, to make the information generally available.

Body posture, proper kicking techniques, and breathing efficiency are the beginnings of converting floundering around underwater into enjoyable, graceful diving, the way we all dreamt it should be.

Everyone should have classes like this, and Bob teaches this very well. But they don't have to be private lessons.

 

[Edward3c]

I am having a one to one tonight at a local pool in the UK to have an introduction to dry suit diving and this will be interesting because I have not dived with this instructor before, it is with a BSAC club so will not lead to a certificate of any sort, and will not as far as I know follow a specific sylabus but I am not sure.

The BSAC Skill Development Course notes for the Drysuit course is here, and you can have a QRB certification sticker.

Regards

 

[dbulmer]

Bob is tops, and a really nice guy to boot.

Although I have never met Bob, I always thought he deserved a kicking

 

[p1p]

You know, as much as I adore Bob, it isn't the one-on-one that's making this so valuable. It's the information and experience he has and that he communicates so effectively. You actually could learn as much and do as well with a couple of buddies in the class.

What's so apparent here is the big gaps in OW training, some of which are fairly unavoidable. For example, we do not spend a great deal of time trying to balance equipment for shop students, because they are not going to dive either the BCs or the tanks that they use in class, once they are certified. The theory of balancing equipment is universal, but the nuts and bolts of it are kit-specific, and so that is better done once divers have settled on a configuration they are going to use.

Gas management was the eye-opener for me, that made me ask, "What ELSE didn't they tell me?" Honestly, I do not understand why this information is considered unnecessary for recreational divers. I think everybody should have at least the basics of it, and thank goodness for things like Bob's article on his website, to make the information generally available.

Body posture, proper kicking techniques, and breathing efficiency are the beginnings of converting floundering around underwater into enjoyable, graceful diving, the way we all dreamt it should be.

Everyone should have classes like this, and Bob teaches this very well. But they don't have to be private lessons.

Yes, the instructor makes a huge difference, and pick them well, but no class will ever be as good as a 1:1 session.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

It depends, Jeff ... for sure it's a lot easier doing a skills workshop one-on-one ... you can devote your whole attention to the student and tailor the curriculum precisely to address that student's needs. And I really enjoy teaching these, because the learning curve is usually very steep and you can see improvements every dive.

But for classes like OW and AOW, I prefer two students ... teaching buddy skills to a buddy team is way more effective than to a single diver. First off, because the instructor trying to be both buddy and observer/evaluator reduces the effectiveness of the lesson. Secondly, because having two students keying off of each other better ingrains the concepts, and better reinforces the importance of awareness ... it gives the instructor better opportunity for real-time feedback. And finally because sometimes students just need to make mistakes to learn what not to do ... and I often take the approach, when seeing a student making a mistake, of allowing the situation to continue for a while ... so that when we discuss it after the dive, the student has a context in which to understand why it matters.

For Rescue class, I prefer three or more students, because it gives you more options for setting up scenarios, and gives students a better opportunity to learn how to manage resources when faced with a rescue situation.

So how many students is ideal for the experience you get often depends on what it is you're trying to learn ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[p1p]

true, and why generalizations tend to fail without specifics...

But true to my original post/intent/example, a 1:1 course of that type, will always always be better than a class, and you will advance exponentially faster.

 

[The Chairman]

Great job Bob! Thanks for sharing your experience Jeff. It's always good to read such positive reviews.

 

[ScubaSam]

Jeff -

Thanks for starting this thread about one of my favorite SBers. I wished you'd started this thread when I was fresh out of OW certification cause a workshop like this would have benefited my first 100 dives. I found out in much later training, ie: Intro to Tech and Fundamentals, the importance of buoyancy, trim, weighting, propulsion and gas management.

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Bob Bailey earlier this year at the NSS-CDS workshop in Marianna, FL. Bob had just finished a sidemount class so I did not get to dive with him on that trip even though I stalked him for two days on land. :daydreaming:

Bob has always been and remains extremely generous with his dive knowledge. On his last day in Marianna he allowed my buddy and I to view a video of his sidemount class without first viewing it himself. Yes, he is generous and humble (and huggable)!

I look forward to diving with Bob in either Seattle, Mexico or if I can coax him back to cave country in the near future.

 

[ffdiver]

Sam, I distinctly remember donna stalking him. Not you.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Sam was stalking ... and I was enjoying every minute of it ...

.. Bob (Grateful Diver)