The Ethics of Promoting Cave Diving

[LiteHedded]

This discussion has certainly gone off the rails . . . from a discussion of whether it is ethical to advertise and promote cave diving in an effort to make a living teaching it, to a discussion of standards violations in open water classes.

and I think this was already split from another thread that went off-topic wasn't it?

 

[kensuf]

Now that you have crossed over, are you sure those are the TDI requirements and not what the person who handled that decided to require? TDI allows an instructor to go beyond the basic requirements.

When I started Tech training with TDI, my instructor told us flat out that he was going to go well beyond the TDI requirements. He did not tell us what the TDI requirements were, and he did not tell us what his requirements were. He only casually mentioned one day that we were well past the TDI requirements already. You will not believe how many months it took me to pass Intro to Tech. After a while I got a little miffed and wanted to get a cert card or two. I wrote to TDI and described what we were being required to do. Their reply was that it sure sounded like I was learning a lot, and I should be happy with it. Now that I am an instructor for those courses and know what is required, I am amazed at how much was added.

Now, it is also possible for an individual instructor to go the opposite direction and require less. It is not allowed by the rules, but how is one to know? A few years ago my niece became a NAUI certified diver by doing one 2-hour pool session and one OW dive to a maximum depth of 10 feet. I am pretty sure NAUI requires more than that, but she has a card.

Yes, the requirements I outlined in steps 1-6 are clearly written in the S&P. As I mentioned, I went well beyond that myself.

Even if someone "bends the rules", it would be tough to teach three complete cavern and three complete intro to cave classes while interning with one full cave class in a weekend.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Facebook

Does this constitute promoting cave diving?

 

[The Chairman]

Looks as if it's been removed, Jim.

 

[GDI]

Perhaps it would be a thought that not so much the promotion of cave diving (sales and $$) but the promotion of Safe Cave Diving to those seeking it.