Things you should know (and didn't learn in OW)

[Don Wray]

If you decide to take karate lessons, do you expect to be a black belt after the first week? Same with diving. There are some things more that could be included in basic without a doubt. Basic ow is not designed to cover all things diving related. Most people who dive are vacation divers and dive once a year. That's why courses are set out like they are. If interested, take the course that covers the skills or better yet, dive with an experienced diver that will teach those to you properly. We already cover 3,5,7,8 and 9 in the courses we teach. I agree with gas management could be expounded on.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I disagree with most of your items for a NEW OW student. In my opinion, if they should teach one thing it should be that receiving your C-card is just like a learners permit for driving. You have demonstrated basic skills and now must go out and improve upon them. I agree that some points of the rescue class, more gas management, and definitely TSandM's comments about situational awareness should be included or stressed more. But new divers have a lot to remember just with the basics, typically have poor buoyancy control, no gas management skills, and everything they see will be new to them. As has often been pointed out, they don't know what they don't know.

I would like to see the OW be classed as "Beginning" or "Basic" Open Water, and the AOW called "Intermediate" or even assign letter grades that are actually based on skills learned. I.e. and "A" diver is beginning OW, "B" would have 3 basic skills (such as deep, nav, S&R, etc. that are actual skills, not Fish ID, boat diver or other fluff. Those can be "Electives"), "C" might include rescue, etc. These are just for example. You get the idea. You would add endorsements to your C-card as you earned them. Until then, you would be identified by your level of learning, not just experience. Just my 25 psi.

That's exactly how MDEA does it.

There's Level I: OW
Level II: AOW
Level III: AOW, plus # of mandatory dives, plus a specialty like Nitrox.'
Level IV: More specialties, more dives
Level V: Dive Master (I think)

and so forth and so on, all the way up to Master Diver on the skills side, and Master Instructor on the administrative/leadership side.

Situational awareness could be touched on, but I don't think it's something that can be taught, really. It's something that comes as a result of greater experience and comfort with one's skills and abilities.

 

[DennisW]

Let me be the first to say that the list of things I don't know is extensive. To that end, I feel that there are several important things that are not being taught, or no longer being taught, in OW that really should be covered. I've read through the wonderful thread on " To those considering an OW class..." and think that it would be beneficial to have a FAQ of sorts (or HOWTO for us Unix types) on things for new divers to know that may have been omitted from their OW class. Feel free to add on topics (or full explanations)

1. How to deploy a SMB / Surface marker
2. Proper safety gear beyond the minimum required equipment to dive.
A. SMB
B. Light
C. Mirror
D. Small dive knife or EMT shears
E. ???
3. Disconnecting LP hose from BCD in case of stuck inflator
4. Proper gas management planning
5. Differences between BP/W, rear inflate, jacket style BCD
6. Introduction to tech diving and the various differences compared to rec
7. Underwater navigation and dive planning with an emphasis on navigation
8. Proper underwater breathing techniques with an emphasis on buoyancy control
9. Streamlining the rigging of ones gear
10. ???

I invite you to add to this list that which you feel should be taught to OW students but is likely not being covered. As there is little standardization in OW classes, as much as we may wish there were, it is always helpful to provide some pointers for those who have an interest but may have endured subpar training.

I ask you - what would you have a OW diver know that they might not already know? Care to share your insight with those that come here right after there OW (who might have been shortchanged on training since the agencies have relaxed their standards)?

1. I wasn't taught this in my basic OW. I'm not sure it is needed for basic OW, but it is a good skill to learn.

2. I believe I had pretty thorough instruction on safety equipment.

3. I was taught this in my basic OW.

4. Proper gas management was covered very thoroughly in my basic OW.

5. The differences in BCs was well covered in my basic OW. I'm not sure there were BP/Wings when I got my OW. If there were, they were very rare.

6. When I took my OW, there was no such thing as tec diving. Anything beyond basic OW was considered advanced diving.

7. Very well covered in my basic OW.

8. Very well covered in my basic OW.

9. Although streamlining was covered very well, we handled dangling gear differently. I now have my guage clipped. Back then, I put the guage through the left arm hole of my vest BC and layed it on the back of my left thigh.

10. Appropriate finning technique
11. Safety drills, and air sharing - 1 minute swimming on shared gas doesn't exactly mean mastery to me.
12. Panic cycle - And how to deal with Underwater problems

10. Very well covered in my basic OW. We did not cover back finning and turning, but everything else was covered.

11. Again, very well covered and practiced. Buddy breathing (real buddy breathing) should be taught.

12. The panic cycle and dealing with problems was very well covered.

I am a YMCA diver.

 

[MichaelBaranows]

undefined, it sounds like you want OW to last 6 months and cost $2000.

The way I understand it OW is just to get people started. People can learn the basics and get more training as there get more into diving.

 

[waynel]

Wife and I took the NAUI OW course. We were given a manual and DVD to study. We then spent 3 hrs in a classroom and 3 hrs. in a pool. We covered many of the topics discussed in this thread including a good bit of rescue (diver on the bottom, surface towing, ditching weight, etc. I don't want to offend any PADI instructors, but we went to Key Largo to do our checkout dives with a PADI instructor. The instructor (PADI) picked us up in Miami and he had two other students in the jeep. They were studying the book on the drive and actually took the test under an awning at the boat dock. Once in the water, we were clearly better prepared. We took AOW with a PADI instructor in Islamorada. We were given a book ahead of time. However, we were literally "thrown into the water" and didin't discuss any of the book modules until after the dives. The PADI instructor took us straight to 100' without even discussing it. The NAUI LDS here insists on AOW classroom instruction before checkout dives. I'm sorry but I've experienced both, and NAUI goes to much greater lengths when training than does PADI. I now know why so many criticize PADI as being perhaps more focused on the money.

 

[undefined]

Michael,

It's not about wanting OW to last six months and cost $2k, it's about wanting new divers to get the training necessary to be safe divers. The desire to bring new people into the sport (and fill the pockets of PADI and instructors) is great... but certifying divers without fully training them creates a lot of short term divers who leave the sport, nervous divers, and unsafe divers. Everytime I speak with someone who certified more than ten or fifteen years ago I hear of things they "used to teach" that are no longer taught. In the effort to make diving easier to get into the training has been shortened a great deal....

 

[MichaelBaranows]

People already complain that courses cost $200. And I have heard from some that they wish didn't have to swim 200 meters to get cert.

When I told my course I pretty much taught everything own your list. Nothing on SMB but then again in my area they aren't used so really don't see a need. I was told the difference about jacket and back inflate BC but not backplate cause they are not used much locally. Plus many people are renting gear and I don't think many people are renting BP/Wings.

 

[CoyKoi]

I disagree with some of undefined's points. Here's why:

My husband was certified through NAUI "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" when NAUI was the only agency around. OW certification back then entailed weeks of classroom training, extensive watermanship skills and instruction in most other skills that you'll only find today in AOW and rescue diver training. While divers who emerged from that kind of in depth (no pun intended) training were without a doubt better trained divers than what we turn out today -- I ask you, how practical is this type of training for the person who will just do the occasional lake or Caribbean diving in calm, clear, warm water? Faced with all those daunting requirements today, prospective divers would more likely pass up the dive shop and head for the ski shop instead. Back when my husband was certified there were also very few local dive shops and you could get your cylinders filled at the neighborhood gas station -- not so good.

Today's very basic training is cheaper, easier and allows diving to be more accessible to more people than ever before. That's a good thing, but its also a trade off. We know our students are not going to get all the information they need. Even when we teach the extra stuff not specifically included in the instructor's manual, they are all so task overloaded it goes in one ear and out the other.

I was certified through SDI and DM for an SDI shop. The instructors I work with do a fantastic job at getting these new, oh-my-gosh-I-don't-know-if-can-do-it students to the point where they have the basic skills necessary to enjoy and survive diving in conditions similar to where they are trained. We make a real effort to balance exactly what the new diver needs to know with what the new diver can absorb in a couple of pool and lake sessions. All of us who have benefited from AOW and Rescue courses should encourage less experienced divers to get additional training. At our LDS we stress very heavily that an OW C-card is not the Good Housekeeping seal of approval that they are good divers. It is merely a ticket to further learning through continued practice and additional courses. AOW and Rescue courses, reading Dive Training mag, etc are where the rest of undefined's list will be taught and where students will be better able to retain and internalize their value.

Just my 2psi.

 

[Walter]

1. I wasn't taught this in my basic OW. I'm not sure it is needed for basic OW, but it is a good skill to learn.

They didn't exist when I taught you to dive.

 

[Don Wray]

Wife and I took the NAUI OW course. We were given a manual and DVD to study. We then spent 3 hrs in a classroom and 3 hrs. in a pool. We covered many of the topics discussed in this thread including a good bit of rescue (diver on the bottom, surface towing, ditching weight, etc. I don't want to offend any PADI instructors, but we went to Key Largo to do our checkout dives with a PADI instructor. The instructor (PADI) picked us up in Miami and he had two other students in the jeep. They were studying the book on the drive and actually took the test under an awning at the boat dock. Once in the water, we were clearly better prepared. We took AOW with a PADI instructor in Islamorada. We were given a book ahead of time. However, we were literally "thrown into the water" and didin't discuss any of the book modules until after the dives. The PADI instructor took us straight to 100' without even discussing it. The NAUI LDS here insists on AOW classroom instruction before checkout dives. I'm sorry but I've experienced both, and NAUI goes to much greater lengths when training than does PADI. I now know why so many criticize PADI as being perhaps more focused on the money.

Again, depends on the instructor. We have 8 to 10 hours classroom and 8 to 10 hours pool, then open water dives for basic. AOW is 10 hours classroom, 10 hours pool and open water dives. We are PADI affliated. Broad brush! P.S. We still require 2 dives for nitrox plus classroom.