Unbelievable video?

[NorthO]

Here's another one... From the info posted with the video, diver only followed a pool course. DM (ACUC instructor) was with a group of 6 at 100ft on a wreck, diver was OOA so they continued the dive this way for 5 min...

Don't try this at home...

 

[DiverBizz]

I watched the video for a second time. It disturbs me but I guess some people don't really have the same concerns about diver and child safety. I know we don't know everything behind the video but it just bothers me.

 

[DiverBizz]

NorthO, OMG! I just watched the video with the diver OOA. He sure looked like he was not prepared/ready to be doing a dive at 100ft. He is using his arms like an infant and keeps looking up as if to save when are we going there? Even if the other diver can monitor his air does not mean that the other diver isn't going to suck the tank dry.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I used pretty much the same set up to begin training my young sons at the age of around 8 yrs old. Other than not blowing bubbles from the mouth when the reg was out, what problems were observed?

Is it necessary for a child to wear his own tank and BC? I used a 6-ft hose for my kids and they pretty much were under my arm or holding my hand when we were swimming. In some respects the child is easier to control when he is dependent on you for air. Not having to mess with the tank and bc also provides some benefits in my mind.

The only real additional danger that I see is that if they have a first stage failure, then they don't have a redundant system to share.???

 

[DiverBizz]

No redundant breather with a failure could sure mess up a good dive. I thought the child was holding his breath a few times. As long as the man with the boy is a trained instructor I don't mind the video.

 

[Trimix2dive]

This guy is an absolute danger to himself and others.
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME
"If your child wants to learn SCUBA, take him/her to a dive school, where lessons will be in a controlled (and hence much safer) environment.

This guy demonstrates total idiocy on so many levels, it is hard to know where to start:
1) The child is using the adult's alternate as his only method of getting air. The alternate 2nd stage is there for emergencies, not as a teaching aid
2) The adult looks like a novice too (certainly not an instructor) - his arms are flapping wildly, and a trained instructor would have correctly kitted the child before commencing the 'lesson'

I found this so disturbing to watch, and I sincerely hope that this is not a practice which this dickhead follows in future. It is astounding that he had the nerve to post this 'traning' (sic) video for the public to witness. "

I just liked this guys comment that was listed below the video.

 

[Guba]

I used pretty much the same set up to begin training my young sons at the age of around 8 yrs old. Other than not blowing bubbles from the mouth when the reg was out, what problems were observed?

Is it necessary for a child to wear his own tank and BC? I used a 6-ft hose for my kids and they pretty much were under my arm or holding my hand when we were swimming. In some respects the child is easier to control when he is dependent on you for air. Not having to mess with the tank and bc also provides some benefits in my mind.

The only real additional danger that I see is that if they have a first stage failure, then they don't have a redundant system to share.???

I'm no expert, but I'd say the obvious problems were quite enough. Mainly...
1) No redundant air supply (Okay, sure, the photographer might have been able to help, but if the "instructor's" system fails, there would then be THREE divers breathing off the photog's system)
2) This seems to be at "significant" depth. The color has a blue cast, and the reds and pinks seem to be quite muted, so I'm guessing at LEAST 20 feet. While this isn't too tough for a trained adult, it might be a problem for a child should they have to bail. And what are the chances that the kid WOULDN'T hold his breath on the way up?
3) The child seems to be overweighted. When the two start swimming, the child's trim is definitely above horizontal, indicating too much weight (but then, the same is true for the adult). To me, negative buoyancy could pose a real problem in an emergency situation.
4) Sure, the kid doesn't blow bubbles during reg removal...neither does the "instructor". This implies that the adult is barely capable of the skills necessary for safe diving, much less teaching.
At best, this is a very marginal situation. At worst, it's a disaster waiting to happen. (but that's just my two pennies' worth)

 

[kadleck]

I used pretty much the same set up to begin training my young sons at the age of around 8 yrs old. Other than not blowing bubbles from the mouth when the reg was out, what problems were observed?

Is it necessary for a child to wear his own tank and BC? I used a 6-ft hose for my kids and they pretty much were under my arm or holding my hand when we were swimming. In some respects the child is easier to control when he is dependent on you for air. Not having to mess with the tank and bc also provides some benefits in my mind.

The only real additional danger that I see is that if they have a first stage failure, then they don't have a redundant system to share.???

Well, you are an instructor (which does not appear to be the case on the videos), so I will bow to your superiority.

As long as the instructor manuals allow teaching minors in this way, then fine. It does seem strange that there are no instructor 'rules' against this though.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Where do I sign up to join the FUDDY DUDDY group? I especially liked how he taught the kid how to remove his reg (in this case the father's octo) and to NOT constantly exhale.

DARWIN.....PARTY OF TWO.

 

[Doc]

Amazing how excitable we all are nowadays.

Now that we have agency standards and insurance companies and lawyers, there are all sorts of printed and codified Best Practices by which we can gauge our behaviors.

This is exactly how I learned to use SCUBA gear. I started in 3 feet of water and progressed when my father and his mentor decided it was okay. I was 5 years old and no-where as well drilled in skills as this kid is. I did learn how to clear a double hose regulator.

Yes, Guba~ In answer to your original question, you are a major fuddy-duddy, but you're not alone... in this world that we now live in, any possible fear has been ingrained deep in everyone's psyche. We are so afraid of everything that when we were kids- it was considered the norm. In 2008, we don't consider probabilities, we worry about possibilities.

I grew up in the 50's. We had gravel under monkey bars, merry-go-rounds that could sling you off, teeter totters, pen knives when we were six, .22 rifles when we were 8 years old. We are so screwed up today that you can't find Jarts Lawn Darts. Lawn Mowers have embossed signs alerting you to the dangers of sticking your hand under there, pistols are now marked with warning cautions engraved onto the barrel. I feel much safer today with all of the Federal Agencies teaching me the proper way to behave. We are happily stimulated by fear.

If you had a kid who was teething, he got a shot glass full of beer and was pointed at his bed. Today, that's reportable as child abuse. This kind of mild anesthetic was used for decades by Doctors as a safe alternative to drugs in infants. When a surgeon attempted this practice recently, he would up in the court fight for his life.

Our perceptions change, not the physical realities.

Would I do this with a kid? Depends on the kid. Can I do this now? Not with my insurance mandated by any certifying agency.

Thank gods I taught my nephew to dive before I became an instructor. But, I did have him on his own tiny pony tank rigged into a backplate.

We're all fuddy-duddies nowadays, our DNA has been altered by Fluoridation of the Water Supply, Microwaves from the Commies, Tort Lawyers and Urban Myth. What you saw there was admittedly calculated risk, a lot of training before the camera was rolling, a young man who was confident in his abilities and so on. This is the kind of formerly acceptable American process that got us to the moon~ not just going to Space Camp. I think I'd rather be that kid than the one who goes to Six Flags for his thrills. Life is a risk.

btw- these two guys have better weight trim than 80% of the divers I see on vacation.