RiverRat:This stuff should be taught from the beginning IMHO.
Right you are. The problem lie in how we sell scuba courses. No one asks "will I be able to share air off a long hose while hovering motionless after this course" they invariably ask "how much" or sometimes "how long will it take" so a properly trained diver is a much harder sell. They just want to get in the water, and any (insert agency here) instructor can tell them "we have a great safety record" or "safer than bowling".
It is only with experience that we learn the reality