Video from a Training Dive with John Chatterton

[wetb4igetinthewater]

It is for me. I didn't say it was for you. I didn't say it was for Ken. It is for me. But then, I find a snorkel on my mask strap a distraction. There are a lot of things I find distracting, and avoid them while with a student. No need to justify how you teach to me. You do you and I'll do me. Teach and let teach, n'est pas?

Fair enough. "It is for me" is good clarification. Leaving that part out implies it is a distraction for everyone. Τέλος (the end of that topic).

 

[The Chairman]

Leaving that part out implies it is a distraction for everyone.

Not really. I said I wouldn't use one, but i didn't condemn anyone for doing so. No need to read too much into what anyone writes. It's easy to do, but not fun for the other person when their words get twisted.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Not really. I said I wouldn't use one, but i didn't condemn anyone for doing so. No need to read too much into what anyone writes. It's easy to do, but not fun for the other person when their words get twisted.

I really don't think I'm twisting anyone's words. I explained to you how I interpret the absence of clarification, how it sounds like twisting. Twisting implied nefarious intent. But we probably disagree on that view as well.

 

[abnfrog]

we as instructors make our own decisions , then we live with them ,,,,,really only a judge guided by a jury and maybe an expert witness , will pass judgment ( and non judicial agency ) and as I have been asked " WHAT A PRUDENT INSTRUCTOR WOULD DO "

 

[myshadeofred]

Recently read Shadow Divers for the first time, so thanks OP.

Read that book years ago...really enjoyed it too.

 

[ChuckP]

I sent the OP a note and offered him a free adv wreck class and even invited him to video and narrate it to compare and contrast and in doing so felt that it would be helpful to the OP and in general to contrast approaches.

"Most of what I teach is perspective. I try to get to look at themselves and their diving in a different way. I am not the guy for mainstream." JC

I mulled this over all day - I first I just thought you were some arrogant prick, now I'm not really sure - misguided, delusional, self serving, closed minded - they all come to mind.

15 hours at least of classroom, 6 dives at 60 minutes each - you see 25 minutes of diving and probably a few other videos and that guys the worst instructor in the world - look, they're kneeling OMG.

Some student flew all the way across the country to take a class with someone because of what that someone teaches and that someone is very upfront on what the class will be like. You got three hours of bottom time with this guy that can teach you so much, you really want to spend precious minutes showing the world you can drop stages and remain neutral (it's talked about in class by the way)??

What's your classroom curriculum cover? What's your wreck diving experience? For the wreck/an/deco class, there was a solid 7-10 days worth of stuff to cover before you even got onsite. So you cover the TDI Advanced Wreck material - you spend time on form and looking good - I can go down the road and learn that from any old instructor.

You want to learn cave diving in Florida - go see a Florida guru; You want to learn sidemount in an XDeep warm water aluminum 80's - go see Draker or go to ProDive in Tulum. You want to really work on your diving profile - take Fundies - I didn't really mean that, come take a buoyancy class with me LOL. You want to train as a DM for California - I probably wouldn't do it in Cozumel.

This isn't standard blah blah blah OW or AOW training, people in the know at least, they are searching out specialized training - you want to learn physical wreck diving, you want to learn a different set of survival skills - see JC, he teaches a bit outside the box - that doesn't mean you shouldn't fill the whole box in, but the vast majority of it is just what I call diving skills. Diving skills come with underwater time - most of us really stress buoyancy in OW and we fix what was never taught in AOW, we work on it in Rescue Class and sadly I've worked on it in DM classes.

You wanna know a big secret that will really make you fall over - he doesn't make you train with a long hose on the second post..............

 

[MichaelMc]

A reason I’ve felt I should take a fundies like class before cavern.
Fundies - basics.
Cavern - something beyond that.
Wreck ...

 

[cerich]

"Most of what I teach is perspective. I try to get to look at themselves and their diving in a different way. I am not the guy for mainstream." JC

I mulled this over all day - I first I just thought you were some arrogant prick, now I'm not really sure - misguided, delusional, self serving, closed minded - they all come to mind.

15 hours at least of classroom, 6 dives at 60 minutes each - you see 25 minutes of diving and probably a few other videos and that guys the worst instructor in the world - look, they're kneeling OMG.

Some student flew all the way across the country to take a class with someone because of what that someone teaches and that someone is very upfront on what the class will be like. You got three hours of bottom time with this guy that can teach you so much, you really want to spend precious minutes showing the world you can drop stages and remain neutral (it's talked about in class by the way)??

What's your classroom curriculum cover? What's your wreck diving experience? For the wreck/an/deco class, there was a solid 7-10 days worth of stuff to cover before you even got onsite. So you cover the TDI Advanced Wreck material - you spend time on form and looking good - I can go down the road and learn that from any old instructor.

You want to learn cave diving in Florida - go see a Florida guru; You want to learn sidemount in an XDeep warm water aluminum 80's - go see Draker or go to ProDive in Tulum. You want to really work on your diving profile - take Fundies - I didn't really mean that, come take a buoyancy class with me LOL. You want to train as a DM for California - I probably wouldn't do it in Cozumel.

This isn't standard blah blah blah OW or AOW training, people in the know at least, they are searching out specialized training - you want to learn physical wreck diving, you want to learn a different set of survival skills - see JC, he teaches a bit outside the box - that doesn't mean you shouldn't fill the whole box in, but the vast majority of it is just what I call diving skills. Diving skills come with underwater time - most of us really stress buoyancy in OW and we fix what was never taught in AOW, we work on it in Rescue Class and sadly I've worked on it in DM classes.

You wanna know a big secret that will really make you fall over - he doesn't make you train with a long hose on the second post..............

You write an awful lot that more seems to be about trying to make it sound like I said something that I didn't than actually anything I did say. I didn't say that the OP got the worse instructor in the world, I also didn't frame my comments around his kneeling.

I do think it would be useful to have the OP contrast to the course he got with mine. I take a different approach to the class, foundation skills, penetration, deco and more. The OP strikes me as a thoughtful person who would create a ""contrast" video that is worth it.

To your last comment regards a long hose, honestly I am starting to feel based on comments from his supporters and his web page that doing things differently or rejecting something because it is also used by cave divers is part of the philosophy.

I'm not as accomplished a wreck diver as JC, I am however a guy that has been doing penetration wreck dives since the late 80's, off NS, NL, great lakes, Med, Carib, Asia and so forth and happen to be an advanced wreck instructor Trainer.

 

[rddvet]

"Most of what I teach is perspective. I try to get to look at themselves and their diving in a different way. I am not the guy for mainstream." JC

I mulled this over all day - I first I just thought you were some arrogant prick, now I'm not really sure - misguided, delusional, self serving, closed minded - they all come to mind.

15 hours at least of classroom, 6 dives at 60 minutes each - you see 25 minutes of diving and probably a few other videos and that guys the worst instructor in the world - look, they're kneeling OMG.

Some student flew all the way across the country to take a class with someone because of what that someone teaches and that someone is very upfront on what the class will be like. You got three hours of bottom time with this guy that can teach you so much, you really want to spend precious minutes showing the world you can drop stages and remain neutral (it's talked about in class by the way)??

What's your classroom curriculum cover? What's your wreck diving experience? For the wreck/an/deco class, there was a solid 7-10 days worth of stuff to cover before you even got onsite. So you cover the TDI Advanced Wreck material - you spend time on form and looking good - I can go down the road and learn that from any old instructor.

You want to learn cave diving in Florida - go see a Florida guru; You want to learn sidemount in an XDeep warm water aluminum 80's - go see Draker or go to ProDive in Tulum. You want to really work on your diving profile - take Fundies - I didn't really mean that, come take a buoyancy class with me LOL. You want to train as a DM for California - I probably wouldn't do it in Cozumel.

This isn't standard blah blah blah OW or AOW training, people in the know at least, they are searching out specialized training - you want to learn physical wreck diving, you want to learn a different set of survival skills - see JC, he teaches a bit outside the box - that doesn't mean you shouldn't fill the whole box in, but the vast majority of it is just what I call diving skills. Diving skills come with underwater time - most of us really stress buoyancy in OW and we fix what was never taught in AOW, we work on it in Rescue Class and sadly I've worked on it in DM classes.

You wanna know a big secret that will really make you fall over - he doesn't make you train with a long hose on the second post..............

So just for clarification, I refer to them as left post and right post so I want to make sure I'm not misundertanding. You're saying he doesn't require a long hose at all?

The comment above that I bolded and underlined is just absolutely wrong. If you think that pretty much anyone can teach trim and buoyancy (esp in rec classes) you are very wrong. If that was the case, the guys in this video would look amazing and we'd have way less crappy divers in the world. I find even in technical training, not every instructor is even close to equal. Some put out good students with amazing skills. Others pass students that barely have basic technical skills (some barely have good rec skills).

Not to be derogatory in any way, but your comments about this being "different" kind of wreck class makes it sound as though you've taken the class and really only see it from the view of a Chatterton fan. Like a student that blindly follows the ideals of their instructor.

 

[doctormike]

Not to be derogatory in any way, but your comments about this being "different" kind of wreck class makes it sound as though you've taken the class and really only see it from the view of a Chatterton fan. Like a student that blindly follows the ideals of their instructor.

Wait, so let me understand. For the purposes of this thread, pro-Chatterton posts are from fanboys who are blindly following a celebrity diver. Anti-Chatterton posts are from impartial divers who have taken both types of class and are making an independent judgement.