Video from a Training Dive with John Chatterton

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'm just mildly curious. How good was your trim, buoyancy, finning etc., when you first started to dive in wrecks? Think way back.

When I took PADI wreck, my trim, buoyancy, finning all sucked. But then the course sucked too as it is a joke. The instructor washed out of fundies and had a personal vendetta since then against GUE. I won't take advanced wreck (my plan is to do so with Andy Davis in Subic Bay one day), until I'm really solid in sidemount. I don't want to do any remedial work with him. I would like to train first with Tomasz Michura, as I've never seen anyone so solid in the water. There will be no agenda, other than have him evaluate me and help me improve. For people who don't know him, check out his channel on YouTube under Sidemount Silesia. Just mad skills.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I find it funny that everyone is saying that the only issue is trim and that is what some of us are being unreasonable about. It either shows poor reading comprehension or is just part of the "that is what cave divers do, so that must be what they are complaining all about and this isn't cave diving" response that doesn't actually address what is indeed the current best practices in wreck diving.

Is that what everyone is saying? Lots of comprehension problems to go around.

 

[cerich]

Is that what everyone is saying? Lots of comprehension problems to go around.

sorry, maybe I should have been more specific. The posters that have taken it upon themselves to attack anyone that express concern over the techniques or lack of.

Frankly, this thread has had more people attacking those that express concerns than there has been attacks on those that subscribe to how/why JC teaches how he does.

You are welcome to go thru and count them up.

Discussing the why/hows of a technique isn't an attack, nor is saying "there are standards in a course that should be followed"

 

[chillyinCanada]

For clarity, my critique is of the instructor standards/practices on THIS thread.

 

[cerich]

For clarity, my critique is of the instructor standards/practices on THIS thread.

ok.

how do you feel it should have been answered? Should everyone have just said "wow, cool, looks like you had a great time and learned alot! The video was awesome and well done" (it was BTW)

As soon as some expressed concerns, they were jumped on as cave divers (when many weren't that expressed concerns) that didn't understand wreck diving or JC's out of the box approach. One went so far as to wish all cave divers dead.

Meanwhile, the stuff that concerned folks from a safety POV were pointed out and got some upset. But, isn't pointing them out really about them being worried about safety?Should that be ignored because some may get upset?

If a agencies card is being handed out and that agencies standards aren't being followed, is that really something that should not be discussed?

 

[chillyinCanada]

Probably should be discussed though not on this thread.

I'm not and haven't from the moment that I got pissed addressed or at least, intended to address anything other than how a few instructors on this thread managed to show poor people skills in this venue.

I shall have to assume that the instructing skills in person are better. I'm assuming that of the handful of instructors that I'm pissed with do have students return to them for next levels and/or get recommended to others by those one time students.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Who did you take your training from after AOW?

And how were you doing with your trim and finning and all that when you first started diving in wrecks?

Is it staying off your knees that has kept you alive to discourage others?

I had a decent amount of simple shore, quarry, and Caribbean diving under my belt before I started doing real wreck diving (I wouldn't call a lot of the Caribbean wrecks--wreck diving in the true sense of the word). Similar to Rddvet, trim was good while swimming, task loading caused me to go a little more heads up than was acceptable and I needed a little work on properly balancing the rig to help provide stability. I learned and developed a great frog kick from early on, back and helicopter needed a little work, but came with a little practice once the rig was properly stabilized. To mirror Rddvet, “Every single class I've taken and every dive I've done I've maintained a strong personal standard. That doesn't mean I don't suck from time to time.”

Scuba training is a continuous learning process and journey. I have taken training from A LOT of different instructors. Some were the biggest 'names' in scuba, some were better teachers than others, some a little more lax in skill execution, but none would have allowed what has been primarily discussed in this thread. As this thread has highlighted, certification means very little without actually seeing someone in the water. Certification cards don’t matter to me, I imagine I’ll take training from even more instructors over the next couple of years. It does not even matter what “class” I am officially taking, I am doing it for time and experience.

 

[ChuckP]

Dear lord - please don't associate me in anyway shape or form with him. John's very old school at heart but very up to date on technology and trying different things - he may not quite be leaning completely in some directions, but he is tilting. I need to ask him directly the exact whys of the deep air, he teaches it but not really in that sense - he's all about decreased CO2 with methods that include decreased WOB or He. My understanding of it is he shows you your limitations under a watchful eye, conditions, situations and expectations have an effect on gas selection, you have to take the next class for the actual He - I don't think in any way shape or form would he give you the approving nod on a 175' cold dark working dive on air, he probably wouldn't even at 150'.

I had an instructor that was disappointed I didn't take AN/Deco with him - he doesn't like Shearwater, he just got Multideco and while he may have dove deep a lot in the past, he doesn't today. Lots of old school knowledge though.

John jokes around a lot - it is a very fun boat ride but when he's making a point about something, the joking stops - tri mix 2 class final dive was deep, watching him and his demeanor during the class before the dive and the setting up on the boat, there's no joking around there, I think he said those dives scare the **** out of him if I remember right. Maybe back in the day but he just doesn't come off on those "got lucky hero" dives today - he's really quite the opposite - safety first, don't be afraid to GTFO - that hero **** is for barroom stories, not real life.

 

[MMM]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

This thread has been reported to mods. I've deleted a pile of off-topic/chest-thumping posts. If you want to chastise people posting in this thread, you may wish to take that to a PM. Some of you may have noticed that you managed to chase the OP off with him deleting the video he posted. Hope you're proud of yourselves. Marg, SB Senior Moderator

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[abnfrog]

this thread is dead..........no more learning here ...just mods waiting to erase