What value do you apply to skills?

[MikeBujak]

I am a new DM with PADI and currently enrolled in the IDC. I was wondering what value do you as an instructor put on the basic open water skills? Do you always try a positive spin?

Remove/Replace/Clear mask underwater:
Positive:
This skill enables you to make adjustments to your mask without having to surface.
Negative:
In the event your mask gets knocked off.....(Unrealistic but I have heard it used).

Remove and replace your BDC underwater. (Is there a positive spin?)
Positive
In the event you want to fly your BCD like a kite underwater....
Negative
In the unlikely event you get caught in a tight space, this skill enables you to comfortably remove your BCD to help you get out of the situation and replace your BCD once free.

Anyone else? I have to get back to work. Coffee time is over.

Mike

 

[Landau]

Remove and Replace. To gain confidence doing more complex tasks underwater

 

[Diving Dubai]

Remove and replace BCD - Pos - in case you've not quite got teh tank in the right place, you can fix it rather than it annoy you for the whole dive.

Mask. Laughter and smiling can cause mask to leak, , and as you say adjustment

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Several things could be "off" with BCD/tank setup and you'll want to adjust it. I've done the doff/don at depth for real several times, though mostly as a new diver figuring out what works.

For mask, adjusting the strap is sometimes easier when off your head.

 

[Lorenzoid]

For the mask, being able to flood and clear it can help (temporarily) if it fogs. As a new diver, I found it disconcerting when my mask, to which I had so carefully applied defog solution, fogged in the middle of a dive. It's little annoyances like that that can spiral into bigger things. For example, a diver fixated on some little annoyance may fail to check his gauges often enough. Being able to flood and clear it made all the difference between spending the rest of the dive slightly bothered and enjoying the rest of the dive.

 

[Billy Northrup]

builds confidence

 

[northernone]

I provide personal experience for how I've used each skill. Most of the time, they are useful for making my time underwater more comfortable...

I have no negative or positive reasons for the skills, each make my life better whenever they are needed.

First time you have a mask ripped off in a blackwater drift dive, you'll value being comfortable ending the dive without a mask (or switching your backup).

The basic skills have be paid for with the lives of earlier divers. Let's not forget their importance.

Cameron

 

[Oz Chris]

Remove/Replace/Clear mask underwater:
Negative:
In the event your mask gets knocked off.....(Unrealistic but I have heard it used)

I’ve totally had by mask knocked off by another diver who decided dropping in on me and kicking me in the face was a good idea. Glad to have practised this skill so I could relatively calmly deal with it.

Also, whenever I laugh my mask floods. The answer clearly here is that I need to find more serious dive buddies, but in the meantime pleased I know how to clear my mask.

 

[MikeBujak]

I provide personal experience for how I've used each skill. Most of the time, they are useful for making my time underwater more comfortable...

I have no negative or positive reasons for the skills, each make my life better whenever they are needed.

First time you have a mask ripped off in a blackwater drift dive, you'll value being comfortable ending the dive without a mask (or switching your backup).

The basic skills have be paid for with the lives of earlier divers. Let's not forget their importance.

Cameron

You may be missing the point of my post (or I am missing the point of yours). I know all the skills you learn have significant importance. Ok am wondering what value instructors out there give the skills during briefings. I ask for positive values because I believe the negative ones can unnecessarily scare new divers.

If you practiced taking your second stage out of your mouth for photo opportunities for example, in the event it is accidently knocked out of your mouth, you probably would have no problems recovering it. There are 2 values here for the regulator recovery skill, one is positive and one negative.

 

[tbone1004]

@MikeBujak why are you calling it a "negative" value?
As an instructor you want to emphasize real world values of the skills, if they exist.

Mask clears and mask-off skills-you have to emphasize that at some point, there mask will leak, will fog, and/or will get kicked off. Since that is a thing, they have to be able to clear their mask comfortably as well as perform tasks without their mask on. There is no positive/negative value, it's just value or not.

Remove Replace BCD underwater has in its entirety has no real "value" because it's not something most divers should ever have to do. It shows comfort in the water, comfort with the gear, etc, but the "value" is that you may need to adjust part of your gear while diving and if you can remove the entire thing, you can work with parts of it individually.

Doing this skill at the surface has real world value because you may need to hand your gear up to a boat hand, or have it handed to you depending on the boat/surface conditions etc.