When is a skill "mastered"?

[The Chairman]

..it’s all in what the instructor(s) teach in their class and help each student achieve trim..,,& why it is important..,

To a degree, yes. Instructors who don't really understand why trim affects buoyancy, can't teach what they don't know. They might give trim some lip service, but asking them to show why, will usually result in a "just because". I rarely see them do any corrective measures when their students' feet are way below waist level. I know that I was not taught this by any of my instructors until I got to cavern. While they never explained the physics of it all, they would tell me to get my damn feet up!!! Once I incorporated a bit of vector physics into my pre-pool briefings, it became quite easy to explain the causal relationship between trim and buoyancy.

The point is, some of us will continue to learn after our classes. I would never recommend either of my two initial instructors to anyone learning Scuba. They were horrible for different reasons, and neither of them taught me trim. Somehow, I turned out just fine, and have taught many a class on remedial trim and buoyancy.

 

[Scott G. Bonser]

….why Crystal River ‘King Spring’ was always such a mess when classes were doing O/W checkout dives. Later when I went w/my Dad, we would try to go early after sunrise. Very few other divers were there and for the most part they were rather considerate. Ginnie later got to be the same way, but had a current to clear out the fine sand. Still too crowded to enjoy. …later as it became more popular….why I liked ‘Troy’ ( Huge Fishbowl )…

 

[The Chairman]

why I liked ‘Troy’

Troy is also my favorite. I wonder if they are finally open after the hurricanes? It seems to be! I'll drive by and make sure.

 

[The Chairman]

why Crystal River ‘King Spring’ was always such a mess when classes were doing O/W checkout dives.

This is such a poor spot for OW checkout. That silt is quite fine, and the kneelers do make a mess out of it.

 

[Scott G. Bonser]

…oh YESSS!! Please keep me posted. ( ..others as well… ) I reckon the hardest part for me was toting my Dads gear up and down the mud path slope before I donned mine. Not a problem. Even with his RA he was so relaxed in the water watching other divers and the fish… ( George J. Bonser…tried and liked SCUBA in’54.) He would dive with me on easy dives then got certified at age 78, O M G. Yes with friends in Dunedin. He would then dive w/me for about 4 yrs before arthritis was too painful…. Great memories…) Troy looked ‘foreboding’ to him. W/me toting gear and him taking it easy, it was a breeze for him…too bad my current physical shape is in question now…

 

[The Chairman]

Troy has a nice wheelchair friendly concrete path down to an observation dock now. There are usually two steps into the water. It's a lot different than when I first canoed there in the 70s.

 

[Scott G. Bonser]

Hey thanks, ‘Chairman’ I am glad to see it. I never thought I would get to the point where a muddy slope or otherwise would discourage me from entering the water. Now I know one of my favorite places is accessible to me. …

 

[The Chairman]

Hey thanks, ‘Chairman’ I am glad to see it. I never thought I would get to the point where a muddy slope or otherwise would discourage me from entering the water. Now I know one of my favorite places is accessible to me. …

Royal Spring is the only one that's sketchy to get in, IMHO. All the others have seen the light and have created boardwalks and steps to eliminate the erosion we all created in our youth. One of my favorite places to visit is the Devil's Millhopper in Gainesville. The erosion from sliding down the sides has filled it in about 10 ft deep. They think it may take a hundred years to clear out. I know that I helped create that catastrophe.