Who knows more now?

[Drew Sailbum]

Lately, there has been much discussion about standards for instruction; good and bad instructors; how fast instructors wash out of teaching etc...

I want to know if you feel that you now are a better diver than the person who trained you for your open water?

As for me... Not even close. The guy who trained me has been diving both recreationally and commercially for years and has been the lead diver on all sorts of underwater construction projects.

 

[Se7en]

I'll have a dollar each way.

My OW instructor some 10 years or so ago was a good diver and a very good instructor. If he is still diving I'd imagine he probably does hour long dives on a single breath by now, and covers distance with no apparent movement

My AOW instructor... well, she was a bit young so that probably explains why she hadn't done much diving... and wasn't exactly a physics graduate.

But the best divers I know are the few cave divers I've met - in general their diving ability blows any OW instructor out of the Open Water...

Mike

 

[Arduous]

Hands down my instructor has it all over me.
Tom Huff, he’s the man ………………

Dive Safe …………………..Arduous

 

[Rick Murchison]

Can't vote in that one... haven't seen Dan Kelty since '71. He was a fellow Naval Aviator. If he lived, he may still be diving - any of y'all know him?
Rick

 

[Jonathan]

Can't vote becuase it won't let me!!

For what it counts though I am nowhere close to the experience or the knowledge of my original instructor or the two others I have had for various specialities or tech courses.

Jonathan

 

[keralucu]

my two instructors are gods! One of them we've nicknamed Obiwan because he's a Jedi (oops, Scuba) Master... The other.. well, words can't describe her...

In awe....

 

[Liquid]

My instructor was a shame to the trade. Fortunately, I belive he is retired now. He dived like a rock (sat on bottom), used his hands all the time. During his instructing years he lost several students.

When I say lost I mean In two ways:

1) Lost as in VIRTUALY lost them- there's a story about him returning to the boat after a dive, only to recive a forgotten student from a navy patroll boat half an hour later.

2) Died in a course dive with him (at least 2 that I know of).

Needless to say, I didn't know all of that when I enrolled in his schoold. When diving later in other centers, when the receptionists saw the name of my instructor on my cert, they alwais asked me to show my log book to see how many dives I had already survived (and if they should risk renting me gear).

 

[ScubaScott]

My instructor is very good/ thorough at what she teaches - basic OW, AOW,..... She does not get into any of the specialties ( She would call it "tekkie scuba"). Thats fine, because she doesn't claim to be a training specialist other than for rec. diving. Oh, and the other question, yes, she still knows a lot more than I do!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I like my OW/Rescue/AOW/Master Diver/AI/Divemaster instructor so well I've been helping her with classes for almost 9 years now. I learn something from her every class, I don't mean every class that I take, I mean every class that I assist with. I hope I can be as good at teaching as she is when she finishes with my Instructor training. I have become a much better diver by following her example and I believe that the more I work with her the better I will become although I'll probably not pass her ability because she too is always learning.
Ber

 

[TwoBitTxn]

I've had several instructors, so its kinda hard to say.

One was killed by an intoxicated driver a number of years ago.

One is still highly regarded in the area. He is a really good human all around.

I am about to start in on my fourth when my DM training starts.

Tom