Bad Experience During Training

[brand0nscuba]

Had a bad experience during training today on my 4th class for my OWD cert. Before we started the dive, I was having some issues assembling my equipment and the instructor was really impatient and was saying things like "you should know this already" and "use common sense". Then when I was putting in my weights I asked him how many I needed because I didn't remember and he seemed kind of angry about that. I said last time I remember using 4 (it was actually supposed to be 6). I would have appreciated it if he just helped me figure out the right answer before I got in the water.

Then during the immersion we went pretty far to a deep reef and having an underweighted setup (along with using my arms a bit, which he later said I shouldn't do) made me consume air faster. He did a good job asking my air reserves and when I got to 100 we turned back. Then halfway back I hit 70 so he gave me his spare regulator. He was moving a bit too fast and I had to tell him to slow down a few times as I tried to keep up with the spare regulator in my mouth. Then we switched and kept going. When I got down to 50 we decided to make an ascent and swim back to shore from the surface with the BCD inflated. I thought it was a pretty stressful experience (the training I had before was the only thing that helped me stay somewhat calm and know what to do when he suddenly took out my regulator).

I think he did a decent job handling the situation but I would have appreciated more compassion especially since I'm a beginner. I'm still kind of dubious about completing my certification here but I only have 2 dives left.

 

[crosshairs]

Are you training in a group or is this one-on-one?

 

[Outbound]

A couple of things:

1) By Dive 2 of OWD certification, you should definitely know how to assemble your gear. By that point you have done it, what, 6 or 7 times already (including your confined water sessions)? However, forgetting how to do so doesn't excuse your instructor being rude about it. It should have been used as a teaching moment.

2) You should have been keeping track of your weighting. You are supposed to be logging each of your dives, including your first open water training dive, so you should have known how much lead you required. But, similar to what I wrote above, forgetting to do so is no reason for an instructor to get angry or rude about it. You are a student and are still learning. He should have handled it better, in my opinion.

EDIT: Another weight check should have been done at the start of Dive 2, so your instructor should have sorted out your weighting then.

3) Without knowing the local conditions and the reef, exit/entry site, etc., it's difficult to comment on the issue with your air pressure and his fast swim to get back while you were breathing off his octo. Part of your training (confined water) was breathing off of a buddy's octo while swimming, just in case there is ever a reason why you must share air but ascending immediately isn't really a good option. It's impossible to know why he decided to swim fast, or even if he was swimming fast (we don't have his side of the story), but generally it would have been preferable to ascend quite shallow - say to 20ft/6m or so - and do your safety stop as you swam with some deliberate speed but not so fast as to make you consume too much air. There is a balance between the two, however, depending on the conditions, current, boat traffic above, distance to the exit point, etc.

4) You write that he suddenly took out your regulator. Assuming this is correct, that's a no-no. As long as you are conscious, YOU are in control of your regulator, when you take it out, and when you put an octo in. He should have signaled to you to switch from his octo back to your primary.

Overall it sounds like this guy hates his job and has no patience for students. If you feel comfortable, I'd suggest speaking with his superior or the dive op manager about your issues. Again, though, there are two sides to every story and we are only getting your impression of events.

In the meantime, best of luck to you as you finish your certification, and I hope that the next two dives go more smoothly!

 

[steinbil]

I'm not impressed with the behavior of your instructor as you describe it. There is absolutely no reason to be condescending or demeaning towards a student ever, and rushing students, or any diver for that matter, in preparation for a dive sounds like a recipe for disaster with regards to human factors and all that.

Also in a gas-sharing situation, the buddy donating gas should reassure you, and make sure that you're not in a position where your reg is pulled from your mouth, while you hold the hose to also prevent it. He should definitely not turn his back on you and make you keep up with him.

If you feel comfortable finishing the certification with that instructor, it'll probably be fine, but I would definitely look elsewhere for future training. And if you don't want to continue, I don't blame you. Find another instructor who treats you better.

Remember this:
A lot of SCUBA OW training is very rushed, unprofessional and of poor quality. It's not your fault if you haven't been trained well, and it's common to feel overwhelmed or unprepared for autonomous diving after the class. Seek out friendly and helpful divers, mentors and excellent instructors to further your training and to gain experience and comfort. Don't give up, there are nice people out there who will show you the way, and the reward for improving your skills and comfort in the water is awesome!

 

[Alex Ouroboros]

Stick with it you’ll be ok, instructors are people and as such some are a bit more business like and others are more patient in their approach, my advice would be to get your gear ready in good time, and try enjoy it, I doubt your instructor will take you any deeper than the depth of the dive you’ve reiterated here, be positive, and after the next couple of dives you can advance yourself at your own pace through friends or a local club.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@brand0nscuba

Sorry for your experience. Having gone diving in Cuba, I can't say I was too impressed by the training I observed. However, I saw nothing like what you described.

It doesn't matter how long it takes you to learn how to assemble your kit. It takes what it takes. Different people pick things up at different rates. With regards to the weights, your instructor should have been ensuring that each student recorded information for each dive.

It sounds like the site selection wasn't the best. Mind sharing what dive sites those were?

I would recommend reading these blog posts I wrote for SDI. You may find something useful in them and I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Teaching Neutrally Buoyant and Trimmed - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI

Teaching Neutrally Buoyant and Trimmed: Pt2 - Mask, Snorkel & Fin Skills - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI

Teaching Neutrally Buoyant and Trimmed: How to weight properly, Part 3 - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI

 

[TMHeimer]

Yes, weight checks should be done before the first dive. Then it should be the same for subsequent dives. Something is amiss with those low PSIs. The instructor shouldn't be so impatient. It think we sometimes forget how new everything is for a beginner. We were all there at some point. There are a lot of steps putting the stuff together. I was thinking at the pool "jeez I want to write this down". Takes a bit to become second nature.

 

[USdiver1]

Something is amiss with those low PSIs.

I'm pretty sure his SPG is measuring in BAR. 100 approximate 1,500 psi, 70 approximate 1,050 psi and 50 approximate 750 psi.

 

[brand0nscuba]

Are you training in a group or is this one-on-one?

One on one, and there was another instructor with me as well. On the way back from the reef I was at the very back of a 3 person line and had to try kind of hard to catch up with the two of them, but the instructor was looking back regularly to see if i was following.

A couple of things:

1) By Dive 2 of OWD certification, you should definitely know how to assemble your gear. By that point you have done it, what, 6 or 7 times already (including your confined water sessions)? However, forgetting how to do so doesn't excuse your instructor being rude about it. It should have been used as a teaching moment.

2) You should have been keeping track of your weighting. You are supposed to be logging each of your dives, including your first open water training dive, so you should have known how much lead you required. But, similar to what I wrote above, forgetting to do so is no reason for an instructor to get angry or rude about it. You are a student and are still learning. He should have handled it better, in my opinion.

EDIT: Another weight check should have been done at the start of Dive 2, so your instructor should have sorted out your weighting then.

3) Without knowing the local conditions and the reef, exit/entry site, etc., it's difficult to comment on the issue with your air pressure and his fast swim to get back while you were breathing off his octo. Part of your training (confined water) was breathing off of a buddy's octo while swimming, just in case there is ever a reason why you must share air but ascending immediately isn't really a good option. It's impossible to know why he decided to swim fast, or even if he was swimming fast (we don't have his side of the story), but generally it would have been preferable to ascend quite shallow - say to 20ft/6m or so - and do your safety stop as you swam with some deliberate speed but not so fast as to make you consume too much air. There is a balance between the two, however, depending on the conditions, current, boat traffic above, distance to the exit point, etc.

4) You write that he suddenly took out your regulator. Assuming this is correct, that's a no-no. As long as you are conscious, YOU are in control of your regulator, when you take it out, and when you put an octo in. He should have signaled to you to switch from his octo back to your primary.

Overall it sounds like this guy hates his job and has no patience for students. If you feel comfortable, I'd suggest speaking with his superior or the dive op manager about your issues. Again, though, there are two sides to every story and we are only getting your impression of events.

In the meantime, best of luck to you as you finish your certification, and I hope that the next two dives go more smoothly!

We never had a pool session, on my very first dive we just went in the water while staying kind of close to the shore. By my 4th dive I had assembled my equipment 3 times (during the first 3 dives).

For where we went, I just remember us going over what looked like a cliff of coral that dropped off really deep, and everything got super blue and open. It was my first time doing this and I was kind of nervous because if I sunk there it would be really bad (even though I was maintaining buoyancy).

He took my regulator out of my mouth when he started giving me his octo, not during the switch back to my regulator.

@brand0nscuba

Sorry for your experience. Having gone diving in Cuba, I can't say I was too impressed by the training I observed. However, I saw nothing like what you described.

It doesn't matter how long it takes you to learn how to assemble your kit. It takes what it takes. Different people pick things up at different rates. With regards to the weights, your instructor should have been ensuring that each student recorded information for each dive.

It sounds like the site selection wasn't the best. Mind sharing what dive sites those were?

I would recommend reading these blog posts I wrote for SDI. You may find something useful in them and I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Teaching Neutrally Buoyant and Trimmed - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI

Teaching Neutrally Buoyant and Trimmed: Pt2 - Mask, Snorkel & Fin Skills - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI

Teaching Neutrally Buoyant and Trimmed: How to weight properly, Part 3 - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI

I don't think it's a popular/known site. It's just a rocky shore that they dive from.

I'm pretty sure his SPG is measuring in BAR. 100 approximate 1,500 psi, 70 approximate 1,050 psi and 50 approximate 750 psi.

Yes the pressure is in bar

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm pretty sure his SPG is measuring in BAR. 100 approximate 1,500 psi, 70 approximate 1,050 psi and 50 approximate 750 psi.

Didn't think of that. Figured Cuba did imperial.