How many of you would find increasing the intensity of your diver training beneficial? Regardless of certification Agency, would increased difficulty enhance or detract from your training experience?
For those who don't know me, I'm an "old school" Instructor with a background in Navy and Commercial Diving. Many of my students take my course because they wish to either follow a similar career, or just want a challenge. To give you some parameters of the Basic Program (50-65 hours), the applicant must pass an in-water evaluation that consists of a:
- 400 M swim;
- 25 M underwater swim;
- tread water 2 minutes (arms and legs);
- tread water 2 minutes (arms only, legs crossed);
- tread water 2 minutes (Legs only, hands out of the water;
- 10 pound weight belt recovery (18')
- 15 minute survival float.
This is done in a continuous fashion (without pause). If an applicant fails to complete one or two segments, they may continue with the confined water training, but must successfully redo the test before progressing to OW.
The program is divided into 5 sections (plus an optional session):
1/ Fins, Mask and Snorkel
Divers become proficient with this equipment while increasing in-water fitness. This includes: mask clearing, surface dives, entries, kicks, doff and don (in 18' of water).
2/ SCUBA
Divers become proficient with this equipment while increasing in-water fitness. This includes the same skills undertaken with FMS. From the beginning of the class, emphasis is placed on good buoyancy control. This is tested later in the course with "the Gauntlet" (a set of underwater hoops at various depths that Students must negotiate). To get through the last hoop, the Student must take off his SCUBA to fit through a smaller opening. Other aspects of this class include: emergency swimming ascent (CESA), sharing air, buddy breathing, doff and don (with a blacked-out face mask), station breathing (movement between 5 SCUBA stations which will be shared by a number of other students).
3/ SCUBA Rescue
Areas covered include: the diving casualty, first-aid/cpr, diver recovery and transport, tired diver, panic reduction, surface & sub-surface rescue
4/ Lectures/Examinations (Text used: U.S. Navy Diving Manual)
During the first 3 sections, Students learn about: diving equipment/selection/maintenance, diver physiology, physics, Boyle's, Charles, Dalton's, Henry's laws, properties of breathing gases, harmful aspects of each gas (partial pressures), etc., etc., decompression, tide charts, dive planning. There are separate examinations for general knowledge, decompression, tide tables and dive planning (including the calculation and projection of gas consumption at various depths RMV/SAC).
Chamber Ride (Optional Session)
Students attend a simulated dive in a decompression chamber. This is usually done between 100 and 130 FSW.
5/ Open Water Dives
This is usually done over two weekends. It includes an ocean surface swim (1000 yards), Skin Dive (FMS) and a minimum of 5 open water dives (usually 7 including two boat dives). It includes an emergency swimming ascent from 50 FSW.
Anyway, I'm sure I missed something, but this was only to give an idea of the training intensity. Primarily, the goal is to turn-out a competent diver who can operate effectively in a Buddy team, independent of an Instructor/DM. The OW training conditions are harsh: waves average 4-5 feet, surface entry through rocks, surf, current and at times poor visibility. Water temperature can be below 32 degrees F.
For most people, a course of this type is overkill, but for a few people it provides what they want. How about you? If a similar program were available in your area, would you be interested in taking your training up a notch?
For those who don't know me, I'm an "old school" Instructor with a background in Navy and Commercial Diving. Many of my students take my course because they wish to either follow a similar career, or just want a challenge. To give you some parameters of the Basic Program (50-65 hours), the applicant must pass an in-water evaluation that consists of a:
- 400 M swim;
- 25 M underwater swim;
- tread water 2 minutes (arms and legs);
- tread water 2 minutes (arms only, legs crossed);
- tread water 2 minutes (Legs only, hands out of the water;
- 10 pound weight belt recovery (18')
- 15 minute survival float.
This is done in a continuous fashion (without pause). If an applicant fails to complete one or two segments, they may continue with the confined water training, but must successfully redo the test before progressing to OW.
The program is divided into 5 sections (plus an optional session):
1/ Fins, Mask and Snorkel
Divers become proficient with this equipment while increasing in-water fitness. This includes: mask clearing, surface dives, entries, kicks, doff and don (in 18' of water).
2/ SCUBA
Divers become proficient with this equipment while increasing in-water fitness. This includes the same skills undertaken with FMS. From the beginning of the class, emphasis is placed on good buoyancy control. This is tested later in the course with "the Gauntlet" (a set of underwater hoops at various depths that Students must negotiate). To get through the last hoop, the Student must take off his SCUBA to fit through a smaller opening. Other aspects of this class include: emergency swimming ascent (CESA), sharing air, buddy breathing, doff and don (with a blacked-out face mask), station breathing (movement between 5 SCUBA stations which will be shared by a number of other students).
3/ SCUBA Rescue
Areas covered include: the diving casualty, first-aid/cpr, diver recovery and transport, tired diver, panic reduction, surface & sub-surface rescue
4/ Lectures/Examinations (Text used: U.S. Navy Diving Manual)
During the first 3 sections, Students learn about: diving equipment/selection/maintenance, diver physiology, physics, Boyle's, Charles, Dalton's, Henry's laws, properties of breathing gases, harmful aspects of each gas (partial pressures), etc., etc., decompression, tide charts, dive planning. There are separate examinations for general knowledge, decompression, tide tables and dive planning (including the calculation and projection of gas consumption at various depths RMV/SAC).
Chamber Ride (Optional Session)
Students attend a simulated dive in a decompression chamber. This is usually done between 100 and 130 FSW.
5/ Open Water Dives
This is usually done over two weekends. It includes an ocean surface swim (1000 yards), Skin Dive (FMS) and a minimum of 5 open water dives (usually 7 including two boat dives). It includes an emergency swimming ascent from 50 FSW.
Anyway, I'm sure I missed something, but this was only to give an idea of the training intensity. Primarily, the goal is to turn-out a competent diver who can operate effectively in a Buddy team, independent of an Instructor/DM. The OW training conditions are harsh: waves average 4-5 feet, surface entry through rocks, surf, current and at times poor visibility. Water temperature can be below 32 degrees F.
For most people, a course of this type is overkill, but for a few people it provides what they want. How about you? If a similar program were available in your area, would you be interested in taking your training up a notch?