A few ideas on how to improve OW training

[Mark Derail]

... what story are you referring to?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

The Lake Rawlings incident - where a single instructor had six OW students, and lost one on #3. Cold water, low viz, platform with a dropoff, no DM...

 

[DukeAMO]

What g1138 is referring to is awareness ... and in scuba diving, it's a developed skill, but one that often doesn't get emphasized sufficiently.
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Good buddy skills are perhaps the most important skills you can learn as a new diver, and unfortunately, one of the most overlooked in a significant percentage of OW classes.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I would agree with you Bob. I like this blog post from DivemasterDennis: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bl...ep-your-friend-close-your-buddies-closer.html
We'll keep working on better buddy skills on our own, but I wish it was more of a focus area for training classes. Plus, DH would be more likely to listen to an instructor telling him how to be a good buddy than to me. And I'd probably listen to an instructor more than him! (There's a fine line between constructive criticism and henpecking your spouse.)

I still think that lights (or colored arm bands, or something) would reduce task loading, especially in low visibility, and especially in medium to large classes. I mean, the important skill is staying close to your buddy and being aware of what they're up to, not actually discerning who is who. And it would probably make it easier to count students and differentiate students from DMs.

I guess a way to make noise underwater could be seen as a crutch, but I'm being very pragmatic here. I got left behind by DH a couple of times *because we're still working on our buddy skills*, and his relaxed pace is faster than my fast pace. I really wished there was a way to get him to notice that I wasn't next to him any more. Sometimes it took him a minute to notice; sometimes he was out of sight by then. He's getting better, but there have been some frustrating/scary times for me when I had to mentally start my "one minute to search for your buddy" timer.

*shrug* IMHO. YMMV. WWJD.

 

[LavaSurfer]

I am just going to say two things.
First, since new students are inexperienced, even the best of training will leave them inexperienced for some time under water so it is the Instructors sole responsibility to make sure all his/her ducklings are swimming in line and safe. I ALWAYS take precautions based on environment such as Cold water, Low Viz, Current etc... and make certain I have control or I bail and regroup. Some of the ideas are great for low viz cold environments like lighting and extra emphasis on buddy systems. But ultimately it will always fall back on the instructor except the rare case where you get the idiot that decides a bounce dive when the instructors head is turned is a good idea and even then, arguable, the instructor lost control.

Second, Getting any agency to "tighten" standards in a world where competition, ridiculously low accident rates, poor economy and consumer driven pricing will NEVER happen. Dive shops and scuba schools under cut each other instead of working together so the margins get thinner and thinner and the only people raising prices are the training agencies because they have total control. Retail sales are the cash cow and you need new divers to sell retail en mass. PADI, NAUI, SSI, CMAS or any of the others will not be tightening standards, in fact I fully expect to see them loosen even more over the next years. Not saying I agree, just stating what I see as the trend. $$$ in, standards out until they find that fine line of maximum profit and acceptable safety.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I would agree with you Bob. I like this blog post from DivemasterDennis: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bl...ep-your-friend-close-your-buddies-closer.html
We'll keep working on better buddy skills on our own, but I wish it was more of a focus area for training classes. Plus, DH would be more likely to listen to an instructor telling him how to be a good buddy than to me. And I'd probably listen to an instructor more than him! (There's a fine line between constructive criticism and henpecking your spouse.)

Relationships often get in the way of good buddy communication ... perhaps, then, he can read this article ... NWGratefulDiver.com

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DukeAMO]

Relationships often get in the way of good buddy communication ... perhaps, then, he can read this article ... NWGratefulDiver.com

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Nice!

 

[TSandM]

There's a fine line between constructive criticism and henpecking your spouse​

Oh, yeah! I wonder if I have room for another quotation in my sig line . . .

 

[Hawkwood]

Diving is one of the very few occasions when there are no debates, discussions, or arguments between my wife and me. We listen to each other and act accordingly and aways defer to whoever is expressing the more conservative view, or has the doubts.

Honestly, from the time the briefing starts to the time we are out of the water we are dive buddies, not husband and wife. That being said, we can squabble like pros both before and after.

 

[boulderjohn]

There's a fine line between constructive criticism and henpecking your spouse

Oh, yeah! I wonder if I have room for another quotation in my sig line . . .

Maybe he has room in his. Suggest it.