The problem today is that the training agencies have d evaluated the training regimen of the 70's and 60's. Kind of like investing a buck and inflation ate away from the returns so you now have 60 cents. When I got my training in the 70's, you had to do everything that all the parceled up courses require you to do today. A good number of people quit because they could not handle the regimen. Whups, there goes sales. Everything was getting more and more dumb'ed down. You could pretty well cont on the fact if they got OW, they knew their stuff. CPR training was required as well as emergency response. By the time I had 60 dives in 78, I knew all I needed to know to plan my dive and dive my plan with folks that were trained like me.
Our checkout dives required 130'. The only place deep enough without going to the coast was Greers Ferry Lake. Limited visibility, dark at 60', darker at 130'. Cold 45F.-50F. past the second thermocline. We made free ascents from that depth. Buddy breathe to the surface (on short hoses). There were vehicles we swam through at Northfork Lake. No pressure gauges, just timers and depth gauges, you would roll until you hit the NDL or the reg became hard to breath. Pull the reserve and start for the surface, whups... no safety stop. The largest tank you could get was an 80 @3000psi, So when I was spear fishing, I would side-mount a 55, yes side-mount on a horse collar, because I was blowing through so much air.
We would go to the Gulf and dive from little boats that pitched so bad, you would have to jump in the water to help with the seasickness. Coming up, we would sling our gear from weighted ropes on the side of the boat so we would not have to board with it. Sometimes we had to sling it and don it in the water. Currents that go one way at the surface and other at the bottom.... You better know where you came from and how to get back.
So today, the OW is nothing more than a fair weather sightseeing ticket, so you can get some air, get on a boat and then go flounder around at about 60'. Poor visibility.... you need confined quarters training, Current.... you need drift diving training, Dive from a boat... you need boat diving training. Getting lost... You need navigation training. Fish at 90'... you need deep diver training. Perk up your brew... you need NITOX training. Dude comes up with blood in his mask and a little swollen around the neck... You need Oxygen provider training. And on and on.... If you could sling a Zip Line underwater, there would be a training course for that too.
