brutus_scuba
Guest
After being around for little while I am starting to see a stronger and stronger division between the recreational divers and the technical divers in my area. Even the dive shops are split between those who only cater to the recreational aspects of scuba and those who will try to sell you a set of doubles and technical courses. I understand that technical diving is NOT for everyone, but I see that there are a few paths that divers take after AOW/Rescue, and I'm not for sure I'm completely happy with any of them.
(Optional: Skip to break below)
1: AOW/Rescue > Specialties > DM/AI/Instructor - The DM course is excellent and really picks up and teaches a lot of physics and physiology that I feel should be introduced to anyone who sticks around in the sport more than a year or two. However, the DM/AI/Instructor route really focuses on leadership in diving. I'm not an instructor, but have sat through an Instructor Institute and was pretty disapointed at the science that was taught. There was some and the regulator/equipment mechanics was really taught, but really felt that the course in general was much more "how to teach." (which of course is needed). I dont' think that Instructors should be required to be technical divers, but I realized that a lot of the theory behind Advanced Nitrox, Staged Decompression, and the equipment affiliated with technical diving should be in their knowledge base so that they have a significantly deeper understanding of what's going on.
Currently I have taken the class room portion of an Adv. EANx class, but am waiting on equipment to do the dives, and feel like at least the theory and discussion in the class would benefit any diver, as a model or understanding of the physiological process that work on a diver.
2: Specialty Courses and Master Diver Certification: I will acknowledge I actually know very little about this path, and have never seen a shop in my area really promote this path. My understanding is that the Master Diver course demonstrates a knowledge of at least 5 specialties, does it involve introduction of new material in the class of any type??
3. Tech Diving-This route is touchy, it's certainly not for everyone. It really pushes divers to understanding the in's and out's of gas planning, nitrogen loading, Henry's Law, Dalton's Law etc. etc. Unfortunatly with the use of dive computers and large cheque books it's becoming easier and easier for an individual to buy his/her way into technical diving. Many times, but not all, these divers have a very individual attitude and/or dont' like working with divers who are a little greener than themselves. While I would not doubt the ability of any of the technical divers I saw climbing into the local watering hole, I also feel that by teaching some aspects of scuba to more ameature individuals they would reinforce their own knowledge, maybe grow a little bit, learn some leadership skills, and over all grow as a diver.
// ***********Skip to here if you're bored of my typing ******************//
With all this being said, and now that I have upset everyone on the board as we all fall into one or more of these catagories. I have some general questions let me explain where I fall. I have taken the DM/AI course. I have sat through an IDC (only for the educational purpose not because I'm actually going to instruct). I have a handful of specialty ceritification through a few recreational agencies, and would like to get into tech diving. I have my first set of doubles waiting to be assembled and then I plan on using this summer to getting comfortable diving them. I have taken the academic portion of an Advanced Nitrox class and a decompression procedures class.
I'm glad that I have the leadership expeirence there is no doubt in my mind that divemastering in the classroom and at the quarry helping teach new divers lessons forced me to really be self-critical, it showed me the importance of continuing to learn (which you'll see is where I'm getting at in the end). After going through the ADV EANx course and then taking time to learn how to calculate an EAD, and such I felt like I was better able to answer students questions when helping with an altitude course, because I could figure out how those tables were put together (and a little of my engineering background).
Here's the whole point of this very long post. I feel like there is no end to the road in education in scuba. That's what makes scubaboard such a great resource, but what does your dive shop promote most for continuing education? For folks who are Master Divers and have decided that Tech diving is not for them, what are the best resources out there? I think a mixture of all the paths above worked best for me? Are you solely happy going down one path? Is it okay, or more importantly safe, for an individual to become complacent in their diving knowledge, even if it is a very large knowledge base? Should recreational divers ever be introduced to some of the gas theory that supports technical diving even if it's only for knowledge sakes? Are instructors/DM's/AI's out there without enough diverse expeirence in diving?
I am working on putting together a computer now to act as a webserver, but what online resources have you found to be the best to learn from?
(Optional: Skip to break below)
1: AOW/Rescue > Specialties > DM/AI/Instructor - The DM course is excellent and really picks up and teaches a lot of physics and physiology that I feel should be introduced to anyone who sticks around in the sport more than a year or two. However, the DM/AI/Instructor route really focuses on leadership in diving. I'm not an instructor, but have sat through an Instructor Institute and was pretty disapointed at the science that was taught. There was some and the regulator/equipment mechanics was really taught, but really felt that the course in general was much more "how to teach." (which of course is needed). I dont' think that Instructors should be required to be technical divers, but I realized that a lot of the theory behind Advanced Nitrox, Staged Decompression, and the equipment affiliated with technical diving should be in their knowledge base so that they have a significantly deeper understanding of what's going on.
Currently I have taken the class room portion of an Adv. EANx class, but am waiting on equipment to do the dives, and feel like at least the theory and discussion in the class would benefit any diver, as a model or understanding of the physiological process that work on a diver.
2: Specialty Courses and Master Diver Certification: I will acknowledge I actually know very little about this path, and have never seen a shop in my area really promote this path. My understanding is that the Master Diver course demonstrates a knowledge of at least 5 specialties, does it involve introduction of new material in the class of any type??
3. Tech Diving-This route is touchy, it's certainly not for everyone. It really pushes divers to understanding the in's and out's of gas planning, nitrogen loading, Henry's Law, Dalton's Law etc. etc. Unfortunatly with the use of dive computers and large cheque books it's becoming easier and easier for an individual to buy his/her way into technical diving. Many times, but not all, these divers have a very individual attitude and/or dont' like working with divers who are a little greener than themselves. While I would not doubt the ability of any of the technical divers I saw climbing into the local watering hole, I also feel that by teaching some aspects of scuba to more ameature individuals they would reinforce their own knowledge, maybe grow a little bit, learn some leadership skills, and over all grow as a diver.
// ***********Skip to here if you're bored of my typing ******************//
With all this being said, and now that I have upset everyone on the board as we all fall into one or more of these catagories. I have some general questions let me explain where I fall. I have taken the DM/AI course. I have sat through an IDC (only for the educational purpose not because I'm actually going to instruct). I have a handful of specialty ceritification through a few recreational agencies, and would like to get into tech diving. I have my first set of doubles waiting to be assembled and then I plan on using this summer to getting comfortable diving them. I have taken the academic portion of an Advanced Nitrox class and a decompression procedures class.
I'm glad that I have the leadership expeirence there is no doubt in my mind that divemastering in the classroom and at the quarry helping teach new divers lessons forced me to really be self-critical, it showed me the importance of continuing to learn (which you'll see is where I'm getting at in the end). After going through the ADV EANx course and then taking time to learn how to calculate an EAD, and such I felt like I was better able to answer students questions when helping with an altitude course, because I could figure out how those tables were put together (and a little of my engineering background).
Here's the whole point of this very long post. I feel like there is no end to the road in education in scuba. That's what makes scubaboard such a great resource, but what does your dive shop promote most for continuing education? For folks who are Master Divers and have decided that Tech diving is not for them, what are the best resources out there? I think a mixture of all the paths above worked best for me? Are you solely happy going down one path? Is it okay, or more importantly safe, for an individual to become complacent in their diving knowledge, even if it is a very large knowledge base? Should recreational divers ever be introduced to some of the gas theory that supports technical diving even if it's only for knowledge sakes? Are instructors/DM's/AI's out there without enough diverse expeirence in diving?
I am working on putting together a computer now to act as a webserver, but what online resources have you found to be the best to learn from?