How much experience does your instructor have?

[Divin'Papaw]

See I don't think the relationship is even close to 1:1. I think the majority of instructors are baboons. I know my OW, AOW, nitrox and rescue instructors were.

The OP has almost no diving experience. Yes he could probably teach a student to swim around underwater right now, but that won't be making "divers" just more baboons.

What's with the attitude? Making your point in as crass a manner as possible so as to completely turn off the person you're trying to reach? How is that helpful? It just makes you look like a prima donna, which is a pity because your posts are typically very helpful.

 

[Teamcasa]

The experience of the instructor is somewhat based on the subject they are teaching.

Although it would be nice but an Open Water instructor simply does not need the same experience level as a course director or cave instructor in order to teach, convey and certify OW students.

As the class complexity and depth of the materials increases, so does my expectation of an instructors experience and expertise.

Sometimes we tend to over think this issue of instructor (regardless of agency) experience as it relates to OW teaching. I would no more expect a typical OW instructor to be teaching technical diving skills than I would a tenured college physics professor teaching arithmetic to 1st graders.

The problem arises when (any) instructor starts teaching things they themselves have little understanding of.

 

[Blackwood]

The experience of the instructor is somewhat based on the subject they are teaching.

Although it would be nice but an Open Water instructor simply does not need the same experience level as a course director or cave instructor in order to teach, convey and certify OW students.

Sure, but I'm more comfortable with an instructor who consistently dives at or above the level for which I'm training than someone who dives almost exclusively with students.

 

[Teamcasa]

Sure, but I'm more comfortable with an instructor who consistently dives at or above the level for which I'm training than someone who dives almost exclusively with students.

I would not disagree with that.

 

[rjack321]

That's really key. Most divers become who their instructors are and in doing so reinforce their Instructors' world view. Given the rather insular nature of the LDS system, face it ... there's not a whole lot of interchange, you often wind up with some rather delusional systems of thinking that are not open to discussion and query. We were lucky at the university because we also ran the branch ITC, and other branch programs, so there was a regular influx of outside people. I made sure that this happened after I took a group of my junior staff to one of the major dive shows. One of our assistant team leaders came up to me after a few hours of looking around and asked, in all seriousness, "I don't understand this ... how do these people pass their annual diving physical?" Right then and there I realized that we had to get out more and that I needed to bring more "outsiders" in.

Exactly. Someone who has navigated their way through an agencies minimum requirements or maybe they even have substantially more dives but all in the same places/conditions really isn't much of a resource for their students. They can teach them the book, just like they learned. But people don't turn into divers from books and videos or even many classes (like a photography class or a 'equipment' class).

The old salts of lore taught themselves what it took to actually survive. YMCA and similar programs helped, mostly by making them tough as nails in a Navy Seal sorta way. But if all that you have to teach is what's in the book you aren't really a teacher. Its the same reason why we expect university faculty to do research, even if its not directly related to their teaching. Since Navy seal style training is essentially out of favor you need to bring actual survival skills/techniques to the table instead.

I know that many instructors aren't doing this. We have had ~5 deaths in the past couple years from people running out of gas on deeper dives, not having any idea they didn't bring enough gas in the first place, not being competent to share gas, etc.

I know its quite possible to be a mediocre instructor. But this industry really doesn't need anymore of those and the OP isn't doing himself nor his prospective students any favors by continuing to take classes with the objective of "teaching" instead of actually diving and becoming a well rounded diver that has true experience to share first.

 

[rjack321]

The problem arises when (any) instructor starts teaching things they themselves have little understanding of.

Or heaven forbid something they learned here!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I had over 225 dives before becoming an instructor. In addition I had over 200 hours in the pool assisting. With 3 different instructors from 3 different agencies. I've also dove in fresh and saltwater, warm to very cold(like 38 degrees cold), got a couple technical certs, and make sure I dive for fun as much as possible!

Teaching and assisting before are fun. But they get old if that's all you do. Like diving the same place time after time. Yes every dive is different but Monterey Bay is different than Lake Erie, Bonaire, the Keys, or quarries and small lakes, and the St Lawrence is different than all of them. I've done all of these before getting my instructor cert. In addition I'm required to take continuing education classes. I just completed my Ice certification a couple weeks ago.

My original instructor had over 1200 dives at the time I was his OW student. But he still has not been as many places as I have. 90% of his dives are in the same lake on the same platforms, doing the same things. I never want to be like that. My experience to date and training that I've taken and plan on taking is to be able to give my students the best possible education I can and to have fun!

I'll be Jamaica in a few weeks, then the week I come back will be in a cold dark lake with most likely pisspoor vis and having a blast with a diver I trust as my buddy trying to set up a nav course aid at 110 feet in this lake. I'm betting that will be more fun and a better learning experience than diving in Jamacia. The skills I'll polish on that dive will give me more to pass on.

 

[jpsexton]

Becoming an instructor is part of my future plans. How much experience is required? Well, right now I have somewhere around 300 dives or so. I've dove quarries, lakes, springs, oceans, and once was even dumb enough to get in the river. I've dove cold water during a snowfall, warm summer dives in the tropics, and everything in between. I've even assisted a few times with classes. I still don't know how much experience is required though. In my mind, I'll know it when I get there. Until then I'll dive as much as possible and continue honing my skills. Don't be in a hurry, experience doesn't come quickly it's gained over time.

 

[SailNaked]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my post. I almost have the answer I was looking for. The Salt factor.

: good form in the water, comfortable handeling new divers issues. varied experience in real life(not training dives).

I have been diving in BVI, Fla, California, New York, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Hawaii and have trips planned to Bonaire, PR, South Padre and the Oriskany this year.
I was born a fish and have been trained as a diver. learned leadership in the USMC as a platoon seargant. I expect as part of my DM to understudy from all of the 15 or so instructors at our LDS, and I expect to get full wreck training, and then apply to be an instructor of noobs in 2 years or so.

I think I will never have 1000 dives, as I plan to stop counting as soon as I get my instructor cert.

 

[AndyNZ]

Just read through the various posts, and would throw in a question here....

What makes a good instructor?


Is it experience? Is it training? Is it personality? Is it empathy? Is it attitude? Or indeed, something completely different?

Like Thal, I know someone who became an excellent instructor with just over 100 dives. If I have an issue with particularly nervous students that I can't resolve, I hand the student over to this other instructor for a few sessions. They're not doing deco diving, they don't do cave exploration.... they're not particularly interested in additional training, they've still only done maybe 250 dives.... but they do have an incredibly calming presence underwater.

The question "how much experience does instructor have?" is remarkably irrelevant. It's more a case of who is the right instructor for you at this time, for the course that you want to do. It's not a fixed answer, it changes as you change.