How to find an excellent SCUBA class

[Neilwood]

The issues I see with using hands for skulling (as opposed to anything else such as camera work, using them for leverage on the bottom in a current etc) is that
a) you disturb your trim and buoyancy
b) are more likely to try to mask poor finning techniques
c) if your hands are occupied with a task (such as deploying a DSMB, using a compass, checking SPG etc) but you have become reliant on your hands for manoeuvring , you may have issues maintaining your position in the water.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Watch a diver flailing their arms trying to back up. It's inefficient for one thing. For another on a sensitive reef close to coral a diver could break something off that took decades or longer to grow. Get a whole herd of hand finning divers and you have regs getting knocked out, masks getting knocked off, and people getting their eyes put out!

 

[flyboy08]

Today I signed up for the AOW and asked what experience can we expect from the instructor?

Response: depends who's on duty that day and how busy we are? Response was from the director of training.....but all instructors are DM qualified....ok, I feel better now

 

[Jim Lapenta]

What exactly does that mean? DM qualified tells me nothing. Shoot me your email and I'll send you the outline for my AOW class. See how it compares with theirs.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

I don't know about you all but I find it FAR easier to back up using my hands than to do proper back kick fin technique.

I am not quite sure how to phrase this.

If you find it "FAR easier to back up using my hands than to do proper back kick fin technique," then you have not experienced proper back fin technique.

 

[flyboy08]

I am not quite sure how to phrase this.

If you find it "FAR easier to back up using my hands than to do proper back kick fin technique," then you have not experienced proper back fin technique.

Split fins without a border will not allow for back fin technique. What's a split finner to do?

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

Split fins without a border will not allow for back fin technique. What's a split finner to do?

Well, if they re really floppy split fins, you will not get good speed, but you can back fin with any fin.

There is a method that uses a wide side wall for propulsion, and there is a method that uses the breadth of the blade for propulsion. If you don't have a side wall (method #1), then you use the other method. It works fine with any fin. The softer (floppier) the fin, the less luck you will have, and with a really soft, floppy fin the hands MIGHT be more effective.

 

[Scuba Legends]

I love this post. I love the topic. I agree that unfortunately in diving is quite hard to figure out if the instructor you choose is a good professional. I've seen instructors with 25 years experience whom i would never recommend to anyone and the other way around. I wish there was a sort of standard rule to qualify instructors and as an instructor i wish you could get payed according to your experience. I guess this post fits very good into the topic:

Scuba Legends - 7 Tips to identify a good Dive Professional
Happy Bubbles

Gery

 

[Ankush Mittal]

From my experiences, college based courses are a very good way to learn. The class is spread out so you aren't trying to learn everything in 3 days. Your instructor is usually getting paid by the school so they are not under the same pressures that a dive shop instructor would be. Plus, I took my open water class for $60 in school, if you can find a dive shop that can beat that....I won't even finish this sentence, because you can't.

As someone who did exactly that I can guarantee that the foundation which can be built with doing your open water at the bare minium and ideally even your advanced in a spread out pace is really really beneficial.

 

[Boiler_81]

What happened to the OP Walter? I haven't seen him post for some time.