Is it OK for a non instructor to do a refresher?

[Eric Sedletzky]

I have a couple friends who are certified divers but have not been in the water for a long time.
Both of them recently have expressed interest in starting back up.

One guy got certified about 4 years ago and dived once since then in Hawaii using rental gear. He has his own gear which I originally set him up with (Freedom plate with VDH 35 wing, MK25 with a G250 and R190, G/B SPG) but he didn’t want to take it??
Anyway, I was there in Monterey when he got certified, I dived with him and a few others and led them around on a little tour of the metridium fields on their last day. He’s a natural and was also a freediver/ab diver so he’s pretty good in the water.
But I’m not sure I’m comfortable just taking him out scuba diving off our coast doing a beach dive just yet.
I’d like to see some basic skills performed in a pool first.

The other guy got certified probably over 20 to 25 years ago and has not dived in a long time.
He was also a local abalone freediver and has scuba dived up at Sea Ranch a few times. He has access to a pool, but has no gear other than a wetsuit. I know nothing about him other than what he tells me.

My question is: Is it OK to get these guys into the pool and go over some skills with them and maybe go over some fundamental physiology even though I’m not an instructor? They are both certified so technically they could rent tanks and gear and go diving on their own if they wanted.
Or do you think I’m just setting myself up?

 

[Marie13]

Honestly, I don’t see anything wrong with it if you’re doing it in a pool. They’re both already certified. Maybe you’ll find that the guy who hasn’t dived in 20 years needs more help than you can give. Refer him to dive shop/instructor as needed. I’ve done the same sort of thing with a couple of people (at different time) at the local quarry who just wanted a bit of help. It was a fun time.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I’d base the decision on liability. If that’s not a concern to you, go for it.

 

[lermontov]

id definitely want to take them somewhere safe to check their skill out- whether you lie it to not you are the team leader and be viewed as such

 

[Gone for diving]

What wrong with going diving in a pool with some friends that are certified?
Your helping them sort out some equipment and having fun and practicing...
You are just being a very alert buddy, that's all.
No problem at all. From what I can see.
Besides people that haven't dived in a while tend to forget things or need to sort out a few things with their gear, set up weights etc, better at a pool then open water

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

id definitely want to take them somewhere safe to check their skill out- whether you lie it to not you are the team leader and be viewed as such

I would be kind of the team leader if I took one or both of these guys out diving, even if it was just friends having fun. I don’t see how a veteran taking out two less experienced divers could be anything but.
I was made into a team leader when I took the first guy out and his freshly minted OW diver class buddies on a tour in Monterey. I also wasn’t officially working as a DM either.
I run those urchin dives as a team leader too or at least the organizer, but not really officially, officially we are just a bunch of friends that get together to bag up urchins and do something positive.

I’m just trying to figure out how far to stick my neck out.

 

[jborg]

I’m just trying to figure out how far to stick my neck out.

So, obviously, you guys over there have your own unique legal landscape, and I couldn't possibly have a relevant opinion on how that might affect the situation. That said, to me, it seems to boil down to what you think about their capabilities and your level of mutual trust. I've taken a newly-minted OW diver who did their first and only dives in Egypt with essentially zero buoyancy control and very little retained knowledge and introduced them to local diving in Sweden, with cold and low visibility and all. I'm much less experienced than you are and didn't think twice about doing this at a benign, shallow local diving spot. Partly this might be because I know them well, and even though I felt their skills in diving were not great, I knew they would be calm and receptive to input and direction. I felt they were good enough to do the dive in question with the guidance and direction I could apply. I feel that sometimes there is too much deference to titles and cards in diving, something I don't really see to the same extent in other sports.

 

[Scott]

I see this and read about it quite frequently locally. Newer diver wants to refresh skills or just go diving because they haven't been in the water since certifying a few weeks, six months ago or a year ago. Some other local diver says, "hey lets go, I was planning on ______day."
One of your proposed buddies you know and sounds like you have some previous experience with. I'm guessing you would be comfortable diving with him to refresh skills. I would say you're better off than two people who have never met and just meet at the site and go diving.

I would be hesitant to "refresh" a divers skills, that hasn't been in the water for 20+ years. Just this weekend I was persuaded to help my wife with a family wanting to do a DSD, "try dive", whatever its called now. Two of the family was previously certified and while they remembered having to do a mask clear, it was easier teaching those that had never performed the skill than those who had experience in the past. Sometimes what you think you know, gets in the way of what you need to know.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

So, obviously, you guys over there have your own unique legal landscape, and I couldn't possibly have a relevant opinion on how that might affect the situation. That said, to me, it seems to boil down to what you think about their capabilities and your level of mutual trust. I've taken a newly-minted OW diver who did their first and only dives in Egypt with essentially zero buoyancy control and very little retained knowledge and introduced them to local diving in Sweden, with cold and low visibility and all. I'm much less experienced than you are and didn't think twice about doing this at a benign, shallow local diving spot. Partly this might be because I know them well, and even though I felt their skills in diving were not great, I knew they would be calm and receptive to input and direction. I felt they were good enough to do the dive in question with the guidance and direction I could apply. I feel that sometimes there is too much deference to titles and cards in diving, something I don't really see to the same extent in other sports.

Well, unfortunately the legal landscape is imbedded in our modern lives and is responsible for so much being shut down and taken away. Suing people is a huge multi billion dollar industry that has placed a huge burden on society in so many negative ways, except for those that benefit of course. So yeah, it’s always in the backs of our minds and we try to not let it bother us, but it still does and still affects our decisions.

 

[KenE]

This really comes down to liability. If something bad happens, the family will be making the narrative. The easiest method is to get them a formal refresher. Providing equipment makes that possible narrative even worse for you. I understand the urge to help, but this comes with some risks that you cannot control. Formal refreshers come with insurance for these risks that you don't have to worry about. I would only do this for family if out of water for less than 2 yrs. Anything more, they need the refresher.