Leading the tour in poor visibility

[tracydr]

Our lake has pretty poor visibility, which I'm sure many instructors and DMs experience while teaching. I was told I'll get to "lead the tour" next time we have an OW class. This will be the second OW class that I will be helping with. Last weekend, visibility was bad enough that I could just see the tips of the student's fins, while staying close enough as close behind them as I could, without being kicked in the face. I couldn't see their tanks or any other part of their bodies.
I know part of the visibility issue is that they are kicking up silt, but even when my buddy, the other DMC and I did a fun dive after class, the vis was only about 6-10 feet at best and at times it was less than 5 feet, even though we went off to an area where the students hadn't been.
Any other hints on helping with the OW portion are greatly appreciated as well. I'm really enjoying the classes. I've only done one pool session and one OW class but I absolutely loved them. I can tell that I will really enjoy being a DM! No thoughts of doing this for money, I just want to have fun and work with dive students.

 

[eternaljonah]

i often lead dives where the vis is less than great sometime as bad as 1-2 feet.(we have great vis too) there are a few way i deal with this, one is to use a real and have divers( not ow student) ok the real. another i like is to hold their hand if only one person.( prevents separation) and the last one works great when compass navigating(max 2 students/ow divers) i swim just on top of the ow divers/ students so i can reach their tank valve's if they start to drift in different directions i just stop it. but i guess you'll have to find your own way that works with the conditions your in. enjoy

 

[Hawkwood]

Low vis? Keep the number of students you are leading to a minimum - one or two at most. In low vis, you really can't "lead". The students are going to have to be on your shoulders. I had two students yesterday and vis was less than 8 feet. We went really slow, didn't go far, but were able to spend some time putzing around the training site. The big thing is to ensure that they understand what to do if they get separated and follow those instructions with no hesitation.

 

[tracydr]

I like the idea of holding hands. My husband mentioned that he links arms when he leads in really low-vis.
The classes are usually very small because of visibility and because the instructor im working with likes semi-private teachimg. On average,two students, one instructor, and me, plus sometimes another the other DMC in my class. So one on one help or better.
Shoulder to shoulder sounds good, too. I've dived with my buddy a couple of times this summer in the lake shoulder to shoulder and we've been able to stay together like glue. Just wasn't sure how to do shoulder to shoulder with more than one person or with students.
I also realized that I need to work on managing my compass while leading next time. I was so concerned about keeping an eye on the students that I didn't really watch my compass as well as I normally do. Not like I could really get lost at lake. I had taken my starting heading but never really checked it after that. Obviously, that won't work if I'm leading! Lots to think about, this leadership thing!
I just bought a new wrist mounted Suunto compass this week. I think having the compass on my wrist rather than needing to pull it up from a retractor will help. I've always hated having it on a retractor. I think my compass should be just as handy to check as my time and depth. I usually check it frequently, since we my husband and I shore dive a lot but while putting 90% of my brain into watching the students, I found it hard to navigate. Not that I could get lost at our lake, but it is smoother to know where I am and I never know, we could teach a class in So. CA or San Carlos sometime, plus, we plan to move in 18 months, so I have no idea where my DM'ing will eventually take me.

 

[TSandM]

We do tours in low viz, although if it gets low enough, I refuse to do them. I won't do more than 2:1 (and Peter won't, either). I tell them they need to swim one on either side of me, and stay on my shoulder. I swim very slowly and check them constantly. We haven't had a major issue.

The other way we do them, if manpower permits, is to have a "leader" out in front, and a CA diving "cleanup", behind and above the buddy pair of students. Students like this better, because truly following makes better sense to them than trying to stay on somebody's shoulder. I'm usually the one behind and above, which means I can catch buoyancy oopses quickly, before they get out of control. Of course, in that setting, Peter and I are essentially diving solo.

 

[Hawkwood]

We do tours in low viz, although if it gets low enough, I refuse to do them. I won't do more than 2:1 (and Peter won't, either). I tell them they need to swim one on either side of me, and stay on my shoulder. I swim very slowly and check them constantly. We haven't had a major issue.

The other way we do them, if manpower permits, is to have a "leader" out in front, and a CA diving "cleanup", behind and above the buddy pair of students. Students like this better, because truly following makes better sense to them than trying to stay on somebody's shoulder. I'm usually the one behind and above, which means I can catch buoyancy oopses quickly, before they get out of control. Of course, in that setting, Peter and I are essentially diving solo.

Your second paragraph nails it. It also makes more sense for them as to working as buddies, as opposed to being separated by the "leader" in between them. I really like it when either I or a CA gets hang out behind and above. It is great for the instructor in this position as you can observe the students positioning, interaction, trim, finning, etc. and can work at those during subsequent dives.

Bill

 

[tracydr]

We do tours in low viz, although if it gets low enough, I refuse to do them. I won't do more than 2:1 (and Peter won't, either). I tell them they need to swim one on either side of me, and stay on my shoulder. I swim very slowly and check them constantly. We haven't had a major issue.

The other way we do them, if manpower permits, is to have a "leader" out in front, and a CA diving "cleanup", behind and above the buddy pair of students. Students like this better, because truly following makes better sense to them than trying to stay on somebody's shoulder. I'm usually the one behind and above, which means I can catch buoyancy oopses quickly, before they get out of control. Of course, in that setting, Peter and I are essentially diving solo.

I like this setup. This is basically how we did our class last weekend. I was behind and did catch a bouyancy problem with one of the students. We had the instructor leading and both DMCs following.

 

[parkerco]

A few suggestions, since I work as an assistant with a similar low-vis lake OW scene:

(1) Students ****ting the bed in terms of their finning straight into the mud can be dealt with, to at least some extent, with the briefing given at the OW site. We explain to our students that this is a lake and as such the bottom is comprised primarily of mud, which does very predictable things if you plant yourself in it or flutter kick into it. We go so far as to suggest perhaps they move their legs and kick like frogs (without actually teaching them a frog kick). It does seem to help with at least some students, though.

(2) We have an obstacle course of crap (old industrial dryer, 2-person boat, etc.) at the bottom that we do our "tours" of, but that are also roped together. With big classes, where you just know someone is going to blast out the vis, we'll suggest they hold onto the rope, or at least circle it with their fingers for Dive 1 while staying buoyant -- gives them a reference and keeps them from getting lost while at the same time giving them a chance to get used to buoyancy at the site (since they are wearing 7mm's they won't be used to, etc.). After Dive 1 they can just use it as a reference. If you can set up a line it will take some stress off you as well since you will always know where they are if visibility goes 100% south. I've had equal amounts of success catching problems doing this while either above the students or on one side of the line with them on the other.

(3) Talk to the instructors at your shop. They will all have stories of temporarily "losing" a student in crap vis and should have suggestions for you as to how best to deal with the site with students.

(4) There's no good way to lead from the front in seriously low vis that can go to 0 with a misplaced fin kick with non-certified students that I've ever found without either (a) having them hold onto each other or (b) hold onto you / you hold onto them, and there is absolutely no way you should ever lead from behind ... that's not "leading." Since it sounds like you are unsure when your next OW will even be, take the time before then to go practice leading a diver or two at the site so when you're responsible for a student you can be confident and 100% in control.

(5) Make sure every time you are on the bottom with a class with zero visibility because someone just core-drilled the mud with their fin, that you think fondly about the DM's who get to assist classes in gin clear visibility =) Bastards.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I always do dives like this with students the same way. They are even with me and for the first dive or two one on each side of me. I have them rest their hand on my forearm so I can still use the compass. Three and four I will be either on their right or left while one of them leads. Again hands resting on the "leaders" forearms. This way if anyone gets squirrely all they have to do is grab and hold on. Leading tours in vis like this by being in front of the students is asking to get someone hurt. Even with a DM diving clean up the instructor or DM leading should be able to see them at all times. If he can't he's in the wrong position, going too fast, or has too many in the water.

 

[TSandM]

Rereading this, I was reminded of my first tour in my own OW class. The viz was pretty poor (and I'm sure I wasn't helping it any) and my instructor had a Light Cannon which was clipped off on one of those phone-cord lanyards. He handed me the light, which a) gave me a way to see something and b) attached me firmly to the instructor. The lanyard was long enough for me to swim as far away from him as was safe for me to do, anyway, and the whole setup was incredibly reassuring.