OW certification questions

[Jim Lapenta]

You are not certified. If he allows you to do your own thing while he teaches another class he's breaking standards. You are supposed to be under direct supervision. If you went to some random pool on your own that's on you.
No wonder insurance rates are so high for instructors! It's because of bonehead stuff like this instructor is pulling.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Do Not Go until you are confident and comfortable.

 

[ScubaDoo83]

You are not certified. If he allows you to do your own thing while he teaches another class he's breaking standards. You are supposed to be under direct supervision. If you went to some random pool on your own that's on you.
No wonder insurance rates are so high for instructors! It's because of bonehead stuff like this instructor is pulling.

Really? After our class sessions I used the pool (with my Dad who was getting certified with me) totally unsupervised many times before our cert dives. We went maybe 5 or 6 times in the month where we had to wait for our cert dives. The practice really payed off. We felt extremely comfortable in the open water for our cert dives. I mean, there were guys around in the front sales floor if we had questions but otherwise we were on our own (which was fine to us). The pool is where I spent my first full hour under water.

 

[Steve_C]

Thank you!

For our controlled emergency ascent we swam from the pool depth of 12 feet laterally and slightly up toward the surface while kicking and slowly releasing our breath - we could not take another breath off our regulator.

I know that is how you are practicing it in a pool but that is not how it is done for real. In a real CESA you are going up rather than mostly sideways. This makes several differences. For one, the air expands in your lungs as you go up giving you more air. For the other unless your weighting is just right it is easy to be a little heavy in which case swimming almost horizonal is more work than going up where your BCD starts to provide some extra lift.

From what you said you started fruther back in which case you had to swim a further distance almost horizontal. Why did you start further back?

I will second the earlier comments about fin pivots. I found them a helpful way to get dialed in at first.

I have seen instructors add more weight to a student who has trouble staying down. That, of course, just makes the situation worse since they have a larger air pocket in their BCD. I assume your insturctor did not do that or otherwise over weight you?

 

[TMHeimer]

Really? After our class sessions I used the pool (with my Dad who was getting certified with me) totally unsupervised many times before our cert dives. We went maybe 5 or 6 times in the month where we had to wait for our cert dives. The practice really payed off. We felt extremely comfortable in the open water for our cert dives. I mean, there were guys around in the front sales floor if we had questions but otherwise we were on our own (which was fine to us). The pool is where I spent my first full hour under water.

I've heard of some instances when a pool was opened up for unsupervised practice by certified divers. I did this once myself during a course I was taking. The instructor, shop owner et. al where you go are opening themselves up to major problems should an uncertified diver ever have an "incident" in the pool.

 

[Scott]

Really? After our class sessions I used the pool (with my Dad who was getting certified with me) totally unsupervised many times before our cert dives. We went maybe 5 or 6 times in the month where we had to wait for our cert dives. The practice really payed off. We felt extremely comfortable in the open water for our cert dives. I mean, there were guys around in the front sales floor if we had questions but otherwise we were on our own (which was fine to us). The pool is where I spent my first full hour under water.

Yes, really.

I do see your point. Your abilities should have been at a level that you could dive unsupervised. I mean after all you were close to certifying, teaching was done.
However, until an instructor signs the card, you are still not certified and should be under supervision of an instructor.

Of course should have there been an accident in the pool while you were unattended, the shop would have some explaining to do.

 

[TSandM]

The CESA is SO much easier when you do it straight up! You will be very pleasantly surprised.

For reassurance, read the journal of my open water class that is link in my sig line.

Neutral buoyancy is a funny thing. The more you try to "DO" it, the more elusive it becomes. Getting neutral is a matter of relaxing, sinking into the water, and letting it hold you up. It required that you relax and breathe slowly and rhythmically, and stop fussing with the BC inflator. It won't happen if you have "happy feet" (fins that just won't stop kicking). I don't know what anyone could have told me, when I was a beginner, to make it easier -- it took me a very long time to learn to trust that, if I didn't do anything to change my relationship with the water, the water wouldn't do anything, either.

Have fun with your dives, and recognize that no one finishes open water a superb diver. It takes time in the water, and a desire to learn, to polish your skills.

 

[sll612]

I know that is how you are practicing it in a pool but that is not how it is done for real. In a real CESA you are going up rather than mostly sideways. This makes several differences. For one, the air expands in your lungs as you go up giving you more air. For the other unless your weighting is just right it is easy to be a little heavy in which case swimming almost horizonal is more work than going up where your BCD starts to provide some extra lift.

From what you said you started fruther back in which case you had to swim a further distance almost horizontal. Why did you start further back?

I will second the earlier comments about fin pivots. I found them a helpful way to get dialed in at first.

I have seen instructors add more weight to a student who has trouble staying down. That, of course, just makes the situation worse since they have a larger air pocket in their BCD. I assume your insturctor did not do that or otherwise over weight you?

Good points regarding the difference between doing this skill in a pool vs. in open water. I didn't know I was starting further back until he pointed this out after I failed to complete the skill twice in a row. I could have been over weighted, The first night of pool time I needed 4 additional pounds in the BCD in addition to the 4 on my waist belt. This time all 8 were on my waist - could placement of the weights effect me that much?

I really appreciate all of the comments. Thank you all very much!

---------- Post added September 15th, 2014 at 09:32 PM ----------

The CESA is SO much easier when you do it straight up! You will be very pleasantly surprised.

For reassurance, read the journal of my open water class that is link in my sig line.

Neutral buoyancy is a funny thing. The more you try to "DO" it, the more elusive it becomes. Getting neutral is a matter of relaxing, sinking into the water, and letting it hold you up. It required that you relax and breathe slowly and rhythmically, and stop fussing with the BC inflator. It won't happen if you have "happy feet" (fins that just won't stop kicking). I don't know what anyone could have told me, when I was a beginner, to make it easier -- it took me a very long time to learn to trust that, if I didn't do anything to change my relationship with the water, the water wouldn't do anything, either.

Have fun with your dives, and recognize that no one finishes open water a superb diver. It takes time in the water, and a desire to learn, to polish your skills.

Thank you for this! I don't think I've had a particularly BAD instructor. Other skills I've had no problem with whatsoever so it was frustrating to have everyone else suspended down there while I went up and down...up and down....and when he motioned me to go up with him, I knew he was frustrated, too. I hope that another evening in the pool will be just the ticket! (And I'm totally going to read your blog!)

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Really? After our class sessions I used the pool (with my Dad who was getting certified with me) totally unsupervised many times before our cert dives. We went maybe 5 or 6 times in the month where we had to wait for our cert dives. The practice really payed off. We felt extremely comfortable in the open water for our cert dives. I mean, there were guys around in the front sales floor if we had questions but otherwise we were on our own (which was fine to us). The pool is where I spent my first full hour under water.

And had something happened that person could have lost their shop. Unless you made sure none of your family would have sued them.

 

[ScubaDoo83]

I guess it just didn't cross my mind. The unlimited free pool usage was a big selling point for me on picking a shop and like I said, the time spent in there really paid off. I can definitely see the potential for issues though.