I Sounds Like You Care About The Traning Not The Card,and Thats The Way It Should Be,im New To Diving But The One Thing I Dont Want Is To Get Hurt Are The Other Thing,i Want To Have Fun But I Want To Know What Im Doing I Dont Want A Teacher To Just Pass Me,if Im Doing It Wrong I Want To Know It So I Can Get It Write!!!!!thanks For Your Post,your Not A Hard Assssss ,you Just Tell It Like It Is!!!!!!dont Change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!your Keeping People Safe In There Sport!!!!
Tech diving, equipment, awareness and too much too soon
- Thread starter GDI
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ScubaDealsUSA
Guest
I totally agree. They say a good diver is always learning. I would like to add something to that. A great diver is smart enough to know that they need a certain number of dives, experience under their belt before moving on to the next level of certification.
Too many people now days try to move through the certs too fast while not having enough experience & dives under them. This is how accidents happen.
Too many people now days try to move through the certs too fast while not having enough experience & dives under them. This is how accidents happen.
Excellent post, I am 52 years old and certified 2 years ago. I cannot agree with you more students who have completed there OWC dives plus maybe 2 more dives then go for there AOW. Seen this more than once. There comes a time where people have to be honest with themselves as you state it is not about the card. As well the certification process should change in that maybe a limited amount of dives should be required prior to moving on to the next level. The idea of money versus personnel safety. Even after more than 12 dives I have no problem asking a dive master to check my equipment prior to a dive or ask a question, to me it is all about safety. At my age I want to enjoy this sport for many years. Even at this time although I could take the AOW I would like to do a few more dives. That is just me. I thank you for your post it is honest and quite correct.
gypsyman45
Registered
Thanks for your insightful advice. I recently began diving after a 20- year layoff. I did a shallow water dive in St. Thomas, but I realized that I really needed to brush up on my personal skills. I just completed a refresher class, and I feel much better. And, while I want to pursue AOW, I realize I need some more "basic" dives before taking that step. Thanks again!
cave_diver
Contributor
While I fully agree with the post, it misses one (or perhaps two) important points:
First: Additional qualifications, sometimes called specialties, are a money-maker for training agencies. Some training agencies even encourage LDS to develop new specialties, depending on local dive conditions. While divers will certainly gain additional experience going diving, a new course (or specialty) may not always be in the best interest of a diver. I believe that a diver needs to practice the skills he/she did learn during the course and have some fun doing it.
I’m not sure if this is true, but I did read somewhere that the average scuba diver continues diving for 3 – 4 years. Then the diver quits for various reasons (family, other activities, etc.). Keeping divers active and interested for a longer time period is certainly one of the main challenges for dive stores. The best way to do this may be to create interesting (and challenging) dive opportunities. Divers like to hang out with divers, they like to discuss dive topics, and they like to have fun. However, some stores believe that selling more courses is the best way to do more business. I have seen dive stores not letting divers participate in weekend outings because they don’t have a “cold water specialty” or a “drift diver specialty”.
That’s bad business practice, at least in my opinion.
Second: Except for some technical dive training, it is common practice today that almost all divers pass each and every course they sign up for. Why? Because no LDS likes to lose (or can afford to lose) business to a competitor. No instructor likes to be known as the “roughneck”. Training agencies are not interested in “failures”, because they are bad for business. However, a failure now is better than a fatality later – both for the diver and the sport.
Perhaps this is what GDI wanted to say in his article. Practice makes a good diver, and a C-card can mean anything and nothing.
First: Additional qualifications, sometimes called specialties, are a money-maker for training agencies. Some training agencies even encourage LDS to develop new specialties, depending on local dive conditions. While divers will certainly gain additional experience going diving, a new course (or specialty) may not always be in the best interest of a diver. I believe that a diver needs to practice the skills he/she did learn during the course and have some fun doing it.
I’m not sure if this is true, but I did read somewhere that the average scuba diver continues diving for 3 – 4 years. Then the diver quits for various reasons (family, other activities, etc.). Keeping divers active and interested for a longer time period is certainly one of the main challenges for dive stores. The best way to do this may be to create interesting (and challenging) dive opportunities. Divers like to hang out with divers, they like to discuss dive topics, and they like to have fun. However, some stores believe that selling more courses is the best way to do more business. I have seen dive stores not letting divers participate in weekend outings because they don’t have a “cold water specialty” or a “drift diver specialty”.
That’s bad business practice, at least in my opinion.
Second: Except for some technical dive training, it is common practice today that almost all divers pass each and every course they sign up for. Why? Because no LDS likes to lose (or can afford to lose) business to a competitor. No instructor likes to be known as the “roughneck”. Training agencies are not interested in “failures”, because they are bad for business. However, a failure now is better than a fatality later – both for the diver and the sport.
Perhaps this is what GDI wanted to say in his article. Practice makes a good diver, and a C-card can mean anything and nothing.
deerhunter1911a1
Registered
I'll admit it, I was almost one of those students. Im relatively new to diving and am very good friends with my instructor. he was thinking about making the jump into tech, which i REALLY want to do, and because he was so into it, i was considering getting tech gear, even before my rec stuff, and trying to find out how to reach my mandatory 100 dives before christmas (when he wanted to start tech deep). He has since smacked me around a little bit and i have read tons of SB posts and whatnot and have had the sense talked back into me. i love diving, and will absolutely go the tech route, but not for a while yet, i have a lot to work on before i get there. thanks for the great post, i just wanted to add that i was almost one of those divers and that its people like you (and my instructor, got bless him) that are there to keep the rest of us from jumping in too deep (no pun intended). thanks again for the great post!
wreckhunter01
Guest
Very informative, as I am a new diver and often wonder about how much training or how many dives I need to advance to another level. I guess the best answer to that has been "When you feel comfortable and confident with your equipment and abilities...". I have found that the local dive club in my area often has pool nights booked so divers of any level can practice with new or unfamiliar equipment with someone knowledgeable and experienced with the same equipment. I would encourage this for ANY diver wanting to advance his/her skills. Just having your card does not qualify you to use any scuba equipment out there, it takes practice with professionals to use the equipment properly and SAFELY.
wdwkr
Registered
Great post and perspective. I am new to diving but have already seen too many divers preoccupied with the cards and certifications instead of becoming confident with the skills and enjoying the experience.
lifes an ocean
Registered
Thanks for this post. I was at a LDS this weekend talking about switching my cert over to PADI since SSI isn't available in the area, and was worried that they were talking about how they start getting people ready for AOW just after they qualify for OW. This had me a little worried. But Sometimes I have to do my own check to ensure I don't go sign up for wreck diving just cause I want to do it. I know I still have some skills to build up on. Thanks for the post, makes me feel better knowing that I am doing the right thing.
seo155
Guest
This is something that needs to happen more often. There are instructors out there that see the $$$ and just want to pass them.
My Girlfriend was going up for her DM class and got all the way to the end but she didnt feel comfortable. The DM instructor was just pushing them through. They didnt do several of their class projects like mapping a site, boat intern, and only half the physical pool work. The final straw is she had fallen behind due to medical issues and started talking to the other DM candidates and she had found out that he had given them copies of the test so they could pass because he wasnt sure they could pass with out it.
She proceded to drop from the course, formerly request a refund from PADI, and filed a grevience against the instructor. Not many people that are that close to finishing their DM course are that willing to do it all over again because of principles. She felt like she was being shorted on the learning experience and what the full potential of the course could be.
Bottom line if some one isnt cutting it whether it be OW, AOW, or Tech diving specialties, for their own safety and the safety of their future budies; they need to be prevented from moving further on until they develope the skills needed to dive safely. If you have situation at 100ft and you panic you are risking the health and lives of those arround you if they have to respond. There needs to be more people that do this.
My Girlfriend was going up for her DM class and got all the way to the end but she didnt feel comfortable. The DM instructor was just pushing them through. They didnt do several of their class projects like mapping a site, boat intern, and only half the physical pool work. The final straw is she had fallen behind due to medical issues and started talking to the other DM candidates and she had found out that he had given them copies of the test so they could pass because he wasnt sure they could pass with out it.
She proceded to drop from the course, formerly request a refund from PADI, and filed a grevience against the instructor. Not many people that are that close to finishing their DM course are that willing to do it all over again because of principles. She felt like she was being shorted on the learning experience and what the full potential of the course could be.
Bottom line if some one isnt cutting it whether it be OW, AOW, or Tech diving specialties, for their own safety and the safety of their future budies; they need to be prevented from moving further on until they develope the skills needed to dive safely. If you have situation at 100ft and you panic you are risking the health and lives of those arround you if they have to respond. There needs to be more people that do this.
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