What wasn't covered well enough...

[fisherdvm]

Going through the pool sessions with my son, I really do empathize with instructors. They have only X amount of time to cover Y amount of skills. With kids and slow adults (like myself), that time is not adequate.

Doesn't matter which organization it is, SSI or PADI, if you restrict the time to what is allotted - you can't expect all the skills to be taught - OW or OW plus AOW.

I think folks are realistically going to have to pay for more instruction time.

 

[TSandM]

It would be nice if there was some kind of follow-up class, that you could take once you settled in, to address some of the gaps

There is

 

[mwhities]

There is

Let me guess! Fundies?

Michael

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Thought I would post a question to all here, to see what everyone else thinks are skill sets that werent covered well enough through AOW training (regardless of your certifying agency). Just to see what things everyone else thinks should have been more of concern up front as they have continued to dive. I figure 5 is enough to start:

Me
1) Bouyancy
2) OOA situations
3) Limited Visibility Diving (Night or otherwise)
4) Propulsion methods (Different Kicks)
5) Ascent Rate


My Wife
1) Bouyancy
2) OOA situations
3) Ascent Rates
4) Computer Reading and Understanding
5) Night Diving (Limited Visibility)

I agree with you ... those are all skills that should be taught and practiced in AOW class ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DeepSeaDan]

I think folks are realistically going to have to pay for more instruction time.

Exactly! If they don't make the grade & they want to continue, they come back for remedial on their dime ( or the LDS's as per policy ); either way, they don't hit the high seas until ready. Period.

DSD

 

[J.R.]

I disagree. OW has been reduced and reduced. More should go in and it should take longer. Most of what is mentioned doesn't require more dives or more time underwater although more time diving is always better.

:14:

[conspiracy theory mode = on]
[humor mode = on]

Wellll.... let's just say you were a certification agency who wanted to take over the world and become a true enforcement agency that could control both the horizontal and vertical... how would ya' go about it? How would you justify it?

Personally, I'd do it by reducing the amount taught in each class and increasing the number of classes and levels needed. I'd do all in my power to teach *just enough* that the student leaves feeling they got something for their money... but withholding the deeper secrets of the craft under the pretext that I'm simply trying to facilitate the individual's desires and accomodate their "precious little free time"... (note: to become any kind of competent diver STILL requires a lot of time... the only question is... at what point does desert start getting served???)

Then... because of all these minimized levels of training and individual involvement... I'd start looking for MANDATORY RECERTIFICATION after every so many years... or, at least a mandatory skills reveiw assessment and and update on the latest revisions to the tables and/or dive theory propogated by the agency...

[conspiracy theory mode = off]
[humor mode = off]

But seriously folks... I'd like to see a more thorough and involved class format too... but it seems that 'fundimentals' is all that's going to get taught in OW... with a review of them in AOW... and a bit more of a review of them in Master Diver...

... if ya' want ed-u-ma-cation... dive... it's the only real answer....

 

[String]

(i) Gas planning
(ii) Trim
(iii) Gas planning
(iv) Gas planning

I wouldn;t class night as "limited visibility". You can do a night dive with fantastic visibility or you can do a nightdive with 1m visibility. Just because its dark doesn't mean its low vis.
Plus all diving here is "low vis" so everyone gets plenty of practice in it regardless.

 

[Crowley]

I can't speak for other agencies of course, but PADI's philosophy behind the AOW class is to introduce new skills and new environments, further practice and training can be accomplished during the correlationg speciality course, and then more training built into the Rescue Diver course. This is why PADI are heavily promoting the "Master Scuba Diver" rating - which is 50 dives, Rescue certification and 5 PADI specialties.

Peak Performance Buoyancy specifically works on buoyancy, trim, weighting and different finning techniques; Enriched Air gives you an introduction to gas calculations, rescue teaches more about dive planning, Out of air situations, panic assessment etc. etc. The training is all there if you need it, it's just broken down into different sections which allow for more training flexibility, and, of course, for you to make some more cash as an instructor...

As always, regardless of agency (who will all, in their own way, teach most of the same things over time) the best method of gaining experience is to dive, dive, DIVE!

Cheers peeps,

C.

 

[Doug B]

I think OW certification should include:

1. Completely planning a dive, then lead the dive, following the plan
2. More info about gas consuption
3. More bouyancy training

I'm a relatively new diver. Three years, and a little more than 60 dives. I am very lucky to have an instructor as a good friend and one of my dive buddies. I've learned a lot from him.

PADI pushes the AOW and other follow on training... and I think the training is a good thing. The other training basically forces more dives with an instructor, and more dives gives you more experience. I've got AOW, Nitrox, and am reading the books for Rescue and Emergency First Response. I'd like to get to Dive Master within then next year or two... but no hurry. I'm just having fun.

 

[highdesert]

Thought I would post a question to all here, to see what everyone else thinks are skill sets that werent covered well enough through AOW training (regardless of your certifying agency). Just to see what things everyone else thinks should have been more of concern up front as they have continued to dive ...

Drills based on equipment malfunction scenarios and OOA drills. It seems most divers don't get exposed to that until a rescue level class, and most divers don't get to a rescue level class, and consequently never get the exposure until the real thing jumps up to bite them.