Define what constitutes a good instructor?

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joe rock

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Scuba Instructor
Messages
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Location
New Jersey
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Many, many threads have many members respond it's not the agency, it's the instructor. What makes one a "good instructor" in your opinion? I've seen the "ask these questions...." in many threads. What makes the difference between good and bad?

JR
 
In my opinion, a good instructor is a person who will demand true mastery of the skills and make sure their students are comfortable in the water. An instructor who demands a person to be a 100% reliable buddy capable of responding to any situation in a calm and thoughtful manner without losing control of their position in the water column.
 
Totally subjective. But for me my Open Water Instructor stands out in my mind. We did full classroom (no slides/video/dvd - we were in the phillipines in a beach shack) and he took the time to explain everything really well. He was firm with us in the water, when we gave an "OK" it had to be a firm strong "OK", no floppy hand "sorta OK sign. I carry that with me today. The skills were easy, neither of us had anxiety, having had a pool in the backyard, both have worn mask/snorkles/fins on a regular basis and skin dove in various oceans on previous vacations.

I left Advanced OW in tears, my husband made me go back. The instructors (here) were not good, they treated advanced as an underwater tour, rushed us, I had no drysuit training prior to my first dive, just threw me in, I remember entering thru the "cut" on a stormy october day, the cut choked with big logs and lots of surge. And I was made to feel dumb for asking questions.

Luckily I took Rescue and had another great instructor, patient beyond his years and answered my million questions about all things diving, which lead me to being his DM student, and so on. If it weren't for Doug I probably would have not continued. His attitude (lack of elitism I encountered in advanced) and his patience and sense of humour. I DM'd for a year for him.

You can ask 100 divers what makes a good instructor, and get 100 different answers.
 
An instructor that doesn't grab the front of your BCD for a lil feelsky at the same time.
 
The first thing I new about my instructor was she worked all over the world as an instructor, more than 2500 dives at her 27 years, and all her students recommend her. After OW I foutnd she is a really good teacher, patient, love the sport and to teach. Been a woman I found her less intimidating and less cockier than other instuctors I met. We love to dive with her and my wife and I became very good friends with her, now we travel toghether every time we can and she took my wife to learn UW hockey as she is a player for our national team.
 
  1. Patience has to be number 1!
  2. The ability to answer the 100th 'dumb' question of the day in the same, relaxed manner
  3. The skill to demand the best without talking down to students
 
#1 in my opinion is an instructor that gets joy out of a students achievements.

If you find a teacher with this attribute - you will have found a great teacher. Without it the best that they will be is good.
 
All good feedback. My instructor was truely passionate about diving and it showed. He cared about his students and it showed. If I were to "critique" him as an instrutor, at times he got a little too technical for an OW class but always made sure ALL the basics were covered. His enthusiasm created high level of excitement/anticapation about diving.

Callescafe, I'm a father of daughters - that instrutor should be reported to his shop and his agency at a minimum. That's unacceptabe.
 
Talk to the instructor first. Better yet, watch a class (if possible) to see how they do.

Do they have an enthusiasm for teaching that makes you want to pull on a wetsuit and get into the water right there or are they kind of ambivalent? sign up!

Do they use the term "I" a lot while speaking as if downloading their resume into your brain to impress you? don't do it.

Do they show up to the class on time or do they let an assistant do most of the prep work? don't do it.

If you have a question prior to the first class about equipment, do they say "I will cover that the first night of class" or do they give you a straight response?

Do they complain about the paltry sum they make off each student in front of the students?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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