people that make you wonder...

Hi all,
Another one joins the ranks; I did my OW certification this weekend. What a kick, even though the viz was poor and the water a little on the cold side, but it was the Pacific NW. We are going to Florida next month so that will make for a nice contrast in conditions.

But I have to pass on a story from the weekend. It is dive #1 on day one, four of us are in the water, chest deep (shore entry), listening to the pre-dive instructions from the instructor, viz is rather crappy [3-15] so we going to do the elephant train with everyone holding on to person a heads gauge console. Being the last one in line, I am waiting for the others to go under, the instructor is down followed by a mom and daughter, the guy in front of me turns and says “are we supposed to have our fins on?”….. [I think my jaw nearly hit the rock on the bottom as it dropped open] aaah yes, you better start pulling on the gauge console to get the others to stop and come back up…. Sadly this was not out of line from his questions and participation in the classes. He was definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer (actually I think he was closer to a spoon).

Dive #2, day one, same guy, not in my group this time, he breaks the buckle on first one fin, then the other fin, by the time they get him setup again, he comes back shortly cause he is just to tired. Finally, that evening he showed a flash of brilliance, if only for a moment, he bailed on the rest of the class and that he was going to go home the following day. Probably the best thing he ever did…..

Just had to share the adventure…


gerry

As with any sport, diving is not for everyone. At least he had the common sense to know what didn't feel right

MD

GERRY2153 once bubbled...
Hi all,
Another one joins the ranks; I did my OW certification this weekend. What a kick, even though the viz was poor and the water a little on the cold side, but it was the Pacific NW. We are going to Florida next month so that will make for a nice contrast in conditions.

Click to expand...

Congrats and welcome to the club. I hope you don't get spoiled by going to FL. From what I've heard there is some fantastic diving in your backyard.

Congratulations on achieving your Open Water (OW) certification.

I'm sure you will here this a lot; at least I hope you do. "An Open Water certification is a license to learn". You've made the first step, and that is getting certified. Now you *need* to practice what you have learned, preferably with a buddy who has more experience than you, and is willing to mentor you. Ask questions, and listen to all the answers. Realize that not all the answers you get may be right for you at this point in time. That's not to say they are wrong answers, just that they may require skills that you have not yet developed in order to utilize the answer correctly. So practice, and gain some experience. You will be much safer and enjoy yourself far more as you get better.

As for the person who was having some troubles with the course; He is not unique, and I’m sure you will see more of that type of people. They’re usually not bad people, it’s just that they may take longer to learn, or they never really get it and soon give up. Regardless of the sport or activity, be it golf, hockey, or even bowling. There will be people who try to take up a sport, and just don’t do well at it. Scuba diving is no different.

Dive Safe and Have Fun

I don't ever worry about stuff like that from newbies. They're often nervous and afraid to do anything you don't explicitly tell them to (like "OK, let's put our fins on now"). I always encourage them to ask questions, and to tell 'em that there aren't any dumb questions ... only dumb decisions not to ask them.

I'm more concerned about the "experienced" divers who forget what should be routine stuff. Was working a boat dive once that was part of a wreck class. You know the drill ... fancy rigs, mixed gases, doubles, deco bottles, all that stuff. Anyway, this one guy's getting into his rig and I noticed his drysuit zipper was only partly closed. "Um, Tim ... you're gonna close that zipper, right?" (It was a front-entry suit, no less). OK, so he gets out of the rig, pulls his zipper shut, gets back into his rig, and starts off to the back of the boat ... "Um, Tim ... you want me to connect your BCD inflator hose?" OK, we get that done. He heads off to the back of the boat. As he's about to step off the boat ... "Tim? You planning to take these?" ... and I hand him his fins.

Not sure where his mind was at, but I'm sure glad I wasn't buddied up with him that day ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Well I cannot really say that I was like that however you will see that as you improve in your own personal skills there are lots of those people out there.

I think that instruction is the best thing for everyone. Once in the leadership side of things it will assist you in being able to identify those who are having troubles and you will be able to assist them so that they can also enjoy the peace and tranquility under the water.

Happy that you are certified and hope that you enjoy every moment of it.

Safe Diving,

In a beginner class it is the responsibility of the instructor to make sure that the students are ready for the next action.

The instructor should not have any students asking if they should have their fins on, he (she) should have told them and then visually checked to make sure the students were prepared right.

It is not fair to fault the student when the teacher is not teaching.

pipedope once bubbled...
In a beginner class it is the responsibility of the instructor to make sure that the students are ready for the next action.

The instructor should not have any students asking if they should have their fins on, he (she) should have told them and then visually checked to make sure the students were prepared right.

Click to expand...

It's not as black and white as that. Some students don't listen, or pay attention. Or they're simply overwhelmed and everything you tell them goes in one ear and out the other...or not at all.

I think it's hard to generalize. It's easy to sit back and de-construct a situation as to what should and shouldn't have been. The reality is irritatingly difficult to pigeonhole.