Report: Stress and Rescure Class

[landlocked]

Partial dive report from two weeks ago. Went to Belmont Hot Springs to finish a Stress and Rescue class. The instructor was in the water waiting along with some of us, the students. Two of the students were a bit behind in getting to the dock and geared up. The instructor was anxious to get a dive in. So... he looked at one of the younger divers and said "Do you need a partner?" The young man appropriately responded "yes." Ok, came the response, you stay here. Then he looked at me and asked the same question. I said "nope!" and away we went. I spent the next 15.5 minutes in 92 degree low vis water between 20 and 25 feet with just me and my compass. I totally enjoyed myself. It was great. We then rejoined on the surface, gathered the class members and began the class.

Next verse, an hour or so later. Everyone is on the surface except for the young man. Everyone started looking for him and the young man was quickly found, diving by himself. The instructor immediately, and somewhat forcefully asked, where is your buddy. Not missing the irony, I quietly leaned over and said: "um.. Instructor Bob (not his real name) , I think you just taught him that he didn't need one. The subsequent recognition and embarassment were priceless. The class got real ugly soon after that.

 

[GQMedic]

DOH!

That is a crack up! How funny the instructor got caught stepping on his own foreskin in front of oh so many spectators. Did someone poke him with "Pardon me Scuba Steve, so much for safety and risk management"? *batting eyelashes* On the other hand, that might be a mistake the instructor has made for the last time as I doubt he will want to repeat that anytime soon. I guess it's true, even instructors continue learning. On a footnote, I am sure not looking forward to stepping on my schnitzel in front of my students. *wince* *Tattoo voice* Da pain! Da pain!

-Dennis

landlocked once bubbled...
*SNIP* The instructor immediately, and somewhat forcefully asked, where is your buddy. Not missing the irony, I quietly leaned over and said: "um.. Instructor Bob (not his real name) , I think you just taught him that he didn't need one. The subsequent recognition and embarassment were priceless. The class got real ugly soon after that. *UNSNIP*

 

[The Chairman]

If you can't be consistent... be something else. You know... thats why instructors are the most common fatality in caves. We think that the rules don't apply to us. I hope that I am never THAT humiliated in front of students.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Once upon a time, I was giving a site brief about eight miles out from Panama City. I was standing near center deck talking to the students - some were in rapt attention, some weren't.
Suddenly I heard a flutter, then felt tiny claws gripping my scalp! Luckily I realized what had happened before any natural reflex to sweep the invader away, and the exhausted little sparrow stayed perched atop my head breathing hard for the remainder of the brief.
At least those who hadn't been paying attention did so then.
Someone took a picture - I'll have to find it.
Rick

 

[steeldiver]

That instructor will soon learn a lesson
i stress when training candidate instructors
All your excellent training meathods
are measured by a single example of poor instruction.
HIS blunder will become the stuff of legend the rest of his course ignored.
Howard

 

[steeldiver]

NAUI Instructors as well as many other instuctors
would face an inquery if any of their
training meathods put an individual at risk.
Un fortunatlly many of these incedens go unreported.
Even instructers shy away at reporting other
instructors.
To safer diving practises.
Howard

 

[The Chairman]

I work with a few instructors here in the Orlando area. I have occasion to work around many others. I know without a doubt that there are more than one way to skin a cat. There are times to be confrontational... times to be a coach... and there is the time that you need to report what you saw. I have done the first two... and I hope that I don't have to deal with the last one, but I am willing to go that extra mile if needed.

 

[landlocked]

At the end of the class came the scenario. A couple of mock rescues. This is the part that has me the most upset. Different scenarios at the same time had me and a 15 year old kid, without an octo, reponding to an "etntaglement." The instructor had asked a 19 year old DiveCon in training and one of his 17 year old venture scouts to provide the details. Skipping to the chase.... what I found was that the two had decended onto the platform and then wrapped their regulator hoses, oct hoses, and air inflator hoses around the bar. They had even cross connected the air hoses to each others inflators. They then covered the whole mess with their arms so that you couldn't see what was going on. This is all in vis between four inches and 2 feet depending on if my team member was close by stirring up the mud just off of the platform. Thinking there was a problem to be solved I went about it while trying to not make the situation a real rescue. I started with the 17 year old scout. My partner soon gave up working on the other victim and was replaced by a young lady also in the class. What resulted was a wrestling match with a rather burley 17 year old in 25 feet of water. After untangling all of the hoses and correctly routing them I was left with only his reg looped around the bar. He refused to let go of it and take mine. After playing with the no-win situation for a while, rather cleverly I might add, with him actually getting somewhat physical, he snapped my reg out of my mouth, leaving the mouth piece, and decided he would decend. After trying to breath water 3 times through a mouth piece, remember the low vis, I went for my octo while he started to drag me up. I wonder what would have happended if the same thing had happened to the skinny kid with no octo. When we surfaced, I told the instructor that in a real situation I would have given the victim the finger and let him drown. The victim was mad giving excussees for why he had given in and let me force him to the surface. Personnally, I think things were well beyond safe, reasonable and controlled. It still upsets me.

 

[The Chairman]

some instructors choose to get so dang obtuse with their scenarios. You can have multiple problems... but make them believable.

During my RD course (PADI) I was presented with an entangled diver at 40 ft. Lots of rope was wrapped around him. As I tried to unencumber him, he resisted. I gave the "OK?" sign again and he gave it back. So I backed off and watched. He finally looked over to the instructor and shrugged his shoulders. The instructor looked at me and gave the swim sign and pointed to the diver. I went back and signed "OK?" once more, and got that back in reply... so I backed off again. The instructor called the session.

On the surface he was clearly agitated and asked why I didn't proceed. I pointed out that I clearly did not have the authority from the victim to help. He gave back the "OK" sign... TWICE! He shook his head, and said I was right. In reality, you might have to wait for the victim to succomb in order to effect some rescues. In probablity that does not seem "that" possible.

I will be starting my first Rescue Diver course next week. It will be fun no doubt, but more than that I am hoping to give them something to think about. Tools to manage the various situations they will be coming in contact with. Thats the point, isn't it?

 

[landlocked]

There was no instructor here. He was on the surface. The scenerio and my instruction was left in the hands of a 17 year old Scuba Scout with an attitude problem. I was concerned about his safety but he was not concerned about mine. Only about winning some ego thing.