OK People,
This W/end my partner DM'd for an open water class. She noticed that the students on dive one didn't do propper buddy checks. She went through how we had been taught to buddy check after they had made a hash of it, but at the end of the day was pulled over by the instructor and told that there was no need for the buddy check to have been pulled up, and what the students had done was 'good enough'.
What constitutes 'good enough'? remember this was during an OW course, where they are supposed to be showing they can do the skills, what we do after we are qualified is something different.........
We were both taught to go through our own equipment showing your buddy everything, like below,
'B - Buoyancy
I have an inflator on my BCD, with a round button for air in, and a rectangular button for air out (press both to demonstrate) I also have a dump by pulling (show), and dumps on this shoulder (pull other shoulder dump valve) and behind me here (pull valve by tank).
I also have a drysuit, inflated here (press), and raise my left are to dump (raise arm)
W - I have a weightbelt with a silver buckle, right hand release (showing buddy weightbelt buckle)
R - releases - I have Pinch clip releases over each sholder (point 'here and here') a velcro cummerbund with a pinch clip over it. If you have to ditch my BCD you will also have to remove this drysuit hose - the same action as removing the bcd low pressure hose
A - Air - I have XXX bar (take a breath whilst looking at guages) -tastes fine, and needle steady, my octopus is here (point to it), in an emergency take whichever one you want (usually the buddy will say they will take the aas, but some say they will take the primary - as long as you know)
F - final check - can you see any problems (turn round) is my tank on OK, nothing looks wrong?'
To all the instructors here - is this a bit OTT?
Would you pull up a DM if they got their OW students to buddy check like this?
What the students were doing was along the lines of:-
B buoyancy - I have a bcd inflator
W - weights - I have a weightbelt on
R - releases - you can see the releases can't you?
A - Air - yes I have some
F - (Turn round) everything OK?
Both my partner and I think that this is a bit on the brief side, but it does meet the PADI minimum standards we suspect as all the elements BWRAF were covered?
Where is the line as to what is acceptable, especially in the open water course?
Jon T
This W/end my partner DM'd for an open water class. She noticed that the students on dive one didn't do propper buddy checks. She went through how we had been taught to buddy check after they had made a hash of it, but at the end of the day was pulled over by the instructor and told that there was no need for the buddy check to have been pulled up, and what the students had done was 'good enough'.
What constitutes 'good enough'? remember this was during an OW course, where they are supposed to be showing they can do the skills, what we do after we are qualified is something different.........
We were both taught to go through our own equipment showing your buddy everything, like below,
'B - Buoyancy
I have an inflator on my BCD, with a round button for air in, and a rectangular button for air out (press both to demonstrate) I also have a dump by pulling (show), and dumps on this shoulder (pull other shoulder dump valve) and behind me here (pull valve by tank).
I also have a drysuit, inflated here (press), and raise my left are to dump (raise arm)
W - I have a weightbelt with a silver buckle, right hand release (showing buddy weightbelt buckle)
R - releases - I have Pinch clip releases over each sholder (point 'here and here') a velcro cummerbund with a pinch clip over it. If you have to ditch my BCD you will also have to remove this drysuit hose - the same action as removing the bcd low pressure hose
A - Air - I have XXX bar (take a breath whilst looking at guages) -tastes fine, and needle steady, my octopus is here (point to it), in an emergency take whichever one you want (usually the buddy will say they will take the aas, but some say they will take the primary - as long as you know)
F - final check - can you see any problems (turn round) is my tank on OK, nothing looks wrong?'
To all the instructors here - is this a bit OTT?
Would you pull up a DM if they got their OW students to buddy check like this?
What the students were doing was along the lines of:-
B buoyancy - I have a bcd inflator
W - weights - I have a weightbelt on
R - releases - you can see the releases can't you?
A - Air - yes I have some
F - (Turn round) everything OK?
Both my partner and I think that this is a bit on the brief side, but it does meet the PADI minimum standards we suspect as all the elements BWRAF were covered?
Where is the line as to what is acceptable, especially in the open water course?
Jon T