chrisch
Contributor
.... (Last one of these I experienced, to top it off, the DM was bothered that I cleared my mask while hovering instead on kneeling on the bottom. )
You have to remember that DM is a certification about compliance with standards. A good DM wants/expects you toe the agency line. Kneeling on the bottom lets the DM have control of the situation.
Personally I have an issue with the whole check out dive thing. It is a minefield IMHO. I try to look at it from the point of view of the person doing it. What are you seeking to achieve? Is it a test to see if the diver is safe or competent? If so how do you determine that? Or is is simply to see if a person has skills issues that need to be addressed? If so are you providing a holiday dive service or a training service? What is the customer expecting? Have they booked a dive holiday to find they are now undertaking remedial training? If so how will they feel about that and what are the repercussions for your business - have you contracted out to provide a holiday or a training course? If the person "passes" the check out and then drowns does this make you more or less liable in your duty of care? I honestly don't think dive centres have thought about the issues very much. If as an instructor you certify a student has successfully completed their recognised training course your liability ends there - assuming this is an honest instructor then the student has completed training to the certification level. Everyone understands this. How though do you "assess" a person's ability to undertake a series of dives by checking their mask clearing skills? There is no agency agreed protocol, no syllabus to follow. In short the dive centre has made up it's own "rules". Absolute minefield.