The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
I'm a trim/neutral buoyancy snob. I've worked hard and had to overcome a ton of bad habits to get there, but there's nothing like simply floating above the ocean floor without making an adverse impact. It's really not that hard and so I have always wondered why I wasn't introduced to this earlier in my diving career. I've been given a few theories with the most plausible is that the first instructors were clearance divers or taught by the same. They do a lot of their tasks on the bottom, kneeling and standing, so to them it's simply a part of diving. From there it appears to have morphed from a normal part of their diving to a need for control over their students. When I became an NAUI instructor, my IDC stressed that having divers kneeling during their class was important so we didn't lose anyone. To accomplish this, I had to overweight myself and my students in order to be able to stay firmly on the bottom. The more I overweighted them, the easier it was to control them but the harder it was for them to get comfortable while neutral. I felt like I was chasing my tail... mostly because I was.
Then around 2004 I had an epiphany. I needed to make my students comfortable while hovering and figure out how to keep control of them at the same time. That made me overdo the pool sessions for my students. I started them out heavy and gradually got them lightened up through those pool sessions. I found myself having to unteach bad habits they developed while on their knees, but I didn't want to take them to OW until I felt they were comfortable. That meant doing all the skills midwater. Like all the instructors in the Central Florida Area, I taught them skills on their knees first, went to OW, had them repeat their skills on their knees and then we went for a 'tour'. I did the first dives at Alexander Springs, but one day there were simply too many classes. All the sand areas were being used by classes when we got in. But hey, they had mastered their skills midwater as well as kneeling, so I simply did my class over everyone else's class. It was a blast! We had a close call from time to time, but all the OW skills were done while hovering over people's heads. Yeah, I had to explain what I was doing to a couple of my fellow instructors there that day. They were surprised it was an OW class and one felt I had even violated standards. Students had to be uber controlled after all.
The next class was a small one, so I decided to experiment with the unthinkable: no kneeling. Ever. Not even in the pool. To be sure, I was tentative and I ran into an issue right away with mask clearing. But nothing was insurmountable and my students and I had fun re-inventing this wheel. There were a couple of things that surprised me. First, I was able to shorten the number and length of my pool sessions. Second, I stopped having control issues with my students. I have less to worry about, once they are in control of their diving. Third, my students seemed to be more comfortable in the OW environment. It's been over 10 years now trying to teach Scuba neutral style and my class has definitely morphed. For those interested in how I do teach, here is what I do, and it usually takes only two, 3 to 4 hour pool sessions.
My goal is not to certify divers, but to teach them how to dive. To alleviate any qualms, I only teach NASE OW classes and I do exceed their standards, which they allow their instructors to do. They don't allow OW CESAs, something which I think is problematic for the students and injures way too many instructors and snorkels are discouraged while on Scuba. To be clear, most agencies don't prohibit this method of instruction. It's up to the instructor to determine just how they teach their students. All too often, I see people blaming agencies for poor divers when they don't teach a one. It's all up to the instructor. They can take great standards and either make them even better, or do the opposite and justify poor trim and buoyancy. Even then, they may not even be 'bad' instructors. They've just bought into the industry myth that having your students kneel gives the instructor more control.
Then around 2004 I had an epiphany. I needed to make my students comfortable while hovering and figure out how to keep control of them at the same time. That made me overdo the pool sessions for my students. I started them out heavy and gradually got them lightened up through those pool sessions. I found myself having to unteach bad habits they developed while on their knees, but I didn't want to take them to OW until I felt they were comfortable. That meant doing all the skills midwater. Like all the instructors in the Central Florida Area, I taught them skills on their knees first, went to OW, had them repeat their skills on their knees and then we went for a 'tour'. I did the first dives at Alexander Springs, but one day there were simply too many classes. All the sand areas were being used by classes when we got in. But hey, they had mastered their skills midwater as well as kneeling, so I simply did my class over everyone else's class. It was a blast! We had a close call from time to time, but all the OW skills were done while hovering over people's heads. Yeah, I had to explain what I was doing to a couple of my fellow instructors there that day. They were surprised it was an OW class and one felt I had even violated standards. Students had to be uber controlled after all.
The next class was a small one, so I decided to experiment with the unthinkable: no kneeling. Ever. Not even in the pool. To be sure, I was tentative and I ran into an issue right away with mask clearing. But nothing was insurmountable and my students and I had fun re-inventing this wheel. There were a couple of things that surprised me. First, I was able to shorten the number and length of my pool sessions. Second, I stopped having control issues with my students. I have less to worry about, once they are in control of their diving. Third, my students seemed to be more comfortable in the OW environment. It's been over 10 years now trying to teach Scuba neutral style and my class has definitely morphed. For those interested in how I do teach, here is what I do, and it usually takes only two, 3 to 4 hour pool sessions.
- Swim test. 'Nuff said.
- Mask Clearing in the kiddie pool. Yeah, we're standing in the kiddie pool, with no scuba and no snorkel. They put on a mask full of water and learn to talk with their mask full. It really works.
(FWIW, we don't ever use a snorkel on Scuba) - Weight titration. On Scuba, hands folded, legs crossed, I add only enough weight to barely get their heads below water.
- Trim and propulsion. As students learn to submerge, I am swimming with them, adjusting tank & weights, demonstrating the frog kick and teaching how to propel themselves underwater in the Scuba Position (horizontal). Hovering is not a 90 second exercise in this class. It's done the entire class!
- Teaching the other skills start only after the students become comfortable being neutral. That means, they can start, stop, turn without their hands and adjust their position in the water column using only their breath. Sometimes this takes the entire first session. That's OK. The skills are easy compared to getting comfortable.
- When the students are really ready, and can perform all required skills (even doff and don scuba unit) while neutral, they are given the final test. They have to descend to the bottom of the pool and then ascend three times, using only their breath. After the third descent, they swim over to a series of two pound weights all in a row. Using only their breath control, they have to start picking up two pound weights, establishing neutral buoyancy between weights. I need to see them handle at least six additional pounds. This sometimes takes a few attempts to master, but until they can do this, they don't have mastery over their buoyancy.
- We end the pool sessions with a valve off drill and doing horizontal CESAs.
- Open water sessions are not a repeat of the pool. Dives one and two are shore dives, involve understanding currents, looking under rocks, and a single safe ascent with a safety stop. Dives three and four are off a boat and involve finding critters and more critters. Skills are done in situ while diving rather than in a serial fashion. IOW, I want to see you dive. We'll calculate your SAC together and I'll make sure you can plan subsequent dives.
My goal is not to certify divers, but to teach them how to dive. To alleviate any qualms, I only teach NASE OW classes and I do exceed their standards, which they allow their instructors to do. They don't allow OW CESAs, something which I think is problematic for the students and injures way too many instructors and snorkels are discouraged while on Scuba. To be clear, most agencies don't prohibit this method of instruction. It's up to the instructor to determine just how they teach their students. All too often, I see people blaming agencies for poor divers when they don't teach a one. It's all up to the instructor. They can take great standards and either make them even better, or do the opposite and justify poor trim and buoyancy. Even then, they may not even be 'bad' instructors. They've just bought into the industry myth that having your students kneel gives the instructor more control.
