Happy to always dive advanced within recreational limits, forever ? [Poll]

[boulderjohn]

The last few tech students I had came to my beginning tech class with exemplary buoyancy and trim. It sure made things easier for me. I didn't give them a discount for being already able to do the things I was supposed to teach them, though.

 

[Fastmarc]

Interesting discussion.

While I consider myself a recreational, warm water wuss diver, I have no doubt I would do a tech course if it was available to me here. However, it would be mostly for the advancement of my skills. I would always welcome the chance to improve my skills.

As it is I would have to fly out to do this, but who knows. Maybe in time I might...

 

[lowviz]

...//... Two years in, there are still things I struggle with. I would much rather go through AN/DP with the local guy who is excellent and will make sure I am ready for Helitrox, instead of going with someone more well known and maybe looking like a fool. I am afraid of looking like an idiot.

Be careful with name instructors. You may well find yourself in an assessment course rather than a teaching course.

That being said, I would note that ES is the exception that proves the rule.

 

[Marie13]

Be careful with name instructors. You may well find yourself in an assessment course rather than a teaching course.

That being said, I would note that ES is the exception that proves the rule.

The two instructors are known regionally. Not sure about beyond the Great Lakes. And as I’ve said before, I’ll be diving the Great Lakes so I see absolutely no point in going outside the region to get training with people who do not dive up here. Someone who doesn’t dive SM off a boat is not very helpful, for example.

 

[EireDiver606]

The last few tech students I had came to my beginning tech class with exemplary buoyancy and trim. It sure made things easier for me. I didn't give them a discount for being already able to do the things I was supposed to teach them, though.

Would you agree with what I said, about showing up to class with decent foundational skills?

 

[aquacat8]

I guess I'm happy at rec depths, but it's a little more nuanced than that. What I want is to feel as natural and unencumbered as possible underwater, and that includes being unencumbered by boat schedules, buddies, math, short time limits, excess weight, annoying complexity, and fears of DCS. This has lead me to very shallow solo shore diving in evolving gear configurations, some of which is vintage, combined with my own self-devised fin swimming training. I am thinking about trying to make fins. I would love to try @REVAN 's Dolfin. I want to take a free diving class. I intend to try diving without a wing. I'm always messing around with my gear, trying to make it lighter, more comfortable, better fitting, easier. If it were available, I'd consider gill surgery. Is this non-technical? Sometimes it takes tech to get to the place where you feel like you have no tech.

 

[boulderjohn]

Would you agree with what I said, about showing up to class with decent foundational skills?

The better your foundational skills, the easier the class will be for you. Everything depends upon what you define as "decent." I have seen some people who need to do a whole lot of diving before they even think of starting technical diving. I have seen others who are ready to go. As I said earlier, I have seen others who look like they already took the class. I would say the middle ground is what you need.

After I had been doing some technical diving for a couple of years, I started cave training. On the day I started, my instructor and I were gearing up, and someone who saw us came over and asked about cave instruction. The instructor gave him his card. The beginning of cave training is done in open water, and while we were doing that work, we saw the other guy practicing his skills, clearing his mask while kneeling in the sand. Here is the comparison:

• My background for that training was above average, and I was able to go through it pretty quickly.
• The other guy was not ready to begin.

Try to have decent foundational skills by all means, but don;t believe you have to be perfect.

 

[chillyinCanada]

John, the students having certain skills when they showed up didn't get a discount but did they get more instruction on the other end because they'd made it "easier for you"?

 

[shoredivr]

I’m going to be rather frank. My local instructor is a known quantity. He is not an asshat. He does not belittle. He is very patient. Also is very devious, which makes class much more interesting and fun. He is very tough, but fair. The two possible instructors who do AN/DP/Helitrox combined are more “known.” That intimidates me. I had a very rocky start with diving. Two years in, there are still things I struggle with. I would much rather go through AN/DP with the local guy who is excellent and will make sure I am ready for Helitrox, instead of going with someone more well known and maybe looking like a fool. I am afraid of looking like an idiot.

Having looked like an idiot more than once, now I recognize it’s part of the learning curve.

 

[EireDiver606]

Try to have decent foundational skills by all means, but don;t believe you have to be perfect.

My instructor told me:
1. There’s no such thing as perfection

2. Using the word perfect is dangerous