Horrible Divers Everywhere?

[scubadada]

After diving with a few people who were certified in the '60s and '70s, I'm becoming a bit skeptical of the notion that training was better or more rigorous back then.

I guess it depends on the diver

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

I don't really see that as an example of people who "just can't dive;" more like people who think bad things won't happen to them. You see that mindset elsewhere too, for instance people who keep getting in car accidents (or getting tickets or having near-misses) and keep drinking/texting/whatever. My grandmother burned down the house twice after falling asleep in bed with a cigarette but continued smoking in bed until the day she died, even after she had to be put on oxygen. I hope you got through to those knuckleheads, but I'm not holding my breath.

I do think there may be people who "just can't dive," but I'd use that to describe people who keep failing their OW class because they can't even approximate the skills, not people who pass and then immediately exceed their limits. If you barely passed because this stuff is really hard for you, but you're not an idiot, you'll stick with the guides and shallow dive sites, where you can crawl around on the bottom if you have to until you either get the hang of it or give up. Only an arrogant idiot goes to a dive site that deep with the skill set you describe.

I would argue differently, it wasnt being reckless it was just being incompetent . Everything about what they did was terrible, from trim to buoyancy to breathing to communications to navigation .

I've also met Tech Divers who have more dives than they can remember but I wouldn't dare to go into a kiddy pool with them , the fact they haven't seriously injured themselves or worst amazes me.

I guess it's one if those cases where you had to be there and see it to under stand it, those guys were a serious hazard to themselves and potentially divers near by.

The problem around my area is a lot of instructors will sign off students who are terrible just to collect the money and move on , some DC's are just OW classes factory's and the instructors are exhausted, I don't expect much from the divers who had to learn with 10 people on 1 instructor.

But I do agree with you on most of it

 

[Esprise Me]

You're right; I wasn't there. Maybe it's more a lack of self-awareness than a matter of recklessness. It's just that I've dived with plenty of people with poor skills, who knew their skills were poor and who limited themselves appropriately, that I don't believe a situation like you describe in any way follows naturally from having poor skills.

 

[happy-diver]

After diving with a few people who were certified in the '60s and '70s, I'm becoming a bit skeptical of the notion that training was better or more rigorous back then.

Yeah man
todays training is less comprehensive making diving more accessible
to a greater number of incompetents than in the past

However as suggested the rubbish divers one sees one weekend are not the same ones you see the next
divers who get out or improve or remain infrequent
and are of no consequence to anything or anyone

 

[tekkydiver]

I don't think there are many options for shallow sites for training. BHB is very popular for that activity. I regret that also.

There's a patchy reef line in 26-35 that runs for miles from Broward to Palm Beach County.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

...The problem around my area is a lot of instructors will sign off students who are terrible just to collect the money and move on , some DC's are just OW classes factory's and the instructors are exhausted, I don't expect much from the divers who had to learn with 10 people on 1 instructor.

It’s not politically correct or financially wise for DC’s not to pass virtually everyone. If a family of 4 shows up and want’s to get certified for their vacation coming up in two weeks and two don’t make it, that would be pretty uncool. Nobody want’s to be accused of breaking up families.
Shops also don’t make money off people who don’t pass.

 

[tridacna]

It’s not politically correct or financially wise for DC’s not to pass virtually everyone. If a family of 4 shows up and want’s to get certified for their vacation coming up in two weeks and two don’t make it, that would be pretty uncool. Nobody want’s to be accused of breaking up families.
Shops also don’t make money off people who don’t pass.

I guess that this should be a poll but when should a DC draw the line and fail someone? What is an unacceptable pass rate?

 

[Diving Dubai]

Here we go again. *Sigh*

The reality (for the non instructors) is that you can't force someone to learn. Oh for sure I can keep someone in the pool until their skills are 100% and repeatable, but that doesn't' guarantee that in a week or a month they can repeat the same skills to a decent standard.

I'll use my golf analogy again. When I used to "play" I took lessons, played many rounds, took more lessons, had more 1:1 etc. The reality was that I was never more than a hack and bash player. Not because my training was flawed, not because my instructor (golf pro) was poor, but because I couldn't be bothered to apply what I'd learnt in class. I wasn't interested enough.

To me golf was a walk around a course with friends to build an appetite for the 19th hole.

Diving is just the same. Post course it needs application and practice and a desire to improve. Most divers can't be bothered. Heck some can't even be bothered to rig their own gear and put it on a boat..

And then there is my favourite group. The one's with all the gear, and who think they're the Cat's pyjamas of diving, when in reality they're more like the dog's regurgitated dinner.

 

[tridacna]

Totally agree with above. ^^^^

Instead of just going diving, most newbs think that doing AOW is the best way of improving. I beg new divers to just keep on diving. Instead, they take course after course thinking that “accumulated card count” is the key to becoming a better diver.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Let me start by saying I'm a recreation diver with the overpriced "advanced" card and the expensive nitrox card to go with it. I'm not a perfect diver, always working on something. My trim could use some work, still adjusting the final touches on my bp/w, but there are some things that I just DON'T do.

I live in MD so most of my experience is quarry diving. Thank goodness for quarries because there's little life to disturb and while it is REALLY frowned upon to crash into the bottom, it does happen at times, but for the most part I see divers avoiding it at all costs. There's platforms for that I guess.

I'm getting to my point. I'm here in FL and went diving at my FAVORITE place to dive, the Blue Heron Bridge. WTF? There were divers everywhere CRAWLING ON THE BOTTOM (I've never been on a weekend). Classes were being taught on the bottom. I saw one discover scuba (I guess) where her guide was literally trying to pick her crawling ass up of the floor. She was crawling on all fours towards a structure to see the fish. I was appalled. I bet 70% of the divers I saw were on the floor. It's not a quarry (where people get pissed if your on the bottom because you destroy the visibility). It's a habitat.

I dive with my wife for the most part, and while I have a long way to go, she has a longer way to go, but WE DO NOT TOUCH THE BOTTOM. Yesterday I was so proud of her as a diver (and myself I guess). We never touched the bottom. We're not perfect, but destroying the habitat of little creatures is unacceptable. Yo-yo'ing buoyancy is unacceptable.

I know I'm ranting, but is this the norm? I've never dove around numerous divers, but is this how most easily accessible places are? Please enlighten me on a different perspective. If this is how people are taught why would they ever change?

Now wonder people move on to tec. It's to get tf away from the masses?

define "overpriced advanced card and expensive nitrox card"

The very beginning of your post makes people scratch their heads ....

you do realize scuba diving is ultra expensive compared to activities like jogging and tennis correct?