Diving Education Today

[Slonda828]

Sure, right after you sterilize stupid people so they can't have children.... Denying the over 40 crowd from doing anything because of their age is simply discrimination!

I'm 56 and this year like every other I passed a saturation diving medical. There are 25 year old divers on this discussion board who couldn't do that. So your suggesting that because I happen to be over 40, you think it's wise to deny me the chance to dive (and to make a living)??? I obviously don't agree!

I think it would be better to deny those who don't want to spend the time to learn how to do an activity properly.

As a side note I can't believe that you still sat dive and you are 56! Keep kicking ass man!

 

[DCBC]

As a side note I can't believe that you still sat dive and you are 56! Keep kicking ass man!

I expect that this will be the last year, as I've been trying to retire. Who knows, I might find a place warm and start-up a resort operation or something.

Fifteenth years ago I became a supervisor and three-years later a diving superintendent, so I haven't been wet that much over the past few years. For the last 3, I've just been consulting for Big Oil and only had one Sat trip this past year for inspection purposes. This was a far cry from spending 3600 hours at pressure one year.

I wanted to say that I'm not really kicking ass, but I'm not that old that I can't appreciate them. :gr1:

 

[BDSC]

and only had one Sat trip this past year for inspection purposes.

Out of curiosity, what is the profile of a typical dive like this?

but I'm not that old that I can't appreciate them. :gr1:

That at least puts the count at three......you......me......and Tiger!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

But I keep wondering...

What would this discussion be like if there was beer involved

What makes you think beer hasn't been involved?

 

[DCBC]

Out of curiosity, what is the profile of a typical dive like this?

I've sent you a PM.

 

[Slonda828]

What makes you think beer hasn't been involved?

I frequently drink and surf scubaboard, though not when I am clocked in for Uncle Sam.

 

[redacted]

You have hit the nail on the head. In diver training you have a number of factors at play. Not the least of which is people wanting to make money off the process. You have to establish how much training is required to keep the diver safe? Will this serve the majority of the people interested in this training? How will this affect the diving equipment, research and tourism industries? How will this impact safety? To what level will the Instructors train? etc.

Obviously we all have our personal opinions on this (I've already expressed mine on previous posts). We can look at this from a global perspective, or what it may mean to us as an individual.

There are some instructors who want training to be more through and inclusive (I being one of them) and others who feel "it's just a license to learn," "the death rate isn't that bad," or "raising the standards will affect the industry because of profit loss."

Diving training has changed focus from cold to warm water and from the diver being able to dive unsupervised to supervision required. I think that we need to set-up reasonable parameters and work backwards to enhance safety and diver retention.

I would agree if you replaced the word "training" with the word "testing". To me, it is not a question of 8 hours or 80 hours of training, but one of setting standards and then testing to those standards. The training needs of individual divers may vary greatly.

 

[Kingpatzer]

In a thread with many pages of people going around and around without reaching any consensus, or perhaps even a good definition of the problem . . .

And there's the crux of it.

Except for a a few people with credentials far above what any average diver, or dive instructor, will ever need let alone receive, no one here sees any real problem aside from maybe their agency and/or business is losing customers to agencies that actually serve market demands. There is no consensus within the industry that there is a problem, and what statistical data there is strongly suggests that the only really pressing safety issue has to do with physical fitness and age, not with diver training and skill levels.

The charge of elitism has been levied at those pushing this issue, and it seems to fit on the surface. Older divers who are admittedly very well trained can't wrap their heads around the idea that this activity isn't really that dangerous at the recreational level.

But I think that elitism, while it may have some small basis in reality is missing the mark.

Rather, I think the real purpose of this thread is self-identification.

Were learning who are the cantankerous and curmudgeonly; those who love a debate for it's own sake without really having any interest in even seeing the other side's point of view; and a few who simply don't want anyone to "earn" the right to dive without going through what they went through.

 

[SolarStorm]

A danger I realized on the weekend with Buddy Breathing being taught/not taught.

From a new divers perspective:

IF the OOA diver knows how to buddy breath, and has practiced it. This is a great solution, IF the OOA diver is not in a panic situation yet.

The problem I see is that if a OOA diver has NOT practiced this, you can be putting yourself in extream danger by offering to buddy breath. I can see a paniced OOA diver causing a struggle as you try to "take your turn" and potentiall causing further equipment damage during the very real chance there is a struggle (there must already be some to your octo if you are buddy breathing)

The way I see it, the OOA diver is getting desperate as they have:

1. Run out of air
2. Got your attention
3. Tried your Octo and it failed.
4. Finally they have received your reg.

Are they going to give it back if they have not trained in this?

Am I missing anything?

 

[BDSC]

Except for a few people with credentials far above what any average diver, or dive instructor

Well I can tell you one thing for certain, after the PM DCBC sent me and after doing a little research on the kind of diving he does/has done, his credentials far......far......FAR exceed any average diver or dive instructor in this thread. That's a whole different world of diving than my three or four weeks in the caribbean.

I found this link to the type of diving he has done and found it very interesting. I think others would as well. Here it is. Just click on the video link of the Drager Deep Diving Systems.

Drger Safety>>Saturation Diving Systems

This is not to say his opinion is any more right or wrong on training/stds in todays courses but it helped me to see where he is coming from and why he may view things differently than myself and I have a new respect for that difference.