PADI - Expectations

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I agree that the OW is somewhat like driving. But I look at it more that the OW is like the learners permit, and AOW would be your license. Once you have your permit, you can go out on the road, with a licensed driver (more experienced buddy) and practice your skills

The sad reality is that if you come out of OW with less than reasonable skills, you won't get any better in AOW ... you'll simply find yourself stuggling with the same problems in different conditions.

Exposure and practice are all well and good for improving ... but you have to have a reasonable foundation upon which to improve. OW is supposed to be providing that foundation.

For those who find yourself in the OP's situation, I offer this advice ... do whatever it takes to get comfortable with your OW skills before signing up for AOW. The latter class is often used ... unfortunately ... as a means to acquire "skills" you should have gotten during OW, but didn't. The reality is that most people who go that route end up coming out of AOW feeling like they didn't learn anything (because, really, they didn't).

In general, you should always get comfortable with what you learned in one class before proceeding to the next ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Setting Expectations:

What you can expect in any Padi course is to be shown the skills for the level you are training, and be asked to demonstrate the skills. and you can expect the instructor to pass you if you do it properly and not if you dont.

your feeling of comfort with the skill is something you are responsible for like all of your feelings, despite popular opinion others do not cause our feelings or else I would go around causing all of you to feel like giving me money.

If you feel like you need to practice more then ask the instructor to give you the time to do so or do so after the class on your own. (maybe diving in the Caribbean). either way you are an adult or at least an adult in training and must make your own decisions about what you can and can not do.


If you feel you are being shortchanged in the instruction and are not being taught all of the skills that are listed in your log book then first tell the instructor then tell the shop if he is unwilling to teach them to you.

And if all that fails then come to Houston and I will be happy to spend all the time you want in the pool teaching you anything I am certified to teach you. :)
 
Welcome the the wonderful underwater world. Good feedback from all above. Not knowing the full situation and not willing to assume anything in this matter, I would suggest that you relax, speak with the instructor or shop owner and get more comfortable with your skills before venturing into Open Water dives. Diving is a new experience and everyone comes with different expectation and ways of learning how to use their body and new skills underwater. Everyone is or should be anxious so i would say this is natural. As for the advanced course, it is a good opportunity to have supervised dives but not a way to learn to remove your anxiety. More pool work will help ease your concerns.
 
Thanks all for your feedback.

I did raise concerns with the instructor as they arose. I don't doubt the instructor's abilities or his passion for scuba. I do believe he wanted us all to be safe divers, and I even believe he is a competent instructor, even if lacking in the "bedside" manner I would have expected. I think he was just put in a difficult position. My issue with the short-changing of the hours is with the shop - it's a business issue. I will be expressing my concern there.

When I say "not comfortable" I would not equate that to not feeling safe. Scuba seems like a constant adjustment to new experiences and each dive brings about more confidence and greater skill. I'm not expecting to be able to dive and navigate a wreck, just expecting meet the requirements for the class. I will get additional experience through diving with others and more advanced courses in the future.

I think I learned the skills fine, I just think I could have used the four lost hours to practice them more.

Mostly, I was looking for information regarding PADI standards for training. I have no idea what the baseline is. I had not found this site until after I took the class, otherwise I expect I could have found a wealth of information here.

Thanks again.
 
If you are not comfortable with the instructor or what he or she is doing, switch to someone else or address the concerns with the shop you signed up with. You don't want to end up in the open water checkouts and find out that you are not up to par on your skills. Speak up or bear the consequences!
 
I was/am comfortable with the instructor. My main concern was expectations and were mine too high? My expectations were based on the material in the book and the agreement that I signed.

I am happy to say that the instructor has contacted me on his own (after reading this thread) and has offered some time. Very professional and appreciated.

Also, the dive shop has offered some assistance as well. They do care about their program and I think with some of the feedback they've received they will better set expectations up front.

I don't deny that students need to ask questions, but sometimes it's difficult to know what questions to ask and other times you are led to believe something based on the literature.
 
By what you wrote sucking your tank empty you are not ready for open water at all. You did not mention how many people the instructor was working with. You do need more time in the pool, it just takes time for each person to reach their comfort level and you don't have yours. As far as your rapid decent is concerned I think that seems to be a big issue with new divers being over weighted and as your comfort level improves you shed more lead. You also need to realize the your "c" card is a license to learn. I have been certified for 30 years and I still work with buoyancy, safety stops so don't feel as though you are going to be perfect after some pool time. But for sure seek out more help and be sure with yourself that you really want to be a diver.
 
By what you wrote sucking your tank empty you are not ready for open water at all. You did not mention how many people the instructor was working with. You do need more time in the pool, it just takes time for each person to reach their comfort level and you don't have yours. As far as your rapid decent is concerned I think that seems to be a big issue with new divers being over weighted and as your comfort level improves you shed more lead. You also need to realize the your "c" card is a license to learn. I have been certified for 30 years and I still work with buoyancy, safety stops so don't feel as though you are going to be perfect after some pool time. But for sure seek out more help and be sure with yourself that you really want to be a diver.

I never expected to master anything but the course content from this class. I've done the skills and am confident in that. I have no intention of diving off a rig tomorrow. I'm concentrated on finishing this course gaining what skills I can. I will find mentors at the nearby lake and work with more instructors as time and money permits.

I'm highly motivated to "be a diver," maybe not professionally, but "a diver" nonetheless. I may never do caves, or go deep, who knows... First things first.

Again, it was a matter of expectation and it seems that everyone has a different opinion on that in this thread. In fact, opinions vary significantly on every thread, as does the level of support for new divers. I've seen everything from very supportive to discouraging comments to new divers. Regardless, it's up to me to choose the path to proficiency and I will continue to rely on the instructors that I build trust in and abandon those that I do not have trust in. So far, I'm confident that the instructor I worked with has the skills and experience to prepare me.

I will also continue to trust my own feelings. If I'm not comfortable with something that I feel unsafe, I won't do it and will ask for more practice. I've no issues in checking the ego at the door, it just doesn't belong.

I was in the military where we drilled every skill until it was second nature. I will do the same here. Just as I do with riding my motorcycle. The moment you allow yourself to be complacent, something bad will happen.
 
I read earlier in this thread a suggestion that shallow water bouynacy is easy, it isn't. Pool bouyancy is the hardest thing to achieve, 9' limit for most pool deep ends. Depth actually makes bouyancy easier to control, if you go from 50 to 40 feet as opposed to 50 to 60 feet depth you will experience a greater change in bouyancy in the former than the latter. Physics applies.

When it comes to bouyancy your performance in the pool is much harder than your performance in open water.

Regarding how you feel, you should feel confident going from the pool to open water, if you do not feel so you are doing a dissrevice to your instructor if you don't bring it up. They may like your demonstration, but you have to like it as well.

There is not much difference between PADI expectations and other expectations.
 
The sad reality is that if you come out of OW with less than reasonable skills, you won't get any better in AOW ... you'll simply find yourself stuggling with the same problems in different conditions.


... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Sure, if you go right from OW to AOW, but I still feel that OW, as I said, is your learners permit. It allows you to practice your new skills, get better with them, more efficient with them etc. Once you have learned to do all of your 'parallel parking' diving skills with ease THEN it's time to go take your AOW test.

Others are going to disagree and say before you even get your OW card you should be perfect in all skills and never make an error, no matter how large or small.
 
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