One of the best courses after OW Certification

[Brendon]

Brendon, your point was good, your delivery...well lets just leave it as: not so good...

Whether or not good buoyancy should be taught in OW class and should be a prerequisite for passing is a discussion all on its own. I happen to agree with you but suffice it to say that the majority of students going through OW do not have good buoyancy skills. With that being said as a new diver you have a choice - muddle through tens of dives before you finally figure it out and in the interim wreck 50 coral heads and put yourself and other in danger or take a course that will help you refine a skill that is not only essential but is also the biggest step towards becoming a better diver. For me that choice was easy.

My delivery is rarely good... I really wasnt trying to agency bash as the post below yours suggested. I just think that it should be focused on more during the O/W class and not charged for later. At the very least they should be encouraged to take and advanced class and combine that training with it. Im sure others wont agree, but im used to it. Im working on my delievery thx for the reminder!

 

[Quero]

Good buoyancy control is a must for every diver. I agree that new divers could have bad buoyancy control. Divers improve buoyancy control with dives, following the example of divers with more experience or having the attitude to improve the skills with every dive and learning from their own mistakes.
....
Yes, mastering every skill is a journey, not a destination. That´s why this PPB course sounds to me not good. It´s a shortcut, ok, but there should be no shortcut. The PADI OWD course should have one more lesson related to buoyancy.
My SSI instructor emphasized a lot, really a lot about buoyancy. We had a pool practice related to buoyancy. During the check-out dives we all had to make a proper weighting test in every 5 check-out dives. After every check-out day (in fact we did 6 dives in 3 days) we were sitting together after dinner discussing every aspect of the day and buoyancy was always a point of discussion.
Perhaps I was lucky with the course I did. That´s why this PPB course makes me feel that PADI is dividing the courses and teaching less in each so as divers need to take more courses.

Eduardo, what you are describing is a good class with a good instructor. That's the way it should be! But the fact that it was SSI really has no bearing on it. Here where I work, a number of shops are both PADI and SSI shops--SSI is making a huge push to gain a larger market share. In fact, SSI has been in discussion with me to add SSI courses to the existing PADI courses at my dive center. Here are a couple of quotes from local dive centers that certify through both agencies--note that they both stress the role of the instructor (highlighted):

Both the PADI and the SSI systems are recognized world-wide, and all dive agencies recognize each other, so you can switch between training agencies and continue with further courses with little difficulty. Don't get confused with all these different possibilities because a good educational foundation is not dependent on the training agency, but on the individual dive instructor.

Any difference between PADI Open Water and SSI Open Water?
Both certifications are recognized for entry-level divers under European Standard EN-14153-2. This means that the certified Open Water Diver can dive to 18 metres with a dive buddy of at least the same certification level. The two courses are very similar, as one would expect from two organizations who set mutual standards through the WRSTC (World Recreational Scuba Training Council). Both SSI and PADI have excellent Open Water courses meaning that the end result is the same whichever one you choose: a confident diver with good basic dive skills who is competent to dive on his or her own after the course. After all, you are getting the same highly-qualified instructors. In terms of quality there is absolutely no difference.

So once again, let me suggest that the discussion center around whether people have found the PPB course useful or not rather than whether PADI is somehow evilly subverting diver education by offering it.

 

[Quero]

My delivery is rarely good... I really wasnt trying to agency bash as the post below yours suggested. I just think that it should be focused on more during the O/W class and not charged for later. At the very least they should be encouraged to take and advanced class and combine that training with it. Im sure others wont agree, but im used to it. Im working on my delievery thx for the reminder!

Brendon, what you suggest is in fact what most often happens. Most PADI instructors who teach the Advanced Open Water course include the PPB module as part of the course. I know I generally do, unless the student diver already demonstrates good buoyancy and has no need of it (because why ask them to pay for something they don't need?). But this doesn't mean that we simply skip that part of the training in Open Water courses. Think of it as a spiraling approach rather than a straight line approach. In a spiraling approach, you introduce concepts to students at one point, they work on these concepts and get an initial understanding them, and then you follow up with more focused and in-depth work later on; in a straight line approach, you require mastery all in one go and don't return to the topic later on. As a long-time educator and teacher-education specialist, I have always found the spiral approach to be most effective in the long term.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Do whatever it take to get a handle on your bouyancy, if it's a class, a mentor, or just working it out on your own.
When it's all said and done, it doesn't matter as long as you improve.

-Mitch

 

[BrianKon]

My SSI instructor emphasized a lot, really a lot about buoyancy. We had a pool practice related to buoyancy. During the check-out dives we all had to make a proper weighting test in every 5 check-out dives. That´s why this PPB course makes me feel that PADI is dividing the courses and teaching less in each so as divers need to take more courses.

Not trying to take sides, PADI as we all know has its issues, but this is not one of them. All the PADI dives require Buoancy Checks at the surface as well as practice in confined water. So there is no difference in standards there. Just wanted to clear that up.

Brian

 

[Saudi-Diver]

Its sad really, but from my memory of basic training there was very, very little training on horizontal trim and basic buoyancy control. That came later once I got the dive bug and wanted to not impact on the environment to whivh I was a awe struck visitor. Buoyancy skills came with time and some brilliant mentors, I was lucky.

 

[rameus]

I do agree, too. Especially when you're diving in areas where you get a lot of narrow places like swimthroughs or caves in shallow areas the PPB (or similar in SSI) is very useful. And it's not about the course itself since they can all be pretty boring. THIS is exaclty where it fully depends on the teacher to give you a good time during the course and learning something with fun is always easier than without ;-)

 

[Last Out]

If you are new to diving, I think the PPB course goes great as an added course to AOW, but if your interested in eventually becoming a dive professional I'd spend the money on a Specialty Course that isn't automatically made available to teach upon becoming an instructor. That way you can focus on getting specialties that will help you become a MSDT faster, since PADI doesn't give you credit for PPB when applying for MSDT. Also by finding a specialty course instructor in deep or wreck diving for instance they will probably be more experienced, and help you with your buoyancy skills without charging for a whole other course.

 

[jscott099]

PPB is a PADI only course. SSI has no course to teach buoyancy, but taught in the OWD course.
Besides there is no AOWD course under SSI. AOWD is a status a diver reaches after completing 4 specialties and 24 dives.
To master buoyancy is a very important part of the skills a diver should have. At least for me, the fact to have a specialty course to teach buoyancy means that the OWD course is uncomplete or given too fast.

From the first page...yes, SSI does have a buoyancy course and it is called Perfect Buoyancy (see web site). I teach it all the time and it is the course I always recommend immediately after OW cert.

The reason it works is we spend both of the required dives in mostly shallow water (30 to 35 ft) and all we do is buoyancy drills. by spending so much time in one topic area most students are able to fine tune their motor skills to a high degree. Many are amazed at how significantly over weighted they were.