Apologies.
The central theme of my complaint is best seen by my continual attempts (as a community member) at keeping Basic Scuba Discussions focused on the new diver’s point of view. At this level, the diver needs chapter and verse to keep him/her safe in their own mind. Something solid to hold on to that keeps panic at bay. Breathing underwater is unnatural. They need dogma to hold onto: If I always do this and do it correctly as I was taught, I won’t get hurt.
Truer awareness comes later.
I disagree with your premise ... the New Divers forum is for keeping focused on the new diver's point of view. Basic diving means exactly that ... diving within the limits of what's typically taught at the recreational level. It should not, however, be limited to what it taught at the OW level, as you imply ... OW reduces much about diving to the least common denominator and provides a handful of easy-to-remember slogans and rules of thumb. They are meant as a starting point ... a floor, not a ceiling for basic recreational diving.
There is a GREAT DEAL that is not covered in OW classes that can easily be construed as "Basic Diving" ... it is not taught in OW class due to time and mental bandwidth constraints ... and in large part because a diver needs to have a point of context to move beyond the rote and begin to develop an understanding of its meaning. Routine gas management isn't, by any stretch, "advanced diving" ... it applies equally every time a diver's head goes below the surface.
I'll say this as someone with nearly 12 years of teaching experience ... classes are an artificial environment. They don't "teach" you skills so much as they teach you how to learn them. Learning comes ... as it does with most things ... from regular practice and application. Because with those things one develops an understanding of what was introduced in the class, and provides a context in which learning becomes possible. Classes provide a well-defined structure that leaves out many things ... on the assumption that those things can be developed and refined through practical application. And for the newer diver, that application occurs at the basic diving level ... or should.
That's why, for the past few years, I've preferred workshops over classes ... they're less structured, more personal, and far more focused on individual needs rather than a predefined curriculum that may or may not include the things the individual most needs to learn. It's why mentors are so important ... and always have been for helping new divers develop their skill set.
You remind me in many ways of the opposition I got when I first wrote that gas management article and started promoting it through social media and live seminars ... many of the established scuba educators poo-poo'ed it as "tech sh!t" and argued that it wasn't needed at the "basic" level. And to a point I agree with them ... the math isn't needed, except as a tool to help those so inclined to comprehend why it matters. But the concepts most certainly do. Over the years I've offered that seminar at all levels ... even to people who had yet to complete their OW class ... and I've yet to find anyone who is incapable of comprehending the basic premise, which is that the very best way to not run out of air is to "plan your dive and dive your plan" ... one of those slogans so popular in OW classes ... and that dive planning includes making sure you begin the dive with adequate air to do the dive you've planned. It makes sense at a very basic level ... and yet until recently it was not a part of any agency's entry level curriculum. But I'm starting to see these folks coming around to thinking that maybe it is a good idea after all.
The "basic" way ... telling people to "end the dive with 500 psi" ... is fine. But it lacks telling them how to do it. And as such it describes a goal without any attempt to instruct the new diver how to achieve it.
There are many such gaps in basic education. It was never intended to be comprehensive ... it was intended only to provide a framework that allows the gaps to be filled in through additional advice, practice, and contextual understanding. That's what this conversation attempts to do. In no way should anything said in here be construed as "advanced" ... people run out of air on "basic" dives far too frequently, even though it's nearly 100% avoidable. Why would you ever think they should wait till they're doing "advanced" diving to learn how to not do that?
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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