Messed up my OW dive - advice for the future please?

[2airishuman]

Hello AllyBee. Sorry to hear of your experience.

There is much going on here. I will try to take these one at a time.

I'd been looking forward to doing the OW course for ages. Having snorkelled a lot in the past and as I love swimming/am a fairly decent swimmer, its something I've wanted to delve into for a long time. I'm a woman in mid-20s also and I think this is relevant to the overall story.

So I completed all the online certification and passed the 200m length/treading water no problem. I decided to do the course in cold water in the UK. This is what happened:-

- Myself and my 'buddy' had to set up the cylinder and BCD in front of the instructor 5 times in quick succession. During the 4th set up I felt a small amount of pain in my lower back which seemed to go away.
- Putting on the drysuit was difficult, it didn't fit properly but the instructor eventually said 'it'll do' and it took 2 people to literally lift me up and wriggle me in to it!

From your narrative, it does not sound as through you started learning in a pool. It is customary for new divers to be taught first in a classroom (or online), then in a pool (or, rarely, in a benign confined water environment that is similar to a pool), and only then proceed to open water.

Pool training is vital as valuable skills can be gained without the complexities and risks of an open water dive.

- We carried our stuff down to the shore and put on gloves, mask and hood. The dive master added 2 extra weights each side of my hips and this is when things started to go wrong. While the dive master was adding these weights/still getting me set up, the instructor was giving out important info which she then quizzed on me - I hadn't heard most of it as I was occupied with getting set up.

That isn't quality instruction. I am sorry you went through that.

- She told us to kneel on the floor once in the water and that she would carry out a series of tests following this. Once in there, though, I couldn't kneel on the floor and vis was bad. I just kept floating to the top and I was all over the place. She said 'Use your leg muscles, show that cylinder whose boss' but honestly I wasn't 100% sure what I was meant to be doing.
- Eventually I seemed to have things under control, signalling ok a few times so the instructor took us out deeper. Out of nowhere I struggled with balance again, ripped off the mask and shooted to the surface. Game over, the divemaster took me in and called the dive.

I believe your instructors expectations are unreasonable. Cold water diving, especially in a drysuit, adds complexity to a dive and requires more time to learn. There is more to go wrong. It is common for students to pull off their mask and shoot to the surface in the early part of their training.

Afterwards there was a 'meeting' with myself and my buddy. The company told me as we were now behind (ie. I had failed to complete the days tests) I would have to step it up tomorrow as it was important that myself and my buddy were at the same level. Initially I wanted to do this but ultimately it felt like too much pressure and I decided to shelve it this time.

Good choice

Later that evening, I started my period which I think may explain the pain on my hips with the weights. I'm an average weight if it matters and they were digging in to the bones. Are there any alternatives to this?

The advice upthread to learn in warmer waters, is good advice.

You could also learn in a thicker (7mm) wetsuit, instead of a drysuit. The wetsuit may be more manageable. Something to discuss with potential instructors.

There are a number of alternatives for weight placement. In situations (like drysuit dives) where a good deal of lead is required, some people use a weight harness that divides the weight between the shoulders and the hip belt.

I use a rubber weight belt, which I find to be more comfortable than the non-stretch nylon belts that are typically used. That is another alternative you could explore.

FYI I live in Spain the rest of the year so won't ave a chance to reschedule in the UK til next year now. Just looking for suggestions on what I can do to be better equipped next time and get past this. Thanks.

If I were in your situation, I would ask for my money back, based on being unsatisfied with the instruction. Maybe they'll give it to you. Or some of it, at least.

Then continue on with another instructor. There are many instructors who teach students in groups no larger than 2 at a time, and who have the patience to work through whatever difficulties any individual may experience.

Good luck in your journey. I hope it improves.

 

[Dave Bevan]

my buddy was doing an advanced OW course immediately after we completed the OW course. Therefore the pressure was on to get it all done in a specific timeframe.

 

[pconsidine]

If I were you I would ask for a portion of the money back-it seems like you were doing the confined water portion of your training and in this case you were way task overloaded- your instructor should have demostrated each skill before you had to do it. In my opinion I would search for another instructor who would be more one on one with you and the idea of catching up to your buddy is total BS by the DM, each student picks up skills at a different rate and it is up to the instructor to compensate accordingly-not you.

 

[diversteve]

Hey steve, what do you mean by referral? Does this mean that I won't need to pay again? Thanks

Sort of - first of all is your shop PADI?

They have a referral program so that you can do all your checkout dives in Spain but you will have to pay the new shop for their costs just for those dives. Many shops offer them as a package since they'll often be easier dives at an off-time.

You get a referral form/online from your existing instructor and it's sent to the shop you indicate. That way they can access your training records b4 you arrive.

If not PADI - or the shop in Spain isn't - there's a universal referral that may apply but I don't think PADI accepts them - but IDK. If the two shops are different organizations - I think you're still issued a card from your shop but IDK for certain.

I believe a PADI referred to shop issues a PADI card regardless of origin.
Be best to find both shops the same as the skill expectations will be similar.

 

[AllyBee]

If I were you I would ask for a portion of the money back-it seems like you were doing the confined water portion of your training and in this case you were way task overloaded- your instructor should have demostrated each skill before you had to do it. In my opinion I would search for another instructor who would be more one on one with you and the idea of catching up to your buddy is total BS by the DM, each student picks up skills at a different rate and it is up to the instructor to compensate accordingly-not you.

I didn't learn anything in the pool. They managed to grab some pool time at the local leisure centre to do the 200m/treading water test but that's all.

Well that's it. The instructor's immediate response after I bolted and came out of the water was 'you could always do it in Spain' and 'the problem is, its going to be a bit tricky completing the rest of the week now' despite the fact I'd paid for the week's course. She basically suggested they didn't have enough instructors but there seemed to be plenty of them.

I am reluctant to begin a complaint RE getting money back purely because I want the referral from them for another school. Is it possible to get a referral now (like getting an employment reference, for example) or do I wait until I am booking the course again? Thanks.

 

[Dave Bevan]

I am reluctant to begin a complaint RE getting money back purely because I want the referral from them for another school. Is it possible to get a referral now (like getting an employment reference, for example) or do I wait until I am booking the course again? Thanks.

To get a referral in SSI you have to have successfully completed all the Confined Water sessions and Theory/Exam. Then you can do your open water experience dives in Spain or wherever. Doesn't sound compatible with your situation. However I only know SSI as I am an SSI instructor.

You would have to check the Training Standard of your particular agency to find out.

 

[pconsidine]

I didn't learn anything in the pool. They managed to grab some pool time at the local leisure centre to do the 200m/treading water test but that's all.

Well that's it. The instructor's immediate response after I bolted and came out of the water was 'you could always do it in Spain' and 'the problem is, its going to be a bit tricky completing the rest of the week now' despite the fact I'd paid for the week's course. She basically suggested they didn't have enough instructors but there seemed to be plenty of them.

I am reluctant to begin a complaint RE getting money back purely because I want the referral from them for another school. Is it possible to get a referral now (like getting an employment reference, for example) or do I wait until I am booking the course again? Thanks.

I would blame the instructor if he allowed you to bolt to surface ,as a Instructor I am always close enough to control runaway ascent. Also you would only be
able to get a referral form for classroom portion since the only confined water skill you completed was you surface swim.In my opinion you are entitled to a portion of your money back since instructor did not fully perform all element of training that you paid for.

 

[BenjaminF]

@AllyBee, did you at least do the theory exams with them? Or did they want to do the theory after the pool/dives?

 

[pconsidine]

If this was a PADI 5 star training facilty you could file a report directly with PADI filing a complaint about level of instruction

 

[mmerriman]

If this was a PADI 5 star training facilty you could file a report directly with PADI filing a complaint about level of instruction

doesn't matter what the facility was - if it was a PADI instructor, the "confined water" as described was NOT to standards. You should point that out to the instructor and the facility and demand a refund as they were not prepared to deliver your training in a safe environment. You should also repor tthis directly to PADI.
Confined Water Dives
Confined water is a general term that refers to either a
swimming pool or confined open water.

Confined open water is an open water site that offers
swimming-pool-like conditions with respect to clarity, calmness,
and depth. It has both shallow water and water sufficiently
deep to allow student divers to meet all skill performance
requirements.
Evaluate confined open water conditions carefully before each
dive because a site may qualify as “pool-like” on a given day
under certain conditions, but not qualify under others.
When confined water logistics aren’t ideal and the depth is too
shallow to conduct all skills, introduce skills requiring water too
deep in which to stand, in sequence, in shallow water. Then
when you have access to confined water deep enough to meet
skill performance requirements, repeat the deep-water skills, in
sequence, before the associated open water dive.