I have extremely mixed feelings with required 'trim and bouyancy' certs. It can be usefull for some divers, but for others it is only to take and make money.
Evaluation dives before accepting a student is not bad, most times a good idea, and I always try to do, but sometimes hard if a diver has to travel to caves (like I had to do when I did my cave cert). But on the other hand, nowadays it is easy to make a small video from your diving and sent it to an instructor (valvedrill, helicopter turn, smb, and longhose deployment, maybe backkick). But then, if you can make a video, an 'itt' cert is not needed anymore. The only thing you cannot see is the reaction/awareness of a diver, but that is a point that and can be trained and not everybody find this same important than others.
The problem is that in diving you cannot or are not allowed to teach yourself and the idea that divers need to be taken by hand for every poop and **** they want to try. This results sadly in more and more (especially in recreational diving) certs. But on the other hand, divers don't want to spent time in practising and training anymore, fast and easy is the new way to do. Where shortcuts can be taken, they are taken. Happely, most agencies have options for good skilled divers to skip things and make things required if the diver need it.
But evaluation videos would be a usefull help and can save money and desillusions and too high expetations.
And then the diver and instructor can decide if cavediving can be done in 1, 2 or 3 steps (including or excluding cavern). Of course with the minimimum amount of dives in standards as guideline, and more can be done.
Evaluation dives before accepting a student is not bad, most times a good idea, and I always try to do, but sometimes hard if a diver has to travel to caves (like I had to do when I did my cave cert). But on the other hand, nowadays it is easy to make a small video from your diving and sent it to an instructor (valvedrill, helicopter turn, smb, and longhose deployment, maybe backkick). But then, if you can make a video, an 'itt' cert is not needed anymore. The only thing you cannot see is the reaction/awareness of a diver, but that is a point that and can be trained and not everybody find this same important than others.
The problem is that in diving you cannot or are not allowed to teach yourself and the idea that divers need to be taken by hand for every poop and **** they want to try. This results sadly in more and more (especially in recreational diving) certs. But on the other hand, divers don't want to spent time in practising and training anymore, fast and easy is the new way to do. Where shortcuts can be taken, they are taken. Happely, most agencies have options for good skilled divers to skip things and make things required if the diver need it.
But evaluation videos would be a usefull help and can save money and desillusions and too high expetations.
And then the diver and instructor can decide if cavediving can be done in 1, 2 or 3 steps (including or excluding cavern). Of course with the minimimum amount of dives in standards as guideline, and more can be done.