If you could change one thing about dive training...

[Manatee Diver]

IANTD training is about simulating realistic diving situations. The only way to do this is by task loading.

Yes it realistically kills the students.

 

[Pressurehead]

Over-weighting the OW students, would still be my two cents.

When I began, we actually swam down -- not, dropping to the bottom, like some witness against the Genovese family . . .

I like the this post, I can't give more than one like.
So here is another , LIKE .

 

[Scuba Client]

Yes it realistically kills the students.

Too many divers are intent on collecting c-cards without gaining real diving experience and insight. Before making the transition to Divemaster/Instructor, your own mind tells you that you're ready. Experiences, like having your regulator accidentally knocked out of your mouth, tells you that you are ready. A diver who kicks off your mask, shouldn't be a concern provided you don't panic.

 

[Rae HalfTheHill]

Are you talking about lakes or ocean?

Preach-- Yeah, Nitrox in AOW makes more sense. One of my AOW dives in FL was the "Nitrox Adventure Dive". So I had one of the required 2 dives back in 2006. Had to do the whole Nitrox course when I got back home. So even today without the required 2 dives, you still have to spend the time & money to do the whole course, written test (I assume still) to get the cert. Adding that to AOW makes that course longer & more costly, but doesn't deter someone from taking a longer OW course.

Agree with your points-however, the PADI nitrox course does not require any dives and can be taught completely dry

 

[TMHeimer]

Agree with your points-however, the PADI nitrox course does not require any dives and can be taught completely dry

Yeah I know that. But I believe it still costs the same. The required dives 15 years ago were on your own without the instructor anyway, so there was no instructor pay for that. So as we agree, adding it to the OW course would still make the course just as much more costly & time consuming.
Even with so many courses now offered by e-learning, for some reason though the classroom time is way down, the prices are not. Same with OW course.

 

[happy-diver]

I'd delete CESA training.

Yeah this, if one day I'm going to fall with my face onto concrete I should practice to see what it's like, rubbish

How on earth did someone actually convince a small group of people that this
was a good idea to be introduced to a larger group of people in the first place

 

[Pressurehead]

CESA , the number of years I was required to do this [and log it] every year, some times twice a year , is scary.
First ditch weight belt and swim up, next dive ditch weight belt and dive set [twin 63s, no fenzy as it only at 18m !] and slow swim up breathing out [blow and go].
Young and dumb and full of ....Courage, and no one ever hurt, which is amazing in it self.
No wonder I am as mad as a March hair.

 

[VikingDives]

Over-weighting the OW students, would still be my two cents.

When I began, we actually swam down -- not, dropping to the bottom, like some witness against the Genovese family . . .

Overweighting isn't a problem, it's THE problem. Overweighted students are stressed students and stressed students don't want to keep diving.

 

[Centrals]

Back to the topic of this thread .... I believe EVERY diver should be trained to use Nitrox from dive 1 regardless of whether or not they choose to use it.

What made you think that nitrox is available everywhere even nowadays?

 

[rongoodman]

My one change would be simple. NEVER teach anything on your knees. Trim and buoyancy from the start as fundamentals, not add-on niceties.

Let alone teach on your knees, I don't recall ever seeing my OW water instructor flat and still in the water.