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

[boulderjohn]

It depends upon what you mean by ditch and don. If you mean taking gear off and putting it back on, then, yes, it is taught. If you mean taking all your gear off, swimming to the surface, then swimming back down to put it all back on again, then, no it is not taught--not for a long time. In fact, I don't know if it was ever officially taught by agency requirement--not sure. I think a lot of instructors did it on their own. An SSI instructor at the University of Alabama did it on her own 10-12 years ago. I know that because of the lawsuit following a student's death.

 

[scubadada]

It depends upon what you mean by ditch and don. If you mean taking gear off and putting it back on, then, yes, it is taught. If you mean taking all your gear off, swimming to the surface, then swimming back down to put it all back on again, then, no it is not taught--not for a long time. In fact, I don't know if it was ever officially taught by agency requirement--not sure. I think a lot of instructors did it on their own. An SSI instructor at the University of Alabama did it on her own 10-12 years ago. I know that because of the lawsuit following a student's death.

In 1970, we did ditch and don from, and then to, the bottom of the pool, as part of a LA County class

 

[John C. Ratliff]

The reason I asked about doff and don exercises is that yesterday, I decided to dive a new (to me) jacket BCD. I had bought it last winter, but had not dived it. I have been diving either my Para-Sea BC, which I invented, or a Dacor Nautilus CVS system. But I decided on the jacket BCD to evaluate it. I also decided to use one of my more advanced Dacor regulators, with a octopus, LP inflator and Cobra dive computer. Well, I was about fifteen minutes through my dive when I noticed a greater-than-normal pull on my primary regulator. What was happening?

I figured out that my steel 72 tank had become loose and out of its band. The only thing holding the tank was the regulator being snagged on the nylon tank retaining strap. So I had to do an in-water doff and don to get the thing back together. I found a place about 15 feet deep, took it off, got the tank back under the strap, made the strap tighter, and put it back on. It took a while, but I was able to do it.

If you haven’t figured it out, I was diving solo under a lifeguard station, with a dive flag and float. I had decided that surfacing probably wasn’t the best thing to do, as on the surface I’d have to deal with gravity. So I did it on the bottom. I also have a video of the process, and should have that available in a few days.

I felt good on two levels, first that this 75 year-old diver could still do an open water doff and don, and get out of the situation. Second, that the lifeguards were watching down at me, probably wondering why I was in one place for over 10 minutes (I’ll see how much time it took off the video).

SeaRat

 

[Pacediver]

I thought it was still taught myself,

 

[VikingDives]

I figured out that my steel 72 tank had become loose and out of its band. The only thing holding the tank was the regulator being snagged on the nylon tank retaining strap. So I had to do an in-water doff and don to get the thing back together. I found a place about 15 feet deep, took it off, got the tank back under the strap, made the strap tighter, and put it back on. It took a while, but I was able to do it.

For PADI and SDI the answer is yes, this skill is still taught. I have a copy of SEI's standards from last year and they require it too. PADI has added an additional skill to open water for adjusting a loose tank band as well. That's taught as a skill with a buddy for obvious reasons.

I teach both those skills in the solo diver course as well, though I don't think they are required.

 

[DiverDaniel2485]

I would actually like to see better regulation of the industry here in Australia.

Currently, there is no requirement to have a Working With Children Check (in most states) or a National Criminal History Check as a Divemaster or Instructor with ADAS, PADI or SSI (those are really the only three that teach diving in Australia and ADAS is for professional diving only).

With how transient SCUBA instructors are (pre-covid of course) and how easy it is to jump from one agency to another (go look at the PADI expelled DM/Instructor list and see how many of them jumped straight over to SSI) it is alarming that no one has cracked down on it.

I'm not saying it needs to be a hardcore licencing scheme, just a simple $30 background check in order to train children or other vulnerable people (i.e. women or the elderly).

I know of an instructor who was accused of (and possibly convicted - can't verify due to spent conviction laws) sexual harassment. PADI booted him out and within 2 years he was an SSI instructor. I don't like that scheme. You can be responsible for a divers death, rape a student or steal from students and even if you serve time in prison, agencies like PADI and SSI will welcome you with open arms, negligently giving you a power of authority/responsibility.

 

[happy-diver]

Get a grip mate, go join a minority group and ship yourselves off somewhere



I would raise the standards of diver candidate, reg technician before diver cert

 

[Pressurehead]

Get a grip mate, go join a minority group and ship yourselves off somewhere



I would raise the standards of diver candidate, reg technician before diver cert

Another reason I retired from teaching and coaching [sports as well as SCUBA], Oh, I had the "blue card" and all the checks done etc, which had to be renewed at a cost and time [very slow in QLD] and it goes on ad nauseam, I have a collection of the things,
Soon you will need "card" to fart in public.
The country has become a nanny state.

 

[azstinger11]

In 1970, we did ditch and don from, and then to, the bottom of the pool, as part of a LA County class

Still part of the instructor curriculum, I don’t think it was a requirement for the advanced cert though.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

My YouTube video of my doff and don is finally uploaded and ready for viewing. It took three tries over the weekend, and I found out that the "MP4" version worked, whereas the "MOV" version did not. So here it is:


Any comments would be welcome. Instructors, feel free to use it as an example of why a doff and don may be needed at some point in a diver's career. I don't think I've done one for about ten years, and the last one I did was in response to someone here who said a CESA is not possible from 60 feet. So I did a doff in about 18 feet of water in a local swimming pool (it has competitive diving, both platform and springboard, which is why it was so deep). But rather than simply surfacing, I swam diagonally across the pool, which was the equivalent of a 60 foot ascent. I then retrieved the scuba unit using a similar surface dive and swim of 60 feet to get it and put it back on.

Now, enjoy the video.

SeaRat