A Cert Card for everything, including how to tie your shoe...

[Jax]

As one who is working on a drysuit cert . . . .

Actually, the free market is adjusting to our instant-gratification, 3-second-attention-span current generation(s). People just don't want to sit through "all that course work" before they start diving. Ergo, the classwork is salomi-sliced into smaller classes to build on each other.

The market is also adjusting to our litigious society. Someone rents a drysuit and doesn't know better. Feet up and uncontrolled ascent later, they sued the dive op / manufacturer. Solo Diving? Sue the op that "let" you dive alone. Ergo, some 'what seem to be' outlandish certs.

For me, in [sarcasm] the highly divable south-central arizona [/sarcasm], learning how to dive a drysuit in a class makes perfect sense before I drop a couple of grand on one. With a cert card, I can rent a suit on a weekend in San Diego, and decide which one I want.

So . . . free market responds. Still . . . who's offering that split fin course, again?

 

[mikemill]

I'm typing slower now, so you go ahead and read slower too. Maybe you'll comprehend better.

Ready?
First, I didn't disrespect anyone taking classes. Secondly (am I still typing too fast?) I didn't say people shouldn't seek education on DECO. What my point was (typing even slower because this one is a toughy apparently) that 10+ years ago, these topics were covered at the basic level. 130' was covered in AOW. Deco was covered in EAN. Drysuit or Doubles were covered in say Cavern or Intro to Cave.

Why should one have to wait till cavern or cave to do drysuit or doubles? Lot of recreational divers here use drysuits and we don't have a cavern (let alone a cave) for hundreds of miles.

In case you missed it <again> . I wasn't bashing people taking these classes. I was bashing the industry making it a necessity to need these classes as everything I just listed in the above paragraph was offered in their respective corresponding courses. It's a money game and nothing else. We've cut back our services and required people to get what we once gave for free, a little bit of education.

Whether you intended to base those people or not that is exactly what you were doing. Just like TSandM did start an anti-soloing thread whether she meant to or not.

There will be those who favor a "give it all to me in one class" approach and those who favor a "give it to me in small chunks" approach. The chuck at a time approach seems to be the more popular approach and the market has adjusted to fit that.

 

[Superlyte27]

As one who is working on a drysuit cert . . . .

Actually, the free market is adjusting to our instant-gratification, 3-second-attention-span current generation(s). People just don't want to sit through "all that course work" before they start diving. Ergo, the classwork is salomi-sliced into smaller classes to build on each other.

The market is also adjusting to our litigious society. Someone rents a drysuit and doesn't know better. Feet up and uncontrolled ascent later, they sued the dive op / manufacturer. Solo Diving? Sue the op that "let" you dive alone. Ergo, some 'what seem to be' outlandish certs.

For me, in [sarcasm] the highly divable south-central arizona [/sarcasm], learning how to dive a drysuit in a class makes perfect sense before I drop a couple of grand on one. With a cert card, I can rent a suit on a weekend in San Diego, and decide which one I want.

So . . . free market responds. Still . . . who's offering that split fin course, again?

Ok, the split fin course was sarcasm...
Thanks Jax. I can see your perspective.

 

[Jax]

Ok, the split fin course was sarcasm...

WHAT?!?!?! I'm crushed!!! :shocked2: I've got the world's most beautiful pink Twinjets . . . :furious:

 

[Superlyte27]

Why should one have to wait till cavern or cave to do drysuit or doubles? Lot of recreational divers here use drysuits and we don't have a cavern (let alone a cave) for hundreds of miles.

Well, my perspective got in the way on the Cavern thing. I'm surrounded by caves and caverns here in florida.

As far as drysuits go, I guess my perspective is in the way there too. I bought a drysuit, went to my in-laws pool and screwed with it for a few hours. That was it, back in Oct 1998. Two days later I was in the Delaware River in Commercial Dive School. I didn't need a class, and I guess I figure if I can figure it out, anyone can. This aint rocket science.

 

[Superlyte27]

WHAT?!?!?! I'm crushed!!! :shocked2: I've got the world's most beautiful pink Twinjets . . . :furious:

THAT'S NOT DIR!!!

JK JK JK, seriously, Just kidding,
I don't need to have everyone yelling at me at once.

THAT'S NOT DIR!!!

JK JK JK, seriously, Just kidding,
I don't need to have everyone yelling at me at once.

 

[Jax]

THAT'S NOT DIR!!!

JK JK JK, seriously, Just kidding,
I don't need to have everyone yelling at me at once.

Okay, here come the soapboxes . . .

 

[mikemill]

Well, my perspective got in the way on the Cavern thing. I'm surrounded by caves and caverns here in florida.

Understanding each other's perspective is the bane of humans.

As far as drysuits go, I guess my perspective is in the way there too. I bought a drysuit, went to my in-laws pool and screwed with it for a few hours. That was it, back in Oct 1998. Two days later I was in the Delaware River in Commercial Dive School. I didn't need a class, and I guess I figure if I can figure it out, anyone can. This aint rocket science.

I hope I'm recalling this correctly from another thread: Learning it on your own and getting instruction on it both lead you to the same point. The goal with instruction is to get you there quicker and safer.

 

[vjanelle]

As far as drysuits go, I guess my perspective is in the way there too. I bought a drysuit, went to my in-laws pool and screwed with it for a few hours. That was it, back in Oct 1998. Two days later I was in the Delaware River in Commercial Dive School. I didn't need a class, and I guess I figure if I can figure it out, anyone can. This aint rocket science.

Nothing stops you from doing that now, but if it saves someone's life by letting them know how the dump valve is left-open, right closed, it's money well spent by everyone.

The one thing I learned from doing/watching/assisting dry suit classes is (effiencient and proficient) dumping and recovery however.

 

[Tanked]

There's a shoe tying specialty?

I'm calling the shop tomorrow. Goodbye sandals!!

Those rock boots can be a bitch to tie underwater.