BOW: When is enough enough?

[24940]

Going into OW class, not many people have a basis for comparison to gauge the quality of the class. Now that you have been diving for a while, how well do you feel your OW class prepared you as a diver? Did you get enough of theory, skills and practice in class or did you find the material overwhelming, boring or a waste of time? What would you have added or removed from the class?

 

[TheWetRookie]

time to pull out the popcorn

Looking back I think the Padi OW course was sufficiant for learning the skills part, but what I would like to see added is say 4 actual dives with a DM or higher. Not just sitting on the bottom doing skill or swimming around for 5 mintues but actual dives.

It's like, Ok you learnt the skills, now let's put them into practice. They can evaluate you and help get things worked out and even practice a few of the skills during safety sops. Then after these 4 dives certify the diver.

Just my 200 PSI

 

[under water]

I took my training in Roatan and there was no pool time involved. The only water I saw was on the reef and the sand.
It was nice and warm and although we were learning skills we were definitely enjoying ourselves. Now I don't know what we missed by not going through the pool ritual, but it seems to me that learning in the ocean, albeit a warm one, lets you learn those skills a bit faster as you are doing them in the environment you will need them. We also had the benefit of one dedicated instructor (DM) for my wife and I so we got all the attention that we needed.
Having said that, I have probably learned more about the theory and good practices of diving here on this board over the last year than in the 3-4 day OW class.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

What if your class was longer than that? Mine was twice a week for 10 weeks, 1 day classroom and 1 day pool each week.
Ber :lilbunny:

EDIT: 24940 asked me to edit the poll to reflect longer classes

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

Mine was two three hour classes in the evening for around 6 weeks. One was classroom and the other was pool. It was a YMCA class that was probably a bit more intense than today's classes from what I hear.

This was also back in the day before safety stops and before 60 feet was considered deep. So I guess the extra preparation was probably a good thing.

 

[drbill]

I took the Los Angeles County diver certification back in 1969 after I'd already been diving freshwater for about 7-8 years. As I remember it, the course lasted three weeks and covered much of what the current BOW, AOW and Rescue Diver certifications do. It was excellent training, and I had one of the legends (Ron Merker) as my instructor.

My employer covered the cost of certification so I don't remember what it cost. I would assume in today's dollars it might be too expensive to offer such a lengthy and comprehensive course in one fell swoop. Certainly from the standpoint of economics (both from the beginning diver's and the agency's perspectives), I understand the logic of breaking that kind of course down innto smaller, and less expensive, bites.

However, as conducted by most instructors for most new divers, I can't believe the BOW cert is sufficient. I applaud those instructors who, in the interests of good preparation and diver safety, teach beyond the basic standards... and those who also recommend to their students to take the AOW course soon as well.

I used to be against taking the AOW course so soon after the BOW certification was completed. However, I've changed my mind on that and now feel it is a good idea. But what do I know... I don't teach SCUBA.

 

[ClayJar]

My class was four weeks of Tuesday and Thursday nights, around three hours a night. About half that time was pool time, and the other half was classroom time. We picked things up pretty quickly, so the instructor said we could drop the last pool night if we didn't want to bother with it. The response was a unanimously incredulous reply; none of us wanted to miss out on having fun in the pool.

I hear all sorts of arguments for and against short classes, but the thing that strikes me is the difference in perception. For us in our "long" course, the pool sessions were times when we had to work on a skill or two but mostly just have fun in the water. For the "short" course, the pool sessions were basically limited to "do this skill correctly so we can move on to the next".

J. had a bit of trouble clearing her mask and took much of the first pool session working on it, but that wasn't a big deal. The next session, she had had time to get used to it and practice outside class time, and she was better. If we had been in a short course, she wouldn't have had the time to ease into things.​

An OW course should be less like traffic-court-required driver's ed and more like space camp. You shouldn't be doing it because you have to pass in order to go on about your business; you should be doing it because it's a fun way to experience in some small way the enjoyment to which you will have access through the knowledge you begin building there. Sure, diving outside the pool is vastly more amazing than pool diving, just as flying real aircraft easily tops a simulator, but how can you not have a blast in the pool, provided you actually have some time to just dive it?

If your OW class didn't feel like recess with a side of Mr. Wizard, you were cheated. :biggrin:

 

[Homunculus]

as OP said, i have nothing to compare it with. twice per week classes for 3 weeks (so total of 6 classes; 50% pool, 50% classes) was enough. in terms of material, i wish he would give us more info but i guess, it would be beyond the spectrum of OW class. in any case, it's up to the instructor. in my case, it was pretty much what was written in the book, not less not more. so overall, i was not bored but i could definitely handle less classes packed with more material.

 

[fdog]

My Scuba Diver course was two months,with 3 hours of pool and 2 hours of classroom each week. Three weekends in the ocean.

It was perfect, and gave me skills and awareness I use to this day.

It was also in 1971. As said by Bill, it covered what would now be sold as Skindiver, BOW, AOW and Rescue. Getting it as a package was truly priceless.


All the best, James

 

[ScubaJeff123]

In 1981, I took a 6 week PADI Course every Saturday, with pool time every class. We did a checkout dive at Troy Springs. This past March, I re-took the course with my son, since it has been over 20 years since I last dove. This class only met for 2 days. However, most of the book work was completed before the actual class. The following weekend was spent diving in a spring and the clear Rainbow River. I felt that the two day class was adequate as long as you did the homework beforehand.