How long were your check out dives. Were they just the shorest required time needed to meet standards or did you get to stay down as long as your air lasted. Have seen classes 15 minutes in the water then the next group puts on the same gear so after 4 check out dives you have a total bottom time of 1 hour.
check out dive times
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tombiowami
Contributor
For my Naui checkouts, it was a mixture, some were very short, some were longer, like us waiting on the platform while others did their tricks. A couple were longer, i.e. navigation. The last one was a "pleasure dive" but in a quarry with 10' of vis, it was not pleasurable.
1 hr. total is a poor amount of bottom time IMO. My first OW class (I took a refresher recently) was over a span of 2 days and we probably had 2-3 hours of bottom time though a lot of it was just hanging out on the plat form.
Tommy
1 hr. total is a poor amount of bottom time IMO. My first OW class (I took a refresher recently) was over a span of 2 days and we probably had 2-3 hours of bottom time though a lot of it was just hanging out on the plat form.
Tommy
My pool 
dives lasted as long as it took to drain the tank down to 500psi.
But the open water dives were in a Wisconsin lake in October. We went in two shifts, since it was a large group and had to wait for our turns. By the time I was getting into a wet 7mm wetsuit, I was already cold. We only wanted to stay in as long as it took to complete the skills and not one minute more. :cold:
dives lasted as long as it took to drain the tank down to 500psi. But the open water dives were in a Wisconsin lake in October. We went in two shifts, since it was a large group and had to wait for our turns. By the time I was getting into a wet 7mm wetsuit, I was already cold. We only wanted to stay in as long as it took to complete the skills and not one minute more. :cold:
AliKat
Contributor
My OW check-out dives were 30-40 minutes. They really were full fledged dives with all the skills stuff thrown in during the dive.
The only difference between my last check-out dive and my first OW certified dive (other than going from SoCal to Guam) was that I didn't have to take my mask off!
The only difference between my last check-out dive and my first OW certified dive (other than going from SoCal to Guam) was that I didn't have to take my mask off!
ScubaScott
Guest
My OW dives were on our (Canadian)long weekend in May. The Saturday we did two dives - 1st was 35 min, 2nd was 30. Water was 42 degs, air temp in high 40's - not ideal conditions. I think we were in about 20', and two of the guys almost sucked thier tanks dry! We had to stand around outside jumping around to keepwarm for about 40mins for SI. Some in our group were cold, I was stoked just to be in something other than the pool!. Sunday was a different dive site, 1st dive was 40 mins, 2nd was 30 min, water temp of 44 degs, but a beautiful day, sunny, no wind (60 deg's +) - would have gone for a 3rd if we had any more tanks! OW BT = 2hrs, 15 min. Everyone in my group (6 of us) performed our "tricks" and did well. Sad to say though, I am the only one of the 6 that has dove since.......
Day 1: Skin dive first then started scuba diving. First dive was 38 minutes and the second was 45. Day 2: Third "lifetime" dive was aborted at 23 minutes, I managed to completely freak myself out and I felt the safety of those with me would be compromised if I continued the dive. Day 3: Fourth "lifetime" dive was 38 minutes.
Ber
Ber
F
Ferrara
Guest
Those log page have been long since cycled out and into a box. I do remember that we had time for a good tour around the quary after skill on each dive. When I teach I keep groups small and students in the water as long as we can. The tour portion of the dive is where the student gains experience. Without a tour on each dive you may as well just stay in the pool. We're not getting rich but the students that want to actually learn to dive.
ScubaScott
Guest
absoultely Ferrara! 
I've seen and heard horror stories of certs being done in record time, and when they done thier dives, 90% of the class are still "not comfortable" with the skills and just breathing in a different environment. For some (my wife) the jump to breathing underwater in a pool and actually slipping beneath the surface of a lake were extremely different things! The longer the dive the better,even after all ths skills are completed, for OW dives.
I've seen and heard horror stories of certs being done in record time, and when they done thier dives, 90% of the class are still "not comfortable" with the skills and just breathing in a different environment. For some (my wife) the jump to breathing underwater in a pool and actually slipping beneath the surface of a lake were extremely different things! The longer the dive the better,even after all ths skills are completed, for OW dives.
SpyderTek
Guest
Due to a scheduling problem my girlfriend at the time and I were unable to check out on the same weekend. So I wound up checking out one week before her. Then I decided to go again with her to her check out dives. We had the same check out instructor both times.
My weekend seemed reasonable.. Our dive times on all 4 dives (PADI) were between 35-49 minutes. We had 6 people in our group. 1 instructor and 1 dive master. We did all of our excersizes and tehn dive fun stuff like underwater ballet, karate, head spins on the platforms, etc...allto get us comfortable being underwater and near weightless.
When I went back the next weekend however, the instructor (sans dive master this time and still 6 people) definately rushed the next batch out of the water. No dive was over 25 minutes. I noticed a few skills that I had done weren't repeated durring this check out group. Buddy breathing for instance. Our the instructor's stated reason for such short dive times was that he was uncomfortably cold and when I asked him about the missed skills I was informed that they werent required for check out and that I should practice them with my girlfriend on our own if I wanted to make sure she had those skills.
I could buy that it was pretty cold in that water. Everyone was shivering except me. However, after being out of the water 5 minutes the instructor was right abck in the water with a new group of people. I discovered the real reason the dives were cut short....The shop had scheduled this one instructor to do our check out dives that weekend and then on top of us he ahd to teach a Dive Master / Rescue course and he remained in the water for at least the next 2 hours (as most of the instruction was on the surface). I was very disapointed for my girlfriend as she didnt get to experience all of the funstuff I did the previous week PLUS I am still concerned she didnt get all the training she needed.
Flabergastedly,
Spydertek
My weekend seemed reasonable.. Our dive times on all 4 dives (PADI) were between 35-49 minutes. We had 6 people in our group. 1 instructor and 1 dive master. We did all of our excersizes and tehn dive fun stuff like underwater ballet, karate, head spins on the platforms, etc...allto get us comfortable being underwater and near weightless.
When I went back the next weekend however, the instructor (sans dive master this time and still 6 people) definately rushed the next batch out of the water. No dive was over 25 minutes. I noticed a few skills that I had done weren't repeated durring this check out group. Buddy breathing for instance. Our the instructor's stated reason for such short dive times was that he was uncomfortably cold and when I asked him about the missed skills I was informed that they werent required for check out and that I should practice them with my girlfriend on our own if I wanted to make sure she had those skills.
I could buy that it was pretty cold in that water. Everyone was shivering except me. However, after being out of the water 5 minutes the instructor was right abck in the water with a new group of people. I discovered the real reason the dives were cut short....The shop had scheduled this one instructor to do our check out dives that weekend and then on top of us he ahd to teach a Dive Master / Rescue course and he remained in the water for at least the next 2 hours (as most of the instruction was on the surface). I was very disapointed for my girlfriend as she didnt get to experience all of the funstuff I did the previous week PLUS I am still concerned she didnt get all the training she needed.
Flabergastedly,
Spydertek
chepar
Contributor
All of our pool and check out dives lasted as long as it took to drain the first person's tank down to about 500 psi.
For the pool sessions - those were about 3 hours, as we were mostly practicing skills, then coming up for instruction, going down to practice more skills, etc.
Open water dives each lasted about 40-50 minutes - first the skills demonstration/practice, then a tour around to sightsee and get comfortable with buoyancy and swimming around.
For the pool sessions - those were about 3 hours, as we were mostly practicing skills, then coming up for instruction, going down to practice more skills, etc.
Open water dives each lasted about 40-50 minutes - first the skills demonstration/practice, then a tour around to sightsee and get comfortable with buoyancy and swimming around.
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