Hal Iotis
Guest
who received his OW certification this past summer. I was his buddy for the 4 certification dives, there were 3 other non-disabled students in the class. I've since been on two multi-tank trips with him to the Channel Islands. I'd very much like to continue diving with him, but I have several concerns:
1) The OW training he (and the rest of the class) received was beyond substandard. The litany of posts regarding poor training quality was clearly evidenced here: Max depth for the 4 dives was 19' in warm, calm lake water. Our nearest major dive destination is Monterey. There is no way any of the students were prepared for even the calmest day at Monterey. He was sold the usual arrangement of expensive Ebay-bait equipment (I wasn't with him at the time, but did manage to get an exchange on the failure prone hoseless computer gizmo).
Thanks to poor training, I have a buddy cannot help me, but requires much attention on my part to compensate for things he didn't learn in class.
2) Attitude. My friend has had to overcome a great deal of adversity in his life, and continues to do so on a daily basis. I learned a great deal travelling with someone in a wheelchair for 2 days - ADA is only beginning to scratch the surface of what's needed. However, the same grit and determination needed to survive a nearly fatal accident and overcome a disability is useful in Scuba to a point, then it becomes a liability. I say that because there were times when he would push a dive even when all of the little factors (weighting, current, fatigue) were starting to add up to "abort." I'm currently seeking some additional training so that he and I continue to dive in safely within mutually understood parameters.
3) Disability. I feel somewhat guilty for not inviting my friend along for some dive trips, but then I realized that his disability is really not the primary factor limiting our diving together - it is training and attitude. The disability limits mobility, which is a contraindication for currents, long surface swims, etc., but not for diving itself. I wouldn't hesitate to repeat the trips we have taken, provided that we could upgrade his training. I also need to have an able-bodied diver along who can provide full buddy services to me.
I'd like to hear others thoughts on this: Do you think it is safe for an able-bodied diver to buddy with a disabled diver if the disabled diver is somewhat dependent on the able-bodied diver for mobility? What if the able-bodied diver needs assistance?
By the way, we did have a terrific dive when another of my buddies joined us. Three divers seems to be key here.
1) The OW training he (and the rest of the class) received was beyond substandard. The litany of posts regarding poor training quality was clearly evidenced here: Max depth for the 4 dives was 19' in warm, calm lake water. Our nearest major dive destination is Monterey. There is no way any of the students were prepared for even the calmest day at Monterey. He was sold the usual arrangement of expensive Ebay-bait equipment (I wasn't with him at the time, but did manage to get an exchange on the failure prone hoseless computer gizmo).
Thanks to poor training, I have a buddy cannot help me, but requires much attention on my part to compensate for things he didn't learn in class.
2) Attitude. My friend has had to overcome a great deal of adversity in his life, and continues to do so on a daily basis. I learned a great deal travelling with someone in a wheelchair for 2 days - ADA is only beginning to scratch the surface of what's needed. However, the same grit and determination needed to survive a nearly fatal accident and overcome a disability is useful in Scuba to a point, then it becomes a liability. I say that because there were times when he would push a dive even when all of the little factors (weighting, current, fatigue) were starting to add up to "abort." I'm currently seeking some additional training so that he and I continue to dive in safely within mutually understood parameters.
3) Disability. I feel somewhat guilty for not inviting my friend along for some dive trips, but then I realized that his disability is really not the primary factor limiting our diving together - it is training and attitude. The disability limits mobility, which is a contraindication for currents, long surface swims, etc., but not for diving itself. I wouldn't hesitate to repeat the trips we have taken, provided that we could upgrade his training. I also need to have an able-bodied diver along who can provide full buddy services to me.
I'd like to hear others thoughts on this: Do you think it is safe for an able-bodied diver to buddy with a disabled diver if the disabled diver is somewhat dependent on the able-bodied diver for mobility? What if the able-bodied diver needs assistance?
By the way, we did have a terrific dive when another of my buddies joined us. Three divers seems to be key here.
