Since I have been diving (going on 45 years now) I have seen how the diving industry has changed. Years ago, diving wasn't something that one took-up because they wanted to go diving at a warm water resort for a couple of hours now and then, but was a bit of an endurance race that required good in-water ability and dedication. Time was given for the diver to gain confidence and in my case, dive in frigid water with a 1/4 inch Wet Suit that needed lots of talcum powder to get into. 
Once a person was certified (it took me almost a year), they felt like they really accomplished something. Divers were competent; I never worried about who I was buddied-up with. Instructors were expected to walk-on-water and in my young eyes they could.
The Navy taught me in the same manner, be fit and be able to understand the science. Be competent with the kit and pull your own weight. When I entered the commercial field it was a continuation of the same ethic. Be safe for yourself and your buddy. What you want to accomplish is secondary to the safety of the team.
When I was able to attend an Instructor Evaluation Program, 3 of us passed out of 32 divers. The rest went back to study and perfect their skills. When I became an Instructor Evaluator and Course Director, the ratio was almost the same. The only difference would be an additional 2 or 3 "provisional passes" (people who passed everything other than a swim test, or exam and needed to redo it to be certified).
The world turns and times change. Today diving equipment is greatly improved which increases the safety of the sport. Training standards have dropped at all levels of the training system, making it easier for people (even non or poor swimmers to pass the swim test using fins) to be certified at all levels. Lower standards mean more divers, more divers means more money. The diving industry has blossomed into a financial success. Accident rates are manageable. Sounds like something to be excited about; so why is it that I'm troubled?
I often see divers, DMs and Instructors that don't seem to have a clue. When I operated a dive store and ran a charter company many divers seemed to be a hazard, requiring hand holding. Gone are the days of every diver being self-sufficient, acting as a valuable member of the buddy team and not requiring supervision to dive where they choose. They may get to that point in-time, but at the initial certification level, they don't seem to have the skill-sets necessary to do so.
So despite all the benefits available today, why have the old ways been rejected by the recreational diving industry. Even things like Buddy Breathing are being discarded as unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like an grumpy old guy who's caught in the past. I know things change, but they have only seemed to change within the sport diving field.
The military and the commercial have only increased their training standards (not lowering them). Do the military and commercial diving industries know something that sport diving has put aside; or is it that there's enough money to be made that the death and injury rate is deemed to be acceptable?
Once a person was certified (it took me almost a year), they felt like they really accomplished something. Divers were competent; I never worried about who I was buddied-up with. Instructors were expected to walk-on-water and in my young eyes they could.
The Navy taught me in the same manner, be fit and be able to understand the science. Be competent with the kit and pull your own weight. When I entered the commercial field it was a continuation of the same ethic. Be safe for yourself and your buddy. What you want to accomplish is secondary to the safety of the team.
When I was able to attend an Instructor Evaluation Program, 3 of us passed out of 32 divers. The rest went back to study and perfect their skills. When I became an Instructor Evaluator and Course Director, the ratio was almost the same. The only difference would be an additional 2 or 3 "provisional passes" (people who passed everything other than a swim test, or exam and needed to redo it to be certified).
The world turns and times change. Today diving equipment is greatly improved which increases the safety of the sport. Training standards have dropped at all levels of the training system, making it easier for people (even non or poor swimmers to pass the swim test using fins) to be certified at all levels. Lower standards mean more divers, more divers means more money. The diving industry has blossomed into a financial success. Accident rates are manageable. Sounds like something to be excited about; so why is it that I'm troubled?
I often see divers, DMs and Instructors that don't seem to have a clue. When I operated a dive store and ran a charter company many divers seemed to be a hazard, requiring hand holding. Gone are the days of every diver being self-sufficient, acting as a valuable member of the buddy team and not requiring supervision to dive where they choose. They may get to that point in-time, but at the initial certification level, they don't seem to have the skill-sets necessary to do so.
So despite all the benefits available today, why have the old ways been rejected by the recreational diving industry. Even things like Buddy Breathing are being discarded as unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like an grumpy old guy who's caught in the past. I know things change, but they have only seemed to change within the sport diving field.
The military and the commercial have only increased their training standards (not lowering them). Do the military and commercial diving industries know something that sport diving has put aside; or is it that there's enough money to be made that the death and injury rate is deemed to be acceptable?
