Fail! Weekend Certify-

[otterdive]

That they had to swim to the float unescorted in unforgivable. Decent instructors know that the slowest diver, in this case the students, set the pace. To do otherwise is reckless behavior.

Absolutely right. Not only unforgivable, at least under PADI Standards and Protocols, it's a serious standards violation. I'm not sure if SSI has this as a standard for OW instruction, but I bet they do. I'm honestly surprised that this issue is not the prime topic of conversation on this thread. It's the first thing that struck me when reading the OP.

 

[TMHeimer]

Absolutely right. Not only unforgivable, at least under PADI Standards and Protocols, it's a serious standards violation. I'm not sure if SSI has this as a standard for OW instruction, but I bet they do. I'm honestly surprised that this issue is not the prime topic of conversation on this thread. It's the first thing that struck me when reading the OP.

Exactly.

 

[aquaregia]

Last Sunday Monterey was pretty rough. I was helping out (read: carrying stuff) on my club's checkout dives, and while I was on beach duty I saw the most amazing thing. Someone small got flung basically into the railing. He/she managed to make it up, headed back out with the instructor. Got hit by another wave, helped up by the instructor, got hit by another wave. This time he/she couldn't/wouldn't get up, but didn't want to call it quits. Another diver (presumbly on SI) jumped down from the breakwater and helped the instructor basically carry the student past the surf zone. I'm pretty sure I would have called it at the point where I couldn't stand.

 

[Peter_C]

^ Was that a heavy set student wearing lighter green non split fins? The rescuer was also heavy set wearing a two piece farmer john? If so I witnessed that, but didn't have my camera in my hands at the time, or I would have the pictures to show you.

 

[Prostar]

Exactly.

Ditto. I can't imagine that any instructor would leave students alone like that.

Bad, bad, bad

 

[GI0Ria]

Yes, that helps a lot. So now I'm wondering what it was about having a hood on that stressed you, since it appears that being in/on the water, even rough water, wasn't an issue. Had you any prior experience with goggles, a mask and/or snorkel, and (deliberately) swimming underwater holding your breath?

Having a hood on was a non-issue to me, but then I've been using a balaclava (with essentially the same coverage as a hood) for mountaineering and back-country skiing for decades. Maybe a claustrophobia issue?





GIoRia, I've checked my old SSI logbook for my OW checkout at BW. Level 1 dives (those required for your OW cert; pages have yellow edges) total 5: the first one is a snorkeling dive. Indeed, that log page specifically says 'Snorkeling Dive Log', and there's nowhere to record scuba data (tank size, pressure etc). The last four dives are on scuba, with appropriate log pages. We did two skills dives on Saturday, Dives #2 & #3. Max. depth and dive time 38'/39 min. & 34'/44 min. We were done by about 2:30 or 3 o'clock at the latest.

Sunday we did dives #4 & #5, two experience/fun dives, 48'/35 min. to the metridium fields and back with our instructor and AI, and our self-guided dive (just the 5 students), 45'/29 min. along the wall. We had good conditions and a group that were all very comfortable on scuba, so our bottom times were better than many classes. Done by 1:30 or 2:00, which included all the paperwork.

So, unless SSI has changed their OW program in the last few years, you normally only get 5 dives, 4 on scuba. Getting a sixth would seem to be an extra provided by the shop, and would have had to be logged on a level 2 log page (Blue or Green edges IIRR, if they were even included in the basic logbook package). Does this agree with how your log is arranged?

Thanks,

Guy

In my log book I have 5 DiveLog pages and 1 Snorkeling DiveLog page so a total of 6. But we bypassed the first page, the snorkel page, and were doing 6 dives. I kept referring my book to the other students and told them I only had 5 DiveLog pages. They all stated they had 6 DiveLog pages + the Snorkel page.
Now I got mine sent from SSI's online course package thingy. So maybe it has changed a few times and the online course still only requires 5?
From my recollection though a total of 5 dives are all that is required. SO IM TOTALLY Confused.
I did bring this up to them, and they said 'THEY' require the 6 dives. I asked others if that could be possible for them to be able to do a deviation from the SSI schedule of dives, I never really got a answer other than 'they are doing it' pretty much.

 

[GI0Ria]

What kept you and your son from arriving at the float with everyone else? You said that other people had special needs but seemed to make it there with the group. Is it because the instructor was helping them and you had to swim yourself? Was there some kind of equipment issue that hung you guys up? Regardless of the why (although I'm curious) I don't know why you were left by yourself without further communication about what was happening.

Stinks that you didn't know about having to haul your own gear. Around here the shop hauls your gear to the pool sessions but not for the OW dives. Everyone is responsible for their own equipment for the weekend. I don't remember them ever saying that, but it's something I always knew. Where the OW dives are done is a park (you have to pay an entrance fee) so there are some picnic tables but it's first come first serve and there are no vendors or food available other than what you bring. However, after the dives the group goes out for pizza.

It wasn't necessarily a speed I was going, I was at the back- we all went out in the water in little sub groups, and not at the same time. Us three went in the water when the first set were most likely at the float near it. There was another little group just ahead of us. But quite frankly I believe they were already down b4 I hit half way to the float, as well the other two that entered the water with me were close to the float. So speaking as 'we' as the entire group.. WE never entered the water all together. It was just what happened. And you know I might have turned around and looked at the shore and things around me, and turned back around to notice everyone kept moving- so it may have been partially my fault why i fell back in the first place. I just don't understand why they didn't stop and wait when they realized instead of the continual hurry hurry, kick faster, etc... I was kicking! They just kept going.

 

[GI0Ria]

Didn't the OP mention that the dive master was watching her kick from below and would pop up and give her instruction on how to improve her kick for better movement?

I believe 'she did'... when she was stating the fact that she was left only to continually be told to hurry up hurry up.. kick kick kick, faster faster... did i miss the 'kick from the hip'... I would hope they would realize that this was not only stressful but felt like I was the one doing something wrong because I was behind. The hood I was not comfortable in it was the first time I ever had on my head. Why did my Dive Master leave me and my son at the top of the water and go to the bottom? NEW MEMBER..

 

[Prostar]

From the sounds of things, it doesn't look like you were the one who failed that weekend.

The first words every one of my students hears in class is that SCUBA diving is for fun. If we are not enjoying this then something is not right. Expectations and logistics are key details. Once things start to go bad, everything that happens thereafter just piles on. Any one or two things could possibly be dealt with but some situations are just not for OW students.

My wife thumbed a dive in Cozumel because she was not comfortable with the pushing and shoving by some of the other divers.

Some of the best lessons are those that you learn the hard way. Relax, you passed some good ones.

Rant over.

 

[idocsteve]

Why did my Dive Master leave me and my son at the top of the water and go to the bottom? NEW MEMBER..

Maybe there was a miscommunication and he wanted you to follow him down. Perhaps he had responsibilities to both you and your son AND the divers on the bottom and he couldn't be in two places at once.

I am not an instructor but on the face of it, if caught between students on the surface and students at the bottom I think I know where I'd be. Especially if I expected the students on the surface to follow me down.

And you said at one point that you WERE being watched from below because an instructor surfaced to critique your finning technique, isn't that right?

No doubt that there were some errors made on the part of the dive shop here, in regard to the weather conditions...it sounds like new divers should not have been in the water unless more direct and personal supervision was available...but the rest of it is somewhat open to speculation; from what I get, you had a bad experience and you're venting. There's some shared blame here due to some unpreparedness, failure to follow instructions, and poor communication between instructor and students.