First Dive / Training (Am I wrong? Or, is the instructor crazy?)

[Don Quixote]

My buddy (wife) and I enrolled on a PADI Open Diver's course. Went through the PADI eLearning academic part and actually read the book 3 times. Chose an official PADI dive center from the PADI website as well. Chose this center because it has the instructors' names and diving 'degrees' well published. So, we went for our first day dive training. Instead of confined water, the instructor took us down to the rocky beach in front of his shop to do our first dive.

The experience makes me want to either forget about diving or switch instructor, dive center or even certifying body. Following is an email thread between me and the instructor. Will appreciate if any expert out there can give a comment:

Hello K (Instructor),

Felt tired but recovered well the next day. B (my buddy/wife) got some bruises on her legs from bumping into rocks. The mental stress took the best of me. I am really stressed out seeing B's tank came loose of her BCD and tried in vain to put it back and help her. Good thing your assistant came to help. Believe she will not know what to do if the regulator gets pulled out of her mouth and she can drown. When we surfaced, she did not even know what happened except from being shocked by her hair getting pulled. It is really a nerve-racking experience. I know there will be training on such emergencies. But, it is happening right on our first dive and with no training and experience.

Kept on thinking what went on that day:
B'S ENCOUNTER
1. B is a good swimmer, much better than me actually. But, in swimming, one inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose. This is very different from diving. B told me her regulator kept on flooding. Believe she is not exhaling through the regulator and water starts to accumulate. She (we) really need more time to get accustomed to the equipment. Actually, I found myself blowing out of the nose as well. Though we have snorkeled before (no formal training), we are completely zero to diving.
2. Her mask floods as well.
3. She bottoms out on the floor and do not know how to use the BCD.
4. We both have not had lunch and she got completely exhausted.

MY ENCOUNTER
1. My wetsuit is way too tight and labored to breath.
2. I was told to kneel like a Japanese (this I presume is with knees close together). The wave kept knocking me over. B told me she was instructed to kneel with legs apart. Okay, that must be the correct posture.
3. I kept floating up and do not really know how to use the BCD.

We have invested time and money to do this because we thought this is something joyful to do as we have really enjoyed the many snorkeling trips. Maybe, we are too nervous. Anyway, if we do try it again, please advise how will it be different and what can we expect?

~E (me)

Here is the instructor's reply:

[FONT=&amp]Hi E,
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]It's good to hear you feel better than yesterday. At the same time I feel sorry ithat you still feel mental stressed and I really hope you guys will be in better condition real soon.

[FONT=&amp]Please look up my explanation after each of items that you describe as encounter.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Answer to your question of how it will be different if you guys do try again;[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]1. Both of you actually went into the water and this became your experience which enable you will do perform much better next time in the water.[/FONT] [FONT=&amp](You guys were in the depth of 5M and 28 Mins! That is your experience).[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]2. Practice each skill slower.[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]"what can we expect":[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]1. You will get used to the environment and equipment after a few practices.[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]2. Then you will have more control of your self that makes you feel much comfortable to dive.[/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Hope I will be able to let you feel the joyful of diving in the near future.

[FONT=&amp]Have a nice evening and looking forward to hear from you soon.
[/FONT]

[/FONT]B'S ENCOUNTER
1. B is a good swimmer, much better than me actually. But, in swimming, one inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose. This is very different from diving. B told me her regulator kept on flooding. Believe she is not exhaling through the regulator and water starts to accumulate. She (we) really need more time to get accustomed to the equipment. Actually, I found myself blowing out of the nose as well. Though we have snorkeled before (no formal training), we are completely zero to diving.
-->Yes. She had a troubled "holding" the mouth piece of regulator so that water accumulated in her mouth (So I told her how to hold the mouth piece..). Surely the way makes breath for swimming and diving is very different however you'll get used to it if you practice more.
2. Her mask floods as well.
-->This situation is the most common issue to make beginner nervous. But I believe she will get used to it after couple of practices like everybody else.
3. She bottoms out on the floor and do not know how to use the BCD.
-->Usually I do not let student controlling the BCD for the very first practice to avoid losing the control of buoyancy.
As a matter of fact, it usually takes about 50 tanks (dives) to get better "neutral" buoyancy, though.
4. We both have not had lunch and she got completely exhausted.
-->I agreed.

MY ENCOUNTER
1. My wetsuit is way too tight and labored to breath.
-->Actually your wet suit fits you. Wetsuit must be really fit to your body so that it functions to keep your body temp and you will get used to it after a few practices.
2. I was told to kneel like a Japanese (this I presume is with knees close together). The wave kept knocking me over. B told me she was instructed to kneel with legs apart. Okay, that must be the correct posture.
-->It really doesn't matter "how" to kneel but the point of kneel down is much better position than just floating the water for practicing basic skill of diving.
3. I kept floating up and do not really know how to use the BCD.
-->Same as your item no.3.

 

[Brandon]

Find another instructor.

-B

 

[racerx_]

Same here. That's ridiculous. It's called confined water (pool) dives for a reason

 

[Scuba Cat Diving]

You should have been in confined water first, this is water shallow enough to stand in, and practiced at least, regulator clearing, 2 methods, regulator recovery and partial mask clearing.
The instructor may have taken you on a Discover Scuba which is allowed as part of the training, but only when these skills have been practiced first.
You should also have been shown how to inflate and deflate the BCD on the SURFACE, so if any problem occurred you could do this.

Did you get a briefing? explanation of what you were going to do?

It also sounds from your description of the water that this may not have been suitable for you. As PADI instructors we need to assess the water conditions to make sure they are suitable for the Students going into the water. What may be suitable for an Advanced diver may not be for a first time dive.

I would talk to the dive center to get a better explaination of why the course was started this was, and if you are not happy then change instructor /dive center.

Your first time in the water should be fun, enjoyable and safe. It is meant to make you want to dive more and learn more, not scare you. Trusting the instructor is a big part of this, and they do make a huge difference in how you continue diving.

Good luck and dont give up, diving is a great experience when done right.

 

[jar546]

There are some areas of open water that can be considered "confined water" if they are shallow enough, easy access, protected, etc.(lagoon) as determined by the instructor. If the description is accurate, this does not appear to be the case.

 

[sgl308]

I'll second (or third) the suggestion to find another instructor. Also, I highly recommend you send PADI a letter or file a complaint about this instructor and what happened. I hear all too often how an instructor did this and did that and it makes me cringe. Bad instructors are everywhere and without reporting them, they won't change. Now, the agency, PADI, gets a bad rap because this instructor is a PADI instructor, therefore all PADI instructors must be like this... Definitely not the case. You will be much happier with another instructor.

 

[raptor660]

I would never take my students to open water before doing all confined water classes.

 

[live_2_dive]

This is awful to hear. I will parrot what the others have said and get a new instructor. Also, definitely make sure you let the dive shop and PADI know what has happened b/w you and the instructor. There is really no place for things like this happening, but I can assure you not all instructors (PADI or not) are like this


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PADI Rescue/DM 09100Z7445
Dr Dive/Wet Dream/Sea Cobra/Y-Knot

Diving is my passion...I live to dive!

 

[HIGHwing]

To the OP:

As you've suddenly become aware, the SCUBA industry is largely self-policing. PADI makes a good effort to communicate with instructors when students make a report of an instructor not meeting expectations, achieving the quality standards, or outright making a safety violation.

What I've learned is that PADI does not react the same if an instructor reports another instructor versus when a student reports a concern about an instructor. There are a lot of reasons for the aforementioned position PADI has adopted, but it makes it incumbent upon students to report unsafe practices.

Ever since being present during an Open Water Diver class fatality, I have adopted a personal policy of informing each of my students how to contact PADI Quality Management. I would prefer the opportunity to make adjustments to my class, presentations, or demos long BEFORE I needed to fill out an accident report.

It is my opinion you should more precisely document your story (times, dates, dive profiles, instructor number) in an email and send it to incident@padi.com for further review.

 

[dwhthediver]

Some of the skills on confined water #1 are required to be done in water shallow enough to stand in, anything else is a standards violation, period. I start teaching buoyancy right from the start of confined water, and teach using the low pressure inflator for small adjustments before their heads get wet. PADI needs to know if an instructor is violating standards, while confined water can be done in open water with "pool like" environment, 17' is a tad deep for someone who has never had a regulator in their mouth, and the first portion should have been done in water shallow enough to stand in. Scuba training can be a little stressful as you learn the skills, but you should start relaxing as you learn the skills and gain confidence. I wasn't there, but his answers to your concerns seem inadequate, and I am surprised that you weren't taught use of the low pressure inflator to start learning some buoyancy control.