freediving after scuba

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I'm sure there is plenty of blame to go around. Starting with the oberved diver. I know when I started diving again, I didn't blame PADI. It was MY fault. I did blame PADI for not offering any discussion of trim. But beyond that, it was ALL on me.
 
freediver:
Fair enough and for the most part, I agree. Just curious here, for anyone: If you observe a diver with really insufficient skills would you assign blame to the agency or the instructor?......and.......If you observed a diver with impeccable diving skills would you credit the agency or the instructor?

Point Taken....
 
How about taking the "PADI sucks - no they don't its the instructors that suck and NAUI has those too" back to the scuba forums where it belongs and has already been plowed ad nauseam. This thread is starting to stray way off topic, and not surprisingly, by people who have nothing to contribute to the original question.

~Marlinspike
 
Marlinspike:
How about taking the "PADI sucks - no they don't its the instructors that suck and NAUI has those too" back to the scuba forums where it belongs and has already been plowed ad nauseam. This thread is starting to stray way off topic, and not surprisingly, by people who have nothing to contribute to the original question.

~Marlinspike
Hey Marlinspike, simply because a post or posts do not meet your particular agenda, it doesn't mean that they aren't constructive or helpful to someone perusing the boards. I don't see many threads on this board that do stay completely on topic. Treat it like a buffet, get what you want and get out of the line if it has finished serving your purpose. The "standards" issue could just as easily apply to freediving.
 
freediver:
Hey Marlinspike, simply because a post or posts do not meet your particular agenda, it doesn't mean that they aren't constructive or helpful to someone perusing the boards. I don't see many threads on this board that do stay completely on topic. Treat it like a buffet, get what you want and get out of the line if it has finished serving your purpose. The "standards" issue could just as easily apply to freediving.

The whole point behind having different forum topics is so that they can be more easily followed and navigated. Someone looking for a PADI vs NAUI discussion would not logically come looking for that answer in the freediving forums. If on the other hand, this was discussing freediving standards and training then sure, this would be a good place to look.

You don't have a point.

~Marlinspike
 
Marlinspike:
The whole point behind having different forum topics is so that they can be more easily followed and navigated. Someone looking for a PADI vs NAUI discussion would not logically come looking for that answer in the freediving forums. If on the other hand, this was discussing freediving standards and training then sure, this would be a good place to look.

You don't have a point.

~Marlinspike
Your post points out something interesting that I have placed in bold. I looked back over the posts and noticed that what has happened is that we have lured some posters in who normally do not frequent this forum! Congrats Marlinspike for contributing to the promotion of freediving even if the process included a thread tangent! By the way, are you ticked at Cliff for bringing PADI into the mix in the first place?:D
Nevertheless, let's get back on topic. I frown on freediving during the surface interval as it may affect a diver's position on the tables and affect them on subsequent dives. My apologies Marlinspike.
 
The challenge I have with the tank diving industry as a whole is what I see as a reduction in quality in teaching in order to keep numbers up. Ask any long time veteran in the sport and they will off the record wish they could take more control of the process of teaching someone. My understanding is that you cannot deviate from what is in the instructor manual if you are teaching a PADI course. NAUI gives the instructor the minimum requirements and then gives them the ability to add on as needed for the local diving conditions. PADI being shown as the primary culprit has more to do with them being the largest and most well known cert agency. Yes, they have done some positive things for the sport - but they are also the instigator of dictating policy for the industry - they are a for profit entity, and as such, have a vested interest in keeping numbers up to generate a profit margin for those who have invested in PADI Corp. Even though many PADI people deride NAUI and SSI as being less than #1 doesn't hold water in my book. NAUI is a non-profit and their interest, at least from what I can see, and have experienced, is to produce above average divers purely for that sake alone. I have seen a NAUI instructor literally tell a student to stop and take up another sport if they were a danger to themselves or others they were training with - he understood the value in saying no - in my experience - I have NEVER seen a PADI instructor do that. I am willing to be wrong, and will concede it when proven as such

I am willing to tell anyone who wants to learn freediving that they do have to meet the prerequisites I put into place based upon experience and observation of the mistakes other entities have made. If they cannot meet those criteria, I either tell them they need to improve their skills or take up another sport. Are they perfect - probably not, but they hold a standard above many others.

To get back to the initial issue of this thread - I think this thread deviated due to the apparent fact that a training magazine for the sport of scuba made such a gross error in information in mixing scuba and freediving, in safety no less, and the error is pointed out in great detail in my email as being innaccurate, editorial back peddles in a typical cookie cutter response "we had technical difficulties" and it was published anyways, is not a valid excuse. I have worked in newspaper and magazine as a photojournalist for a number of years as both photo dept head as well as on staff - I have experience in the process of publishing a print publication - to me, what occurred with this was incompetence at the top departmental levels. :shakehead

As someone who is greatly concerned about the safety aspect of freediving, it is a direct reflection on the sport as a whole.

It's my own opinion, but my experience dictates my position at this current time.

Bottom line - stay out of the water during your surface interval.
 
And Marlinspike - you are right - this thread has severly deviated from the original topic, although I do feel it has some relevence since many scuba divers do read Dive Training magazine and look to it as being an accurate resource for the sport.

Now back to the ORGINAL topic
 
Yes, please let's get back on track.

I agree with many before me, freediving is not a good thing to do while on a surface interval. So relax, catch some rays and warm up on the Iguana deck, have a snack, drink some water and off gas!
 

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