freediving after scuba

[Marlinspike]

Really,

All I expect of n OW diver is to be able to share air mid-water, fin without stirring up the bottom, and handle his or her own gear... ... ...

And what exactly are your credentials PerroneFord? Doesnt seem to me you do any of the diving or instructing you talk about incessantly. What makes you a guru?

~Marlinspike

 

[PerroneFord]

And what exactly are your credentials PerroneFord? Doesnt seem to me you do any of the diving or instructing you talk about incessantly. What makes you a guru?

~Marlinspike

I didn't realize I needed any credentials to be a cyberdiver...

 

[Ann Marie]

I didn't realize I needed any credentials to be a cyberdiver...

Wrong.


Didn't you read the article in Cyberdiver Training?

 

[PerroneFord]

DOH!! I missed it. Got a PDF?

 

[Ann Marie]

DOH!! I missed it. Got a PDF?

PDF??? Is that like a rash or something??

 

[5ata]

You are not correct. PADI has standards and if a student meets them, they meet them. A student has to show mastery of a skill. Mastery is defined as reasonably comfortable, fluid, and repeatable manner. If a student has not mastered a skill and a PADI Instructor passes them, then shame on the instructor.

If you are so anti-PADI why put yourself through the expense and time of going PADI? I would never want to work with a DM that held such a low opinion of the agency he trained with.

If I had the option I would train with another agency, but that isn't an option in the city I live in so one has to do what one has to do. From the looks of those in my DM class, it is apparent that most of them dread any of the watermanship skills and most are apprehensive regarding the more difficult topics like physics and physiology. These are DM candidates, and they are all PADI trained.

As I stated earlier, there are good instructors and there are not so good. My experience up to this point has been the latter in regards to PADI. I'm always willing to be proven differently.

 

[ScubaDivaDivemaster]

If I had the option I would train with another agency, but that isn't an option in the city I live in so one has to do what one has to do. From the looks of those in my DM class, it is apparent that most of them dread any of the watermanship skills and most are apprehensive regarding the more difficult topics like physics and physiology. These are DM candidates, and they are all PADI trained.

As I stated earlier, there are good instructors and there are not so good. My experience up to this point has been the latter in regards to PADI. I'm always willing to be proven differently.

Now that the conversation has digressed totally away from the original topic of 'freediving on a surface interval' to bashing PADI instructors and training, I might just have to join the fray. I'm sorry to see such broad generalizations regarding PADI training. I have helped with PADI and NASDS (now SSI) classes, and I've seen NAUI classes and watched how they perform. I've seen good instructors and not so good instructors in several organizations. There is a PADI shop in Dallas that has an average of 6 students per OW class, because they want to make sure the students LEARN and become good divers, not just to "dip them and bless them" and throw them in the water like many other shops... PADI and NAUI. I've seen NAUI classes on a regular basis that look like a cattle boat, with ONE instructor. Is that quality training? I think the instructor that does not hold up the standards of training is the real problem, and I am concerned every time I go on a dive trip and see how many "newbies" handle diving. Crashing into reefs, dragging their computers through the sand or reef, assembling their gear incorrectly, kicking sea fans over, lack of buoyancy control, etc. They're typically from a range of organizations, not just PADI. Let's stop calling names and return to the topic at hand...

No, I don't agree that freediving on a surface interval is good. Snorkeling, okay if you're on the surface, but why freedive if you're trying to offgas...

Thanks for letting me offgas!

 

[freediver]

If those who take issue with PADI (yes there are many!) would help me out. If you can gain access to the PADI instructor manual, please do the following: Carefully go through the manual and point out standards that are of concern. Simply observing a diver and noting or worse, assuming they are PADI certified doesn't speak much for the standards of the agency. As noted in the above post, poor dive skills can be seen through any agency. Someone please tell me specifically, what standards you are displeased with! PerroneFord, two of your expectations of an ow diver are attitude and motivation. These are hardly related to agency training standards but it does bring to light the important role of the instructor.

 

[PerroneFord]

I make no claims that my expectations of OW divers have anything to do with agency training. I was trained by PADI for OW. I saw an NAUI class a while back that made my stomach turn.

It comes down to agency standards, and instructors who teach to or above that standard, and don't pass students to don't meet the standard. Simple as that.

 

[freediver]

I make no claims that my expectations of OW divers have anything to do with agency training. I was trained by PADI for OW. I saw an NAUI class a while back that made my stomach turn.

It comes down to agency standards, and instructors who teach to or above that standard, and don't pass students to don't meet the standard. Simple as that.

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?