I wish my instructor would have...

[Diver0001]

I wouldn't be so dismissive.

I thought the same, until I saw some check marks on skills that I though students were comfortable and confident with. Turns out that sometimes what we see and think are not what they think. What they think is important.

The Dive Planning Slate on the back side (or front side depending on your view point ), is also quite useful.

Is this a standard checklist? I'm open to anything that can improve performance but I haven't seen this particular tool before....

R..

 

[Hawkwood]

It is a checklist of all the Confined Water skills, including the dive flexible skills. They simply give their opinion as to their "comfort level", however they define it. People call it the happy/frowney face because that's what they check off. Are they "happy" about the skill or not. I have them fill their slate in at the end of each CW session. I can review the issues that they have, sometimes they are ones that I am aware of, and sometimes not. I can spend more time with them on their issue, or ensure that those issues are what they practice. I also use them as the basis for the skills they will focus on during their "mini-dive".

We include them in all the crew packs along with the SMB and whistle. We discussed the merits of just having a set on the pool deck for everyone to use, but we felt the planning slate was a nice tool for everyone to have.

Bill

 

[Diver0001]

OK..... it sounds like a formalization of what I'm doing intuitively.

Odd that you would have this tool but it hasn't been introduced over here yet....

R..

 

[TSandM]

Rob, the smiley face slates are part of the materials for the new OW class. And as Hawkwood says, what the students think can be an eye-opener.

 

[Diver0001]

ah..It hasn't been rolled out her yet. They're saying June.

R..

 

[geoff w]

I do think that open water instructors should at the very least be qualified technical divers, not necessarily technical instructors. But that's just one guys' opinion.

That would severely reduce the population of available open water instructors! Given the way PADI cranks out new instructors, and the large number of instructors, local dive shops have plenty of instructors willing to work for relatively low wages, and open water classes are pretty inexpensive for what you get. If OW instructors should be qualified tech divers (and from what I've seen, a number of tech divers aren't really qualified to be tech divers), you now have a much smaller population of OW instructors, much higher entry costs to become an OW instructor, and conflicting interests (training newbies in confined water vs. using tech skills regularly to remain a proficient tech diver). Since many PADI OW instructors have day jobs, that stretches the tech diver OW instructor pretty thin as far as time. Some tech divers I know are excellent instructors, but others would have no business teaching the typical OW student

 

[Colliam7]

It is a checklist of all the Confined Water skills, including the dive flexible skills. They simply give their opinion as to their "comfort level", however they define it. People call it the happy/frowney face because that's what they check off. Are they "happy" about the skill or not. . . . we felt the planning slate was a nice tool for everyone to have.

It hasn't been rolled out her yet. They're saying June.

Rob, don't know how clear the the images will be but, here's what the two sides of the slate look like, FYI.

 

[mathauck0814]

That would severely reduce the population of available open water instructors! Given the way PADI cranks out new instructors, and the large number of instructors, local dive shops have plenty of instructors willing to work for relatively low wages, and open water classes are pretty inexpensive for what you get. If OW instructors should be qualified tech divers (and from what I've seen, a number of tech divers aren't really qualified to be tech divers), you now have a much smaller population of OW instructors, much higher entry costs to become an OW instructor, and conflicting interests (training newbies in confined water vs. using tech skills regularly to remain a proficient tech diver). Since many PADI OW instructors have day jobs, that stretches the tech diver OW instructor pretty thin as far as time. Some tech divers I know are excellent instructors, but others would have no business teaching the typical OW student

I agree with everything you say here. I think (and I'm certain I'm not alone) those effects would only serve to improve the quality of instructors and the downstream quality of the divers they educate.

Additionally, I reject the notion of a conflict of interest between "tech diving skills" and "diving skills" - I guess that's at the heart of my complaint, the type of person that the instructor mill churns out make that differentiation when it's simply not true. What is it that "tech divers" do that should be off limits to newbies? Hovering motionless? Planning gas requirements? Given that agencies are now teaching sidemount to beginners you can't even make the argument that switching gas supplies or handling slung bottles should be off limits.

Part of the problem is that the less competent instructors have drawn an imaginary line creating diving segments when in reality what we're talking about is just diving. There is absolutely a congruent manner in which you could teach a newbie so that they will have functional and relevant skills that don't require reteaching as they progress in their diving. I think GUE is probably closest to doing this (though they're admittedly not quite there).

 

[fjpatrum]

I don't wish so much about my instructors knowing more or having more diving experiences but I just reread a couple of my early posts on SB and it is clear I recognized my instructor's shortcomings while also being able to move beyond them without their help. Things like saying "trust me dives are bad" and then showing videos of themselves doing trust me dives (for all intents and purposes).

About the only thing I wish for would be that my instructors knew of (or mentioned) scubaboard. I found scubaboard between OW class and my referral dives while researching used gear. I was hooked immediately and I've moved ever so slowly over to a more tech configuration because it makes intuitive sense to me. First a bp/w, then a bungied backup, then a 5' long hose, in baby steps along the way. I don't expect my instructors, who primarily dove OW in Mexico (they were based in AZ) to have been familiar with or ever need/want such a configuration, but knowing where to point people who might go in a different direction would be good. In their defense, most of us said we had no interest in cold water, low viz diving during the class and the one guy who did have interest was directed to move immediately to AOW (which he did).

I don't understand what would cause buoyancy and trim issues going from OC tech gear to rebreather though. Can someone enlighten me?

 

[rhwestfall]

I wish my instructor would have .......


not retired....



he taught in the YMCA program, and it would have been quite a good class had he made available the next level..... As he taught as part of a University Physical Education Program, I don't know if he offered the next level. What he taught, and how he approached it was fantastic. My subsequent AOW and MSD rehashed much of what he did with us. When I became certified, I didn't even know there was anything other than Instructor as the next level.