instructor course review - did you know...

[newmanl]

Hi Dale,

You may already know about this, but UTD's Essentials course does teach/cover the skills you mentioned. My wife just took the course (after having been certified almost two years ago) to fine-tune her buoyancy, trim and awareness skills. It also gave her insight into gas planning that her PADI OW course never touched on - the concept of "Rock Bottom" - saving enough gas to not only get yourself to the surface, but your buddy as well. It removed the guesswork from figuring out gas requirements for the dive, how much to hold in reserve and how much you should surface with. It went over positioning, diver blind-spots and maintaining communication passively and actively with lights. Also covered a bunch of one-handed hand signals.

There was an online classroom program, several in-person theory nights (several hours each), a pool session in full gear and four dives - more time and attention than most get in a typical OW course! She thought it was totally worth the money, time and effort and I have a much better, more enjoyable buddy because of it.

So, formal instruction for the skills you mentioned is available.

Here's a link to the UTD course overview: Essentials of Recreational Diving - Unified Team Diving

Hope that helps.

Lee
NAUI 7908

PS: Oh, and has been mentioned already - leadership course aren't designed to make you a better diver, they're supposed to make you a better teacher!

 

[DaleC]

I did know that but thanks for the info anyways. I guess I should have said "I would have appreciated" as I have learned those things, to some degree, already.
I was thinking more along the lines that when going from non diver to diver in OW (Essentials etc...) there is too much info being transmitted. One gets an overview but not really "in depth" instruction/understanding. It's only later when one has had a chance to assimilate the basics that the holes appear. My thinking is that at that point it would be good to be able to take some skills specific courses.
For example, I thought I knew how to use my BCD after OW/AOW although we had never taken one apart or were shown how a OPV actually worked.

I suppose PADI does try with UW Nav, DD, PPB etc... but I'm a little jaded by what I've seen.

Anyways, thread hyjack, sorry.

 

[DCBC]

I think that when you get to the Instructor level, you should know enough about the certification agencies to know what you are getting into. You don't walk into a garage and order a Big Mac.

PADI is all about making money (there's nothing the matter with this). Other agencies are about training quality and comprehensiveness. If you are about to be an Instructor, you should do your homework and select the right organization that meets your ideal and the way you want to teach. It doesn't matter what that is, you just have to live with the consequenses.

 

[annieols]

"Quote:
Originally Posted by SailNaked
If you want to expand your diving take, Wreck, Cave, Deco Procedures, ICE, or commercial diving.

It's not likely that I'm going to pursue further training. Apparently I'm qualified to teach myself some of this stuff!

(Edit/correction - actually, I just saw the word 'Wreck' above and didn't read the rest because I immediately realized how ridiculous it would be for me to take a course that I am supposedly capable of teaching and how incredibly ridiculous I would feel to teach any diving not having sufficient experience in my own mind. I'm still laughing a bit though but I do realize that the poster's implication is wreck penetration, which like the others, I am not qualified to teach.)"



agamemnon,
you are NOT qualified to teach anything just because you took your instructor course- you have to pass your Instructor Exam first. and even after that you are NOT qualified to teach a wreck course... maybe if you had paid a little attention in your IDC you would have learned something!

 

[Slamfire]

...I think most non-professional divers, who haven't heard of this issue, would probably assume that an instructor course built your skills as a diver so that you are competent to be a role model and teach.

This was certainly my case, at least until I read this thread. Now that I know better it does explain a lot of things you see in the real world. As a non-professional diver, when I look for instruction providers I am certainly not looking or expecting a professional "shopping guide". Learning about this, and particularly when all sides of the discussion agree that the instructor course does not teach you anything that will make you a better diver, does put PADI down a few significant notches in my book.

I can shop on my own, thank you very much, I do not need your "professional sales pitch" help. I think this "instructing the instructor" model grossly underestimates the intelligence of students. How many times will you be able slick your way into selling an overpriced piece of equipment to a student before they figure out that your prime motivation is not the improvement of his diving skills? Particularly when all they have to do is spend 5 mins googling the mask you sold them for $99 to find out that leisure pro carries it for only $25.

 

[DCBC]

I wonder what dive courses used to be like when the YMCA used to certify. I think that was the only agency that wasn't a private, for-profit business in North America. I could be wrong, but I can't think of any today. The UK has the BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club). I'm not sure if they're still a non-profit club or if they're out to make money now.

In Canada you have CMAS and NAUI which are non-profits. In the US, there's NAUI and LAC; I'm not sure about the others.

 

[Agamemnon]

" agamemnon,
you are NOT qualified to teach anything just because you took your instructor course- you have to pass your Instructor Exam first. and even after that you are NOT qualified to teach a wreck course... maybe if you had paid a little attention in your IDC you would have learned something!

??? How you have come to this conclusion is beyond me but I suspect that you simply haven't read through the entire thread. Personally, I wouldn't make any kind of comment in a public forum without doing so.

Anyway, this issue has been kicked around long enough IMO. I thank all those who provided feedback as I thought it was an issue that needed some discussion. I have come away with an understanding of the value for sales in professional instruction but am also satisfied that others like me, may have some useful intel on the instructor course, that may help them make their decision on whether or not it is for them. The sales aspect may be necessary but for me it was off-putting and unexpected - since the course was marketed to me by the LDS and padi, it would have been better if it had more of the content I've discussed in the other posts.

 

[tkdgodess]

In Canada you have CMAS and NAUI which are non-profits. In the US, there's NAUI and LAC; I'm not sure about the others.

i heard naui closed it's canadian office.

 

[Slamfire]

I thank all those who provided feedback as I thought it was an issue that needed some discussion.

Thank you for bringing it up. I was not aware of this issue and your thread provided a much appreciated knowledge on this matter.

 

[TSandM]

I think it was a good thread. All too often, I think, students march into professional training when what they really want is more work on their own diving. It's important that people realize professional training is just that -- training how to teach, guide and sell. If you want to work on your diving skill, it's better to look elsewhere.