Instructor flexibility in training.

[SailNaked]

On a recent trip to Bonaire there was a couple on our boat that had zero body fat and about 20# of weight with full rental gear. It was painful to watch them repeatedly kick the reef to death as they swam entirely upright and were basically running in place. (one example I have seen many).

I am working towards my instructor rating (have rescue) and one of my goals would be to make sure that 100% of my students were properly weighted and could manage their buoyancy in most situations. I would not expect perfect control but I feel that this is not an optional skill to learn even in basic open water.

never mind the retards with the cameras that would plow through a group snap a shot then stand and push off the reef to back away or worse just smack into what they were taking a picture of.

Since I have the option of either PADI,SSI or SDI, but would also be willing to travel to get the rating, which agencies would not only support this in theory but also in practice, requiring decent buoyancy in basic open water to be demonstrated more than once prior to being certified?

Obviously I am not an instructor yet and as such do not understand the real world of teaching divers, however I am committed to this idea and will find a way to do it within the constraints of normal dive instruction, I do want to know with what agency I am more likely to be successful. it is not enough for me to say that they can learn it in another course, to many people stop at basic open water.

 

[StreetDoctor]

It is my understanding SDI is a lot more flexible in teaching methods. Did you say anything to the couple in Bonaire? Maybe if you brought it up to them they'd change the way they dive. A lot of vacation divers don't dive enough and don't know any better.

 

[TSandM]

A lot is up to the instructor. In PADI standards, the student is required to demonstrate hovering, for example, but it's up to the instructor to decide what exactly hovering is, and to apply a standard for quality of performance.

As I am figuring out by helping my husband with his classes, there really isn't anything in the PADI canon that precludes turning out a diver with good basic skills.

 

[Web Monkey]

I am working towards my instructor rating (have rescue) and one of my goals would be to make sure that 100% of my students were properly weighted and could manage their buoyancy in most situations. I would not expect perfect control but I feel that this is not an optional skill to learn even in basic open water.

. . .

Since I have the option of either PADI,SSI or SDI, but would also be willing to travel to get the rating, which agencies would not only support this in theory but also in practice, requiring decent buoyancy in basic open water to be demonstrated more than once prior to being certified?

I don't know of any recreational agency that "requires" good buoyancy control. OTOH, I know that SSI doesn't mind if you teach it.

If you demonstrate and teach good buoyancy, the students are generally astonishingly appreciative. Sort of like if they were driving around in a 20 year old U-Haul and you showed them that there was a Porche in the back of the truck that they could use instead.

Once you show someone how to adjust their own weight and trim, you'll pretty much never see them "walk on the bottom" again. New divers don't have bad trim because they're dumb, they have it because they were overweighted, misadjusted and nobody ever took the time to teach time anything different.

Two of my favorite things to do with OW students are:

• Working on mask/cleaning/defog/removal/replacement/clearing so they can actually see and keep the mask clear with no anxiety
• Tuning weight and trim to be neutral and horizontal.

It's really cool to look at the bottom of the pool at the end of a session and find unneeded weights scattered around, and happy divers showing off their new-found buoyancy control.

Terry

 

[huntnhound]

No matter which agency you decide to get your instructor training from, you would be(in my opinion) a better, more responsible instructor if you would teach proper bouancy to your students. I am also working towards my instructor cert(almost done with rescue)and have seen so many divers struggling with their weight/trim. It always astonishes me when I see a 115 lb. female struggling with 20-25 lbs. of lead. How could a responsible instructor let that happen. Best of luck to you...you seem to have the right idea about training.

 

[Sias]

One of the best qualities of my Instructor, and that for which I am most grateful for was he took the time and effort to ensure that everyone in the class had good buoyancy control, and could "fin-pivot." He explained to us that when our buoyancy was correct, we would know, and we would enjoy the dive. He is a PADI Instructor but regardless of Agency, I believe all Instructors should teach good buoyancy, it is a core skill in Scuba Diving.

 

[rigdiver]

A "fin pivot" is not really indicative of neutral buoyancy. You're still touching the bottom. Getting neutral in the water column touching nothing is the magic you are looking for controlling only with your breath. That's fine tuned.

 

[DevonDiver]

From my understanding, the "fin pivot" existed only to help students learn the principle of adjusting buoyancy through breathing control.

True buoyancy control is then achieved through practise of the hover.... i.e. remaining motionless in the water column without propulsion.

 

[Walter]

PADI's standards require weighting students, but they require it long after it is needed. Other agencies are not so rigid. In any case, students should always be properly weighted by the end of the course.

True flexibilty while maintaining standards is most pronounced in the SEI and NAUI programs (of the ones I've studied, others may also have this trait). These programs encourage instructors to add to their standards.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

My thoughts is why should the agencies require it? It should be common sense for every individual instructor. If your students cannot do skills in the pool horizontal and while swimming and hovering in that position why would you think it's ok to even progress to open water checkouts? It only makes sense. Look around at the new people doing checkouts. They are vertical, tearing up the bottom, crashing into things, and in some cases look like yoyo's. There really is no reason for this other than laziness and greed. My job as an instructor in open water is made so much easier by spending the time in the pool to get these issues taken care of. Less worrying about rocket ascents, students stay in buddy pairs, and we can see behind us!