JustinW
Contributor
This has likely been discussed before and this might be more appropriate in Whine and Cheeze but this seemed like a basic discussion that many people can appreciate.
It is my opinion that Instructors should have more supervision. Not directly of course, but something to the effect that Agencies can more closely monitor how the classes are conducted, especially the checkout dives. I say this upon returning this weekend from the area we normally dive. The area is frequented by many classes, a particular site may host one or two dozen classes a day from different instructors. Most of these classes are OW and beginner divers frequently return here for their dives. Standing from a wall overlooking the divesite you can easily watch divers suit up, enter, dive and exit. On most busy days, watching these activities is akin to watching a slow motion train wreck, even divemasters and instructors do shocking things.
Over the past three weeks, from the little I watch (avoid watching because it hurts too much) I have seen the following events and minor mistakes.
-Divers who swim into knee deep water, then stand and try to take off their fins, meanwhile their reg is freeflowing in the sand.
-BCs setup and then stoodup on the edges of parkbenches dangerously close to busy walkways with other divers transporting assorted bulky items. This was done by the instructor and then cloned by the poor students who weren't taught any better. I watched three or four people nearly bump the setups right onto the concrete.
-People commonly carrying their tanks over their shoulder or carrying it like a 40 pound baby (including valve pointing directly at concrete)
-Freeflowing regulators every few minutes that scream wildly out of control while people are too timid and shocked to respond.
-Instructors that have their students snorkel out to a tube, drop down and do all of their exercises while on their knees holding onto an anchored tag line running along the sand.
-Incompetent divemasters that barely look like OW students
-Instructors having their students do the crawl only to stop within the surfline. I hope these students never use this skill or they will be hurting when the big swell knocks them on their batoot.
-An instructor, who on a rough day, took his class down to the entry and walked over to an exposed rock reef, at the beginning of the set he walked them out onto the rocks and had them sit down (fully suited up mind you) on the rocks to put their fins on (these rocks are ankle to shin high maybe). While the students struggle with their fins the set is building and gives them some trouble. By the end of the set, the entire class is bowled over in the surf, equipment and students damaged. I doubt that any of those students will ever dive again.
-A diver who was abandoned by his buddy, so he swam to shore, struggled with fins and then took off his BC while standing in the surfline, he then procedes to lay it in the rocks and sand with the regulator again firmly planted in the sand. THEN!! he walks away from it as he walks 10 feet up the shore to set his mask/snorkel and fins in the sand (still being splashed at by the surf). While he is setting these items down he notices the waves are rolling his tank/BC around in the sand and out to sea, so he goes to grab it. I was relieved to see that he was getting his gear out of the surf, until he grabs it by the hoses and procedes to drag it out of the surf and into the sand. (I looked away at this point so I don't know what happened from there but 5 minutes later I look back to see mask/snorkel and fins being sloshed around in the rocks)
-(THIS ONE TOPPED MY LIST) For whatever reason I decided to do a dive at this site, I rarely do "fun" dives at this site. As my buddy and I are surface swimming out I have to bump several divers out of the way, as they like to surface swim out and back on their backs not watching where they are going. Now when this happens I stop or move out of their way, and usually say something but nobody appears to hear. I guess their hoods are on too tight
. What ever happened to situational awareness, why do I always see them but they would always run into me (if it wasn't for my actions). Why are divers taught to swim out without looking where they are going. This could be deadly in areas with man-o-wars or other obstructions. These divers swim right into obstructions. Anyhow, to continue onto my point, As I am swimming out to the rock formation I want to drop in on, I come across a class, presumably OW, swimming on the surface (face down) but they are all holding a blue rope. Get this, the Instructor was touring them around the site while they were all required to hold onto a rope. What skill does this teach other than to be totally helpless and un-selfsufficient!!!
Now I realize the finest instructors in the world could have taught these instructors and students, and then have these divers go on to be complete fools later on. My question to everyone is: Do you think there should be some sort of inspection for Instructors, so that the agencies can more accurately know how the students are being taught that carry their cards. Today there an IDC evaluation was happening, so that got me to thinking about popular sites for classes, if there could be some better way for Agencies to know how their classes are run than responses from students. If a student is trained improperly, its tough to say that the student will know what is better technique, even in the presence of good instructors with strong classes. What are your opinions??
All incidents except the rough water fin donning incident occured on calm days with good visibility on a simple dive site with minimal challenges.
It is my opinion that Instructors should have more supervision. Not directly of course, but something to the effect that Agencies can more closely monitor how the classes are conducted, especially the checkout dives. I say this upon returning this weekend from the area we normally dive. The area is frequented by many classes, a particular site may host one or two dozen classes a day from different instructors. Most of these classes are OW and beginner divers frequently return here for their dives. Standing from a wall overlooking the divesite you can easily watch divers suit up, enter, dive and exit. On most busy days, watching these activities is akin to watching a slow motion train wreck, even divemasters and instructors do shocking things.
Over the past three weeks, from the little I watch (avoid watching because it hurts too much) I have seen the following events and minor mistakes.
-Divers who swim into knee deep water, then stand and try to take off their fins, meanwhile their reg is freeflowing in the sand.
-BCs setup and then stoodup on the edges of parkbenches dangerously close to busy walkways with other divers transporting assorted bulky items. This was done by the instructor and then cloned by the poor students who weren't taught any better. I watched three or four people nearly bump the setups right onto the concrete.
-People commonly carrying their tanks over their shoulder or carrying it like a 40 pound baby (including valve pointing directly at concrete)
-Freeflowing regulators every few minutes that scream wildly out of control while people are too timid and shocked to respond.
-Instructors that have their students snorkel out to a tube, drop down and do all of their exercises while on their knees holding onto an anchored tag line running along the sand.
-Incompetent divemasters that barely look like OW students
-Instructors having their students do the crawl only to stop within the surfline. I hope these students never use this skill or they will be hurting when the big swell knocks them on their batoot.
-An instructor, who on a rough day, took his class down to the entry and walked over to an exposed rock reef, at the beginning of the set he walked them out onto the rocks and had them sit down (fully suited up mind you) on the rocks to put their fins on (these rocks are ankle to shin high maybe). While the students struggle with their fins the set is building and gives them some trouble. By the end of the set, the entire class is bowled over in the surf, equipment and students damaged. I doubt that any of those students will ever dive again.
-A diver who was abandoned by his buddy, so he swam to shore, struggled with fins and then took off his BC while standing in the surfline, he then procedes to lay it in the rocks and sand with the regulator again firmly planted in the sand. THEN!! he walks away from it as he walks 10 feet up the shore to set his mask/snorkel and fins in the sand (still being splashed at by the surf). While he is setting these items down he notices the waves are rolling his tank/BC around in the sand and out to sea, so he goes to grab it. I was relieved to see that he was getting his gear out of the surf, until he grabs it by the hoses and procedes to drag it out of the surf and into the sand. (I looked away at this point so I don't know what happened from there but 5 minutes later I look back to see mask/snorkel and fins being sloshed around in the rocks)
-(THIS ONE TOPPED MY LIST) For whatever reason I decided to do a dive at this site, I rarely do "fun" dives at this site. As my buddy and I are surface swimming out I have to bump several divers out of the way, as they like to surface swim out and back on their backs not watching where they are going. Now when this happens I stop or move out of their way, and usually say something but nobody appears to hear. I guess their hoods are on too tight
. What ever happened to situational awareness, why do I always see them but they would always run into me (if it wasn't for my actions). Why are divers taught to swim out without looking where they are going. This could be deadly in areas with man-o-wars or other obstructions. These divers swim right into obstructions. Anyhow, to continue onto my point, As I am swimming out to the rock formation I want to drop in on, I come across a class, presumably OW, swimming on the surface (face down) but they are all holding a blue rope. Get this, the Instructor was touring them around the site while they were all required to hold onto a rope. What skill does this teach other than to be totally helpless and un-selfsufficient!!!Now I realize the finest instructors in the world could have taught these instructors and students, and then have these divers go on to be complete fools later on. My question to everyone is: Do you think there should be some sort of inspection for Instructors, so that the agencies can more accurately know how the students are being taught that carry their cards. Today there an IDC evaluation was happening, so that got me to thinking about popular sites for classes, if there could be some better way for Agencies to know how their classes are run than responses from students. If a student is trained improperly, its tough to say that the student will know what is better technique, even in the presence of good instructors with strong classes. What are your opinions??
All incidents except the rough water fin donning incident occured on calm days with good visibility on a simple dive site with minimal challenges.
