Mentoring approach to diving

[wetman]

I was just curious how many people finished their course and just jumped right in without diving with more experienced divers or if you initially dove with more experienced divers and weaned yourself from them over time.

When i started, i was fortunate enough to dive for a little while with a relative who was a cave diver who helped me get over some of that initial hump of nervousness and suggest many improvements in technique and gear etc.

I know i'm not interested in getting certified in training or even dive mastering level scuba, but is there any formal or informal approach that has worked for people? I would think some dive clubs might offer this kind of environment for learning outside of formal training. I think it would be quite valuable (as long as you're learning the right things). Maybe theres room for a slightly more formalized approach: You have the instructors and AIs in class, then after class your instructor recommends you to one of several people that they know that could help round out what there wasn't time for in class. There could be the liability issue here, but once you're certified, technically you're done so you wouldnt be formally training them - just helping them out with things they may have learned but aren't 100% confident in - even things liike charter etiquete or other things not directly related to diving but that people may have questions on just the same.

Just some thoughts.

steve

 

[Uncle Pug]

Here's a tip:
Always buy your mentor a meal after the dive... even if it is only a bowl of clam chowder.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I think mentoring is a great thing. I also tend to think that the lack of it is why divers don't stick with the sport. They get certified, go to the caribbean once or twice and that's about it.

 

[wb416]

I took my OW class from a friend I used to work with (and do again). This was a normal class run through the shop with other students in it. After the cert dives, Greg knew that I was going on a warm water dive trip about 3 weeks after the checkout's, and by the time I left for the trip, I had 18 dives with him. He never lectured me or went into "instructor" mode after the class, but by observing him, asking lots of questions, and getting several dives in a relatively short period of time, the trip went extremely well.

I think my initial experiences with diving were greatly enhanced by this "extra" time, and it was greatly appreciated. I dove voraciously the rest of that year and haven't slowed down since!

wb

 

[jonnythan]

As soon as I finished class, I started diving with the guys who were either in my class or took the class about 6 months earlier.

The mentoring thing does sound cool, but I'm scared of it eventually becoming something like what I hear they're trying to do in Israel.. You're *required* to dive with a dive club leader or some such for a period after you're certified.

 

[wetman]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
I think mentoring is a great thing. I also tend to think that the lack of it is why divers don't stick with the sport. They get certified, go to the caribbean once or twice and that's about it.

I think so as well - if you're too nervous to go right after you finish class, then you're less likely to jump back in after a month and even less likely than that to jump in after 4 and then you might as well not have even taken the class.

If you have someone to dive with that you trust (whether its misplaced or not) for the first while, you're much more likely to get out and want to get out.

But would instructors go for it? Would they want to have a handful of people they could trust to round out some of their more interested students - or would that look too much like an extension of the course with all the liability that goes along with it? Or are you just better to try to hook up with people through a club or something - but in that case if you're a shy person, you'd be less likely to make that hookup where if there was a person that actually went out of their way to call you to get you out you'd be more likely to go, shy or not.

I think its a terrible thing that so many people bow out and never dive again after the class without really experiencing how great it is down there. To see the first wreck or shark or just float down there and play around without the nervousness that goes along with being in a classroom-type situation (i.e. just there to enjoy the dive), should be enough to make life-long divers out of some people who wouldn't normally continue at all.

steve

 

[DiverBuoy]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...
Here's a tip:
Always buy your mentor a meal after the dive... even if it is only a bowl of clam chowder.

UP - Manhattan or New England style?

 

[MikeFerrara]

We have some divers (including our DM's) that are just itching to dive somewhere every weekend and even after class on the days when we are teaching. There is always someone to invite newly certified students diving after their class. Most don't accept. The ones who do are the ones who keep diving.

 

[DiverBuoy]

wetman once bubbled...
I was just curious how many people finished their course and just jumped right in without diving with more experienced divers or if you initially dove with more experienced divers and weaned yourself from them over time.

I was just involved in a diver death investigation with the Orange County Sherriffs department. Primarily my involvment was based on equipment ownership. I owned the download device for the Suunto Cobra dive computer. They were hoping his computer would show that he had just ended his dive rather than just beginning - so there would be more convincing evidence, perhaps of DCS.

The sherriff had already told me the deceased was a new diver with just a few dives under his belt, at least that was the claim of the buddy that reported the accident.

Anway, having analyzed thousands of dive profiles, I was printing out the results and I began snickering. The Sheriff asked why. I told him that when you look at the profile - you can see where someone sold/loaned/or gave him the computer (I certainly hope he wasn't diving on it before training). The entire memory of the computer only contained a dozen dives. Their were like 5 profiles prior to his pool session. Because you could see the pool sessions where the depth never exceeded 10 feet. Then immediately after the pool sessions you could see the 4 OW dives - never exceeding 35 feet. But the 5th OW dive was to 110 feet! And the remaining dives were between 50-80 feet. Anyway the last dive on the computer was over 2 months prior to the date of death - (BTW we checked and the computer had an accurately set date and time.)

My observations were purely speculative, but the Sheriff being a diver himself, said he tended to agree with my assessment. A few months later I found out that the investigation was closed as merely accidental death. They never suspected foul-play apparently the diver simply was out of shape and died of a heart attack before entering the water.

 

[cmay]

Uncle Pug once bubbled...
Here's a tip:
Always buy your mentor a meal after the dive... even if it is only a bowl of clam chowder.

Good tip!

I was pretty lucky in that my open water instructor and the shop owner both went out of their way to help me develop as a diver. When I was first starting out and would dive in a muddy ditch in 50 degree water they would go along if asked and offer pointers. I really look back and cherish those early dives. Not only did they help me mature and develop as a diver, I made a couple of life long friends as well.