I think you're making a comparison that is quite a stretch........again. Learning to drive a car and learning to dive nitrox in "recreational" limits require entirely different levels of attention, knowledge and active thinking. Entirely.
I would disagree. Both require a great deal of attention. Not doing so can be fatal. The problem is that people are fallible. They drive and dive beyond "recreational" limits if they are not paying attention. Putting a diver in the water with a tank of Nitrox alone for the first time can be as dangerous as putting someone behind the wheel of a car for the first time without any supervision. The ability to pay attention is crucial if one is to survive either situation. While I cannot guarantee that a student will not make a mistake; before I hand them a card with my name on it, I will certainly have dove with them to see how they will respond under duress. Just a personal preference.
It would seem that reality is proving you wrong.
How so? What is the accident analysis on Nitrox divers who have had no in water supervision and drivers who have had no supervision behind the wheel of a car? I am not sure. But until it is answered, reality hasn't proven anything.
To get certified in nitrox today, you can even take an online class, then go into a shop for a quick review/hands-on use of an 02 analyzer. Still, I don't hear about hordes of divers dying from OTS, so evidently what the certifying agencies are doing is working, regardless of anyone's opinion.
I am not sure hordes of people are being certified that way. Just because you can get certified that way, does not mean that you should get certified that way. With the power that Instructors have to certify students when they have succeeded to their expectation, comes the responsibility that Instructors have to ensure that these same students are educated to their best of their ability. If all that an Instructor is going to do is hand out a card after a lecture or two, then I would argue that they are not teaching to the best of their ability. And if they are, and that's the best they can do, then shame on them.
Frankly, it really isn't as difficult as you're making it sound. I'm almost prompted to think you're trolling, honestly.
It don't believe personally that Nitrox is difficult, but I can respect that some people may. In order to ensure that all students are educated about Nitrox, then I appreciate a uniform method of educating them. That would include actually putting them in the water with me, a pair of tanks filled with Nitorx, challenging them in the water to ensure that they have the appropriate attention span to conduct the dives safely, and addressing any questions they may have about actually diving with Nitrox, instead of discussing the theory of Nitrox. Since you have no idea who I am, then I will excuse the trolling comment. You are free to discuss any ideas I have put forth or challenge them in any way you deem appropriate, but to label my statements as trolling is short sighted and narrow minded, honestly.
It really isn't THAT bad. You learn some simple math, theory/risks, learn some tables and that's it.
It's this philosophy of education that is the most dangerous. You assume that students will comprehend information with the same ease that you might. For many people, that's just not so. It's why there are standards that every agency has adopted so that there will be a "bare minimum" of education available to all students. My suggestion or concern would be that all students diving with Nitrox should have at least one dive done with a certified Instructor prior to said Instructor handing them a card. That's it. Feel free to disagree.
If a diver has trouble with multi-tasking, i.e. using a camera and monitoring depth, duration, and gas pressure then taking a Nitrox course is not going to fix that, nor is it designed/intended to.
On this we agree. I do not intend for a Nitrox class to teach people to be responsible divers. I do believe that as an educator it is my responsibility to assist them in understanding the concepts of learning the theory of Nitrox as well as understanding the practical aspects of diving with Nitrox in the water. Just a personal preference.
The task of not exceeding a depth limit is something taught starting in OW.....the purpose is different with nitrox but the task is the same. Diving nitrox does not change this task.
The purpose however becomes even more critical since divers diving with Nitrox have an MOD that they must adhere to. Diving to 115 feet on a 36% mix has different consequences than diving to 115 feet on air.
For clarification, SSI(Scuba Schools International) does not require a dive along with their certification......depending. If you want to learn about nitrox and be certified to dive it, then SSI does not require any dives on nitrox before receiving a nitrox c-card.
While I respect the agency, I have concerns regarding that policy as stated above.
Note: An instructor is still not required to be present during these 2 dives.
I am VERY concerned if an Instructor is not required to be present DURING the dives.
I hope that was simply misstated.
Either that or the shop I went to for my SSI courses is really jacked up.
If the Instructor does not have to be in the water DURING your dives, then I would suggest that the latter is correct.