PADI's new *solo* course

[AndyNZ]

Hmmmmmm. I've only just seen the training bulletin - I misunderstood your PM, knotical!! I thought this was from the article that John et al wrote!

I have to admit a suspicion that this is based on my course. The timing is impecable - the course gets exposure in an UJ article, and suddenly PADI see it as a good idea. The wording appears different, though.... in my outline I never wrote anything that implied "to support experienced divers when diving without a partner" which clearly implies solo diving. My outline was focus on having the skills and knowledge to cope when circumstances left you alone.

I've asked PADI for an advance copy of this outline, which I'm sure that they will willingly give. After all, I can teach this course already so why not give me an outline? They've already released it to another instructor despite promising me that they wouldn't so it's already in the public domain, I suspect this might make it go viral.

I'll be fairly disappointed if this is based on my outline and they don't at least give some credit....

The crazy thing is that I don't really want to teach this course anymore. The last couple of times I taught it, I came pretty close (even for me) to breaking standards. I don't mind bending a few here and there from the standardised outline - but breaking standards that you wrote yourself is perhaps the ultimate faux pas!!?

I know teach the SDI Solo Diver course as the standards are a lot more flexible and allow me to teach a range of extra skills in different ways to suit different students and their aspirations.

What scares me the most is thinking that my PADI course will be turned into something it was never intended to be. It was designed so that students never touched the bottom and that they had to work in order to gain the certification. I suspect that we'll see a wrath of kneeling students come out with no skills and a card. Shame.

 

[fire_diver]

You make an excellent point, but the standards of your OW course made it very clear that you were certified to dive with a buddy.

I wouldn't know what to do with yo if you showed up with a Scuba-bob or whatever that thing is in your avatar....

Are you sure? I can't find the SDI standards online, but I don't remember anything about only being qualified to dive in the presence of another diver.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Yes according to that list you are certified to 130ft by virtue of your PADI deep card.

An IANTD Adv. EANx Instructor is "only" certified to 130' or less?

An NSS-CDS Intro to Cave Diver is "only" certified to 130' or less?

An IANTD Draeger Dolphin Diver is "only" certified to 130' or less?

 

[wedivebc]

An IANTD Adv. EANx Instructor is "only" certified to 130' or less?


An NSS-CDS Intro to Cave Diver is "only" certified to 130' or less?

An IANTD Draeger Dolphin Diver is "only" certified to 130' or less?

yes
yes
yes

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Dave, you're not living in modern America. <smile>

Actually, he is ... at least, I believe that Canada is still part of this continent.

I suspect you meant to say he's not living in modern USA ... :blinking:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Dive-aholic]

I've spoken to Joe Duturi as well as the guy who wrote the Self Sufficient diver manual. IANTD self sufficient diver is not designed to be a solo diver card, and if a dive boat accepts it as such, the liability is 100% on the boat. It's only certain insurance companies. Willis firmly embraces the solo diver concept, and stand behind the SDI course 100%. I agree that the course could use more meat, luckily, SDI allows you to make the course what you want. I teach it too, but there is far more to my course than the outline states.

I'm not dinging anyone's course, but I'm the guy who has to allow or disallow what the diver thinks is a solo card. I have to disallow IANTDs cards as solo diver cards, even though the course is more thorough than SDI's course. SDI's card specifically allows solo recreational diving.

I understand what you're saying, Frank. The problem is it doesn't take much to become a Solo Diver instructor and if that person just teaches to the bare minimum standards cards are still issued. While you are protected by that card by allowing divers to dive solo off your boat, they may not actually be prepared to dive solo at all. I know of a few inadequate solo diver courses out there and those AOW divers who do 10-20 dives a year and only have 50 dives don't know any better and end up thinking they are cool because they have a solo diver card.

I don't think that the SDI standards for the solo class are a problem, nor is the time frame for the education. Those are the minimum standards. You can easily teach a solid cave diver a solo class in a day. The problem is how standards are interpreted and by whom.

See above.

I've always thought the SDI instructor standard of 50 certified students as the only requirement for an active SDI instructor to teach the solo class was a bit ridiculous. Currently, I have 29 students who have passed my TDI courses. Despite having taken the SDI solo class myself from my TDI cave instructor IN CAVES, and despite the fact that I'm a TDI tech instructor, I still can't teach the SDI solo class!

Interesting. When I did my crossover to TDI and SDI a couple years ago I received the solo diver instructor rating. I hadn't issued any TDI/SDI certs at the time. They credited me for the certifications I had issued through the other agencies I taught through.

What needs to change is that the diving public should realize that not all scuba instructors are created equal and if you really want a good course start paying the cave instructors to teach it - at any level. While this isn't absolute, you're best bets in diving are cave divers and cave instructors for the most and best info.

Not all cave instructors are created equal either. Two things happened this weekend that I'm aware of. One cave instructor teaching a Basic Cave class (that should alert you to the agency) took his class off the main line into what he told them was a sidemount passage. Funny thing is I've been in the passage in backmount and scootered full speed through it, as well. Another cave instructor was teaching a cavern class with one student. The instructor was in a rebreather so the cavern student had to carry his own buddy bottle. I'm not sure how air sharing was taught.

does SDI require the instructor teaching the solo course to actually be a solo diver? What are the instructor requirements for teaching the class?

No.

An NSS-CDS Intro to Cave Diver is "only" certified to 130' or less?

No, that would be only 100' or less according to standards.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Rob, when I crossed over to SDI/TDI, I didn't bring any records of students certified. When I found out the standards for the SDI Solo course, I decided that I would only apply students that I certified through SDI/TDI to acquire that rating. When I reach 50 students who have successfully completed training, I'll put in for the upgrade. It's my way of saying WTF since an instructor can get the SDI Solo Instructor rating without having ever been solo diving or having taken the diver level class. An instructor friend of mine who crossed to SDI from PADI submitted his PADI certs and was made an SDI Solo Instructor.

I actually took the class from a TDI cave instructor at the diver level and that counted for zilch.

It's my own personal battle with an agency in which I enjoy being a professional.

My point about going to cave instructors for this course was that most know what good trim, buoyancy, propulsion, and equipment streamlining really are and dive better than most recreational instructors.

 

[Ste Wart]

An IANTD Adv. EANx Instructor is "only" certified to 130' or less?

An NSS-CDS Intro to Cave Diver is "only" certified to 130' or less?

An IANTD Draeger Dolphin Diver is "only" certified to 130' or less?

IANTD Adv Eanx instructor 42 metres or 137'

 

[AndyNZ]

It's my way of saying WTF since an instructor can get the SDI Solo Instructor rating without having ever been solo diving or having taken the diver level class.

It is a bit weird. All that a "certification count" actually goes to show is that you have taught some divers - not that you can solo dive, let alone teach it.


I do love these anachronisms. I had one last year where I wanted to teach an Advanced Wreck (PADI Distinctive) class to a PADI Instructor. My Advanced Wreck class has a basic (PADI) wreck prereq.

Unfortunately, the instructor had never done a basic wreck class. Logistics were tight, so I asked the question - can I allow the instructor to not do the first dive of the basic wreck class, after all they can teach that dive as part of an AOW course.

PADI told me *NO* as you needed to be sure that the diver had mastered the skills in the dive course before continuing with the later dives. Well, you mean that you (PADI) aren't sure that your instructors have mastered the skills they are teaching??????

That's my biggest concern with PADI release a "solo" class. It's just going to turn into a complete clusterfcuk.

 

[Ste Wart]

That's my biggest concern with PADI release a "solo" class. It's just going to turn into a complete clusterfcuk.

I'd be more worried about PADI CCR.

A friend of mine managed to get signed off by CD to teach the Dolphin SCR with only 3 dives. Way to go Koh Tao!

Seriously though. Requirements for other agencies are far more stringent.

Another true life example:

A CD mate. Takes his Tec Deep. Then takes his Tec Deep Instructor course. Then immediately applies for his Tec Instructor Trainer.