What is the problem with doing a Scuba Review/Refresher?

[gypsyjim]

I suggest some sort of refresher for divers who have been out of the water for any serious length of time (over say 1 year), but I can't see why doing such a refresher with an actual Instructor should be required. A good DM reviewing the basic skills and gear set up should be enough for most, unless there have been some major changes in gear since you last dived.

I was there myself, and I thought that an experienced diver ( like I saw myself at the time) could just jump back in, even after a few years out of the water. I was wrong. Gear had changed more significantly than I assumed, and I needed to adopt some new skills to use the "new" (at the time, at least for me) BCD. I got hurt, a bit, but mostly I scared myself.

Lesson learned.

Just a few minutes in the water with a DM or an Instructor, reviewing the newfangled equipment, in use, would have made my failure avoidable. We had discussed the new gear, but no one (including the dive op that supplied the rental) thought about an in water review. That was a long time ago now, and attitudes have changed, for the better I believe.

Today I do not mind hopping into the water at a resort or at a new dive op, to demonstrate simple mastery of skills. It costs little in down time for me, and everyone then better knows what to expect in the water.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

It doesn't seem like it would be a "course" without a professional. But my LDS uses divemasters, not instructors.

I plan to refresh our skills with a buddy instead of taking the course- but I'm going to a local quarry, so it gets logged as a dive. I don't know if the places that require a refresher would "count" it if it was in a pool. However, due to thermoclines, we only go to 20 feet in the quarry (which is only 30 feet deep) so it isn't that much different from a pool except you can't see anything...

I've been to some sites that were around 12 ft, so how would they know it wasn't a dive if you stayed down 30 mins to an hour?

 

[Skittl1321]

I've been to some sites that were around 12 ft, so how would they know it wasn't a dive if you stayed down 30 mins to an hour?

Well, as some people have pointed out- how do you "prove" a dive anyway.

 

[hroark2112]

So, you have never been to Bonaire.:shocked2:

In Bonaire, a checkout dive is required by most, probably all, dive ops. It is done on the house reef, normally without a DM/guide. It is the newly arrived divers' opportunity to verify their gear and weight are right before heading out to anywhere they choose to go.

I'm pretty sure a "checkout dive" is mandated by the marine park rules. It's really just a weight check and part of the dive operator's explanation of the marine park rules - stay off the coral, no gloves, no kneepads, etc. etc.. It's a good idea, but no everyone comes out of the checkout dive properly weighted or even caring if they're properly weighted.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Where did Bob go in the Caribbean? I'd like to make sure it isn't on my list. Further, was it only shop related or destination related? If only shop related, which shop?

Scubarose, most places I've been have a checkout dive. They don't call it that but there seems little doubt that that is what is taking place. I'm not bothered by that no matter how recently I've been diving because I like to make sure my weighting is correct, gear functioning, brain functioning and then having been unobtrusively evaluated, there's no requirement for me to do a review.

Your price is reasonable, the amount of time is over the top though certainly appears to be good value.

I've decided not to go to destinations that had the requirement of a "special" checkout dive before allowing the actual dive vacation to begin. If it eats up my dive time and/or money towards my actual dives, there are other destinations.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I would have a very hard time doing a refresher or checkout dive if the DM wanted me to kneel in the sand to do it. I'd be pointing at them and laughing at them too hard to do anything. Once I settled down though I'd be able to get through it. But no way would I demean myself to do them kneeling on the bottom.

 

[Mike]

So, you have never been to Bonaire.:shocked2:

In Bonaire, a checkout dive is required by most, probably all, dive ops. It is done on the house reef, normally without a DM/guide. It is the newly arrived divers' opportunity to verify their gear and weight are right before heading out to anywhere they choose to go.

My last check out dive in Bonaire was with the Plaza Resort, it consisted of somebody from the dive shop pointing vaguely in the direction of where there were some tanks near the water, then the rest of his time on our check out dive consisted of him sitting at the beach bar with his back to the water talking to a pretty girl at the bar.

My last check out dive was at Turneffe Island Resort, it consisted of the dive master asking us to assemble our gear so he could watch and gauge us, then an easy reef dive where he watched each of us like a hawk. At the end of that first dive he had a very excellent evaluation of everyone, knew who he had to watch during the rest of the week and who he didn't, who would need his attention and who would not, he had all that assessment from first hand watching who could set up their gear and who couldn't who had buoyancy control and who didn't who easily held their safety stop, who couldn't and a million other little bits of information he watched for and silently noted to himself.

I found that a much more intelligent and mature method than just blanket saying you haven't dived in 8 months? You need a refresher course. Which is absurd to throw a net like that on top of everyone know matter their experience or skill level.

 

[boulderjohn]

I recently returned from a liveaboard on the great Barrier Reef. On our first dive, we were split into groups for the dive, each one led by a DM. We were clearly told it was a checkout dive. After that dive, we were divided into groups for our dives, with some of us able to strike out on our own and others being led by DMs. I thought that was OK. The people who were assigned to dive with DMs were probably happy for that.

 

[supergaijin]

In my job I see people practically every week who during a checkout dive:

express fear when asked to clear their mask,
can't clear their mask worth a damn,
refuse to do it,
can't set up equipment,
don't know how much weights they normally use ("about 4" is not an acceptable answer.... 4x 1lb? 2lb? with alu tank?),
don't know how to use a BCD underwater/push the wrong button to deflate and vice versa,
breathe like a horny buffalo,
make a complete shambles of an OOA drill, etc. etc.

Some people even manage all of the above and are required to take a course prior to diving as they have forgotten or ignored many things from their training. Most just need a reminder after the check dive, a little coaching and easy dive site selection.

This is not really indicative of the posters on Scubaboard. Here we care enough (or are bored enough at work) to think about scuba when we do our day to day thing... hence the chest-beating which inevitably arises with threads such as these. The vast majority of people who do a bit of diving on vacation have probably never heard of Scubaboard- they may well 'like' diving but it takes a certain kind of person to devote energy to considering the different aspects of this sport that we love.

Apparently, some people have 'real' lives to live. I pity the fool

 

[chillyinCanada]

Other? Wha?