09/23/2007 15:19:49

i do beleive that everyone has diffrent ablities

09/04/2007 14:02:59

Well stated....  Every person is different in their abilities... and when they are able to master those abilities...

 

08/28/2007 18:22:00

I think your right Orsk.  Each of us are different.

08/27/2007 20:13:15

I agree with Orsk. The whole thing of trying to make money through a program for passing people is a crock. I have had many people in our dive facility that have been rejected from a program because they did not display the traits of being a candidate of that program. They have been asked to rack up more dives and basically "PROVE" themselves with their behavior and become a responsible diver.

Now, On that note, I know from first hand experience that a certain someone was chosen in his/ her Open Water course to be an instructors next Dive Master Student. The way this person got this was by having great knowledge of the materials, displayed great underwater traits and was constantly on the lookout for their fellow classmates. I see that as a promising Professional for diving. The number of dives a person has does not make them a Good Diver. The way a person handles themselves around students, in the dive shop, and on a recreational dive with a buddy whether on the surface or underneath the water is what makes them the dive professional they need to be for the Pro position. By the way, That person who was chosen has numerous recomendations for becoming a PADI Pro.

Thank you Orsk for your comments. 

08/27/2007 03:41:56

Moondog, I don't want to start an argument, so please don't take this wrong. I took AOW straight out of OW. Being a Newbie in a very landlocked area, I had no network to find buddies at the time (I'm a single diver). The AOW was a chance for me to get more diving in, get more instruction & learn new skills in a controlled environment. I made no pretenses about my skills after that course & would openly admit to anyone about my skills & experience. I will still to this day, say I have 122 dives to date & if asked, I have this # of deep dives, this # of night dives & so forth, no need to lie about it. I keep a well updated log book with everyone of my dives on it, signed off by my buddy at that time. Yes, I got my Master Scuba Diver Cert. last year (I had only been certified about a year & 3mos.). In my AOW course, I ran into several difficult problems (I won't go into it it just now to keep things short- if you'd like to know the full story let me know) on the deep dive portion (about 80'), that brought me to the brink of panicking & bolting to the surface. I was lucky that it happened, as I said, in a controlled environment & there was a dive master that saw what was happening & took control of the situation. We made a controlled ascent & safety stop & surfaced. Needless to say I learned a vast amount from episode. Other than that recent incident when I was trying out my doubles for the first time, I have not had any more problems with deep diving. Now with being certified for 2 yrs. I am in a Dive Control Specialist course. The instructor I'm currently under would not allow me to take it until he saw my skills and knew I could handle it. He refused a couple of people that he felt were not ready. What I'm getting at through this, is that the AOW & other courses may be the only way for someone to gain diving experience until they can build up a buddy network. But I do agree with your statement that the new diver shouldn't fool themselves into a false sense of security just because they have this or that certification.

08/26/2007 23:54:03

I don't believe anybody should be given an Advanced certification after just 9 dives. This is nothing more than a money grab from the certifying agency. Although a basic open water student may display the skills necessary to look like an experienced diver, you will not know for sure until they are forced to deal with a difficult situation in difficult conditions. A diver with only fifteen or twenty dives under his belt is not experienced enough to realize when they are narced or often even recognize the signs potential upcoming problems. You are right that some divers are not "experienced" after years of diving but someone who has not experienced having to deal with the herds of under trained and underskilled divers that have been given the false sense of security of an advanced C-card or even a basic card for that matter can not be considered an experienced diver.

08/26/2007 20:30:32

IMHO an experienced diver becomes one by the quality of instruction that they receive from their initial instructor. A true instructor does not issue certification without insuring that their students are capable and competent.

Unfortunately it has been my experience that poor divers are the result of poor instructors and unfortunately there exist more than our industry is willing to admit.

Educating divers and agencies will hopefully correct this.

Cheers!