Posted by JRM on October 20, 2000 at 16:52:06:
In Reply to: Re: Poor training or lack of experience posted by Kendall Raine on October 20, 2000 at 14:25:33:
Actually, this may sound a bit weird and inconsistent with my previous posts, but I've been thinking about it lately. In other arenas, you do training to gain experience. Training is practice, not the instruction. So I think I'll differentiate training and instruction in further posts. As such, my PADI OW course was almost entirely instruction, with very little in the way of training.
And as an answer to a few other of your questions, the DM in my class strongly stressed practice. He insists that we do at least one "skill" per dive, no matter where or when. And I have been. In addition to that, I practice bouyancy drills at least a couple of minutes per dive (I'm getting better, but still need a bit or work).
And as far as ripping your mask off, I can see their argument against that. I would agree that the people headed into these classes now are ill-prepared to deal with such a situation, and that would greatly increase liability. And you don't have to try real hard to get tangled in kelp, I've managed to do that a couple of times:-)
Unfortunately, I do think that those types of measures would greatly increase a person's confidence underwater. When I was first up on the big stone, my partner (mentor) stopped me during one of my leads and told me to jump off. I was scared to death, but he wouldn't let me continue until I had. I took the fall, and realized that there isn't any difference falling at 100' as at a 1000'. And I was much more natural afterwards. But it took doing it.
So I will alter my position in this aspect, that four OW dives is not nearly enough training to allow someone to use life support equipment in a hazardous environment. Heck, even OSHA requires 40 hours before they'll sign off on that :-)
JRM