Posted by CalAbDiver on July 09, 2001 at 17:02:17:
In Reply to: Re: tell us about your GUE course Mike posted by MHK on July 09, 2001 at 16:33:13:
we "lose" more divers during the PADI mask removal drill than anything else, Mike.
in this drill, the PADI OWSI is kneeling across from the kneeling OW1 student, and the instructor first demonstrates to the student what to do, then its the student's turn. there are absolutely no surprises.
in many many cases, the cold water from the Ocean shocks the student so bad when it hits his/her face that ... well ... its not pretty. but i definitely do not advocate anything more advanced than this for OW1 students. i have seen a lot of OW1 students go ballistic and drag the OWSI up to the surface with them just on the standard mask removal drill alone.
so, to the crux of your point, what is going to happen when the real thing happens in the real world of scuba, and a PADI OW1 graduate gets his/her mask kicked off by another diver or ripped off by a sea lion or seal? God, I hope the DiveMaster is there to help them out. best case: dive buddy help them out. worst case: AGE.
please note that SSI [Scuba Schools Internationl], has recently modified their own training standards so that the complete mast removal drill is not even "required" anymore!
as for me, i carry a spare mask for myself in my right B/C pocket (right = sight) and a spare Halcyon 85 lb. lift bag in my left B/C pocket (left = backup for the vest [sorry, but i had to make it rhyme!]).
Ian is a former PADI OWSI, and he is definitely ready to move on to GUE, which is back to my original point about GUE, that as it stands right now, it appears to fill the niche of an advanced training course perfectly suited to well seasoned sport scuba divers & instructors.
I am not sure what Todd's intentions are. Todd needs to stop badmouthing PADI on the internet, or I will have a talk with his PADI Course Director, who is a friend of mine too.
For Everybody Else, it is still a Free Country the last time I checked, and the First Amendment on Free Speech has not [yet] been repealed.
However, I myself have had OWSI's who I have never personally met request of me my PADI D/M number, ostensibly so that they could complain to PADI about my own personal radical views on the current state of sport [non-military and non-industrial] scuba diving instruction here in California.
If I were teaching people how to fin, I would also teach them single-fin finning, which I personally use every time I dive off a beach or a boat! Its all a matter of preferences, it seems to me.
PADI apparently perfers to be in the lead, with 75% of the market share for "recreational" divers.
To Each His/Her own.