Posted by Jim Hoffmann on September 24, 2002 at 20:23:06:
In Reply to: Three comments posted by Ken Kurtis on September 24, 2002 at 14:09:55:
Ken, I think we had this discussion before.
An ESA is the most dangerous skill that we as instructors have our student perform (it is also the most dangerous skill for the instructor).
In most classes ESA are only practiced 3 times (two times in the pool and once in the OW). Most of the time it is never practiced again after entry level (unlike mask clears, regulator retrievals, and buoyancy skills).
Does learning happen (do you remember what PIERRE means)? Nobody learns a skill by only doing it 3 times.
After certification, what will the diver remember? Hopefully they will never have to do an ESA, but if they did, it could happen weeks, months, years after the entry level class . Will that one OW ESA make a difference?
The question, that we has instructors have to ask ourselves is, does the benefit of doing an ESA out-weigh the risk of doing an ESA?
And the answer is, it does not. Because the student gets nothing out of performing an ESA in the OW (learning does not happen).
There is no benefit, only danger.
Jim Hoffmann
NAUI # 5888
PADI # 6301