| Hmmm, This could be a very interesting topic.
I totally agree that If a diver has only done 10 dives a year (even for the last 10 years) they are not ready to be an instructor. I also feel that 13 weeks from Novice to instructor (Even diving 3 or 4 days a week) will not make a good instructor. The issue that I see is that a trainee will not have experienced enough issues for them to be totally happy in the water.
For example: Panic. Have you had a buddy panic on you underwater? (And I don't mean an instructor pretending to do so). Have you experienced cold, dark diving. Have you experienced really bad swell, and tried to get back onto a boat or into the shore? Have you dived with lots of other people, and learnt new tricks, or seen ways that it shouldn't be done.
The only way to be a good instructor is to really know your stuff. You don't have to be an expert on every part of diving, but you have to know enough about everything in diving to answer your students questions (And they will be varied). You do have to have a high skill level, but you also have to know lots of different ways of doing things, That way when a student has an issue, you can suggest alternatives.
When I became an assistant Instructor I was really not prepared for it. Teaching under the watchful eyes of experienced instructors helped me gain a lot, but it took quite a long time. By the time I passed my Exam and became a Club Instructor, I was very prepared for it. I had taught under supervision in a number of environments, I had also done a hell of a lot of personal diving.
Rushing into becoming an Instructor means that you don't have time to work out why you are diving. Go dive for fun, then think about becoming an instructor once you've done that.
I know that my points are probably very rambling, and not very structured, by the gist of it is that I don't agree with Fast-track instructor courses. (Regardless of which agency it is)
John |