passing my open water course

[MAKING BUBBLES]

hi folks

passed my open water course at stoney cove weekend just gone

here are a few lessons if someone who reads this might find useful if they are about to do a ow course.

1) If the school keeps telling you to hurry up and get kitted up and your feeling pressured tell them bollocks!!! especially on the first dive which your bound to be a little nervous........like me......i ended up jumping in with half a glove on and a ill fitted weight belt (which i asked three times for help on).

2 )look around you when your kneeling on the bottom...... if your dive group is six or more (my group was 8)....... others may land on top of you if you are on the bottom before them.....i was happily watching my buddy do his fin pivot and the one of two instructors when clonk!! face full of fin!!!!

3) be sure about your weighting even if the instructor says your ok. my buddy was given his weight and then later found out he was under weight when he went positively bouyant at 12m and went bubbling to the surface. luckily instructor grabbed him before and distance could have been clocked up.

apart from those few incidents the group all passed out. i later found out there was an advanced course coming down same day and they needed our drysuits which explains the urgency they wanted you in the water even so being rushed increased the pressure and i think i must have wasted 50 bar in the first five minutes with big nervous gulps till i calmed down. the second days dives was more relaxed thankfully and found my stride.

Any one else had any incidents with ther schools when passing there ow...id be interested to know.

ill be coming back to the cove this weekend with my experienced dive buddies so heres to "making bubbles"

[B]

Many congrats on passing your course... now the fun begins...

Those things you mention really is not on, there should be time and patience to do what you need to do in your own pace.. diving is about fun, not about stress...

I have no bad experiences from learning, maybe a few DM's who I quite frankly could have done without but with hinsight was an experience...

Happy diving and keep that diver smile going..

B xx

[Digger]

Oh my god. I am so glad I don't have any friends or relatives who want to learn to dive in the next few years. If this is the state of diver training in the UK we need to think very very carefully about what is going on.

I wuold ask you to name and shame, but in reality you don't want to alienate the centre you just trained with.

Let's look at the evidence (in the style of Lloyd Grossman):

Group of 8??? What? 8 of you in the water at one time? At once? Underwater? All watching one instructor?

The instructor wasn't in control of the group, and there were people landing on top of you?

YOu get rushed to put your gear together and on, and ignoreds requests for help (most people don't even ask in the early stages of training, and any request should be taken as a priority!)

I'm not sure if I actually believe this isn't a wind up. Seriuosly, the HSE would probably be a bit interested in some of these comments.

Digs.

[MAKING BUBBLES]

Originally Posted by Digger

Oh my god. I am so glad I don't have any friends or relatives who want to learn to dive in the next few years. If this is the state of diver training in the UK we need to think very very carefully about what is going on.

I wuold ask you to name and shame, but in reality you don't want to alienate the centre you just trained with.

Let's look at the evidence (in the style of Lloyd Grossman):

Group of 8??? What? 8 of you in the water at one time? At once? Underwater? All watching one instructor?

The instructor wasn't in control of the group, and there were people landing on top of you?

YOu get rushed to put your gear together and on, and ignoreds requests for help (most people don't even ask in the early stages of training, and any request should be taken as a priority!)

I'm not sure if I actually believe this isn't a wind up. Seriuosly, the HSE would probably be a bit interested in some of these comments.

Digs.

yep digger 8 of us with two instructors. the only reason the second days dive was a bit more relaxed was the fact that the advanced started first this time and we had more time to kit up get hydrated and properly prepared in the head for the diving tasks.

its no wind up pal.

[jorawley]

Originally Posted by Digger

Oh my god. I am so glad I don't have any friends or relatives who want to learn to dive in the next few years. If this is the state of diver training in the UK we need to think very very carefully about what is going on.

Have to agree with Mr Digger on this....
My OW & Ocean Diver were taught 2 students per instructor, SD / AOW was again 2-1, a few specialities were 3-1.
Doesn't matter if they needed the kit or not for the next group - stoney isnt going anywhere - each diver should be given time and assistance if required. Its better taking 20mins to kit up and get in the water everything on and working than jump in after a 2min kit up with your air off, suit hose not connected and computer still in the car boot etc etc etc

Congratulations on passing your course - perhaps look elsewhere for your adv diver coaching.

[Scubee]

Congratulations on getting through your OW!

8 students with 2 instructors is within HSE regs, but I doubt it is within the spirit of them. Personally, I would have double dived with 2 groups of 4, but then if there were pressures on equipment, I doubt that would be possible.

It sounds to me as though the school were maximising income at the weekend! Is it possible that the school were offering their course for a lower price than any other?

As we all know, new divers look to cost as a primary criteria unless they have been recommended a specific school. Rushing a maximum number of students through may pull the money in, but tales like this doesn't do a lot for the UK diving industry.

[purple vonny]

Congratultions on passing your OW. Sorry to hear that it was a bit of a shambles though. It's a shame that you weren't even given time to get your kit ready during buddy checks (final OK should be given when divers are ready to dive, not when their weight belt is hanging loose and you are not ready!).

I'm glad it didn't put you off but please don't think all instructors would rush you and treat you like this!

[MAKING BUBBLES]

Originally Posted by purple vonny

Congratultions on passing your OW. Sorry to hear that it was a bit of a shambles though. It's a shame that you weren't even given time to get your kit ready during buddy checks (final OK should be given when divers are ready to dive, not when their weight belt is hanging loose and you are not ready!).

I'm glad it didn't put you off but please don't think all instructors would rush you and treat you like this!

yeah its not put me off...luckily i have bunch of lads from msd to asst instructor level to dive with now. Dont get me wrong the instructors were a good bunch of lads in there own rights they just didnt shine this weekend......weather they
were under the strain with the up and coming advanced later that day.....who knows.

[StephenT]

Who gives a shit about what class was coming later on, you are paying for the course and should get what you deserve from the course. That is, enough time to get ready, and help if need be.

points [2] and [3] are ones that shouldn't really be an issue, but most of the time tend to be one. First the instructors should give you enough time to become neutrally buoyant. This includes a proper weight check, and a good explanation of what neutrally buoyant feels like (why on earth you should have to pay an extra 100 quid to find this out i'll never know). Skills also benefit greatly from being neutrally buoyant, but i'm just clutching at straws here :>.

About the lads accent, i think i'm being reasonable when i say it's probably his fault, i'm obviously not sure but, from what i know of most OW classes, yours seems a prime example, he was probably over-weighted

"others may land on top of you if you are on the bottom before them"
And everyone passed the course? , surely some situation awareness should of been encouraged :>

[Mal Bridgeman]

It's probably not fair to tar the whole industry with the same brush but .....

It's quite an interest thread in contrast to this one which gives a view of the other end of training.

Rgrds
Mal

P.S. Well done on passing.....there's a whole bunch of YD types at Stoney this weekend so don't forget to say hi