Instructor to student ratio - what's ideal?

[Adrian Kelland]

I would also consider the conditions you are teaching in.

Pool 1:4 should be OK, limited vis consider less. Can you see and control them all?

I don't like 1:1 as you have no one to demonstrate on except the student, who will not see the same view when demonstrated on someone else.

[markbsac]

1:1 as a bsac instructor im not motiovated by monetary gain....so if i can teach 1:1 i will this way more time and attention to detail can be given to one student....however as the student progresses i have made sure they buddy up with another trainee and i asses there buddy diving skills.....i have seen one instructor with 6 trainees 2 trainees got into difficulties at the same time..the instructor was the only one who could sort these problems ...which one did he go to first as they were both in the same panicking state !!!!!!!!

luckily it got sorted !!!!!

[Lynne]

I did my open water course with only one other person and the instructor - it gave us a lot of personal attention and we learnt from one another's mistakes and had a lot of fun. I did my three adventure dives with just myself and the instructor, although there were other divers present on all dives doing their own thing - while this gave me a lot of personal attention and was fun as i got on really well with the instructors, I believe you lose the fun of learning with others. When I took my final two dives for my advanced open water, there were four of us doing the navigation dive, which was fine and a lot of fun but for the deep dive there were 8 of us, which meant that the skills at 30m took a fair amount of time. I believe that the optimal number has to be around 3 or 4 students to one instructor, even though the particular instructor we had for the deep dive coped perfectly well I can see it could have become a problem had any of the divers been ermm below the expected standard

[Dave1w]

I like 2:1, because on most training dives, I also include actual diving rather than just finding a place, doing the skills and coming back. You can practise buddy skills, you have enough people for effective lesson, and it is easier to get them to watch each other (again buddy practice) rather than have them worry about 2 buddies, or which buddy is theirs. My first OW lesson I like to do 1 on 1, then I can give them full attention and really take time over it. But 2 is better for teaching and practising skills.
I think sometimes the bigger the group, the more chance everyone getting set back when 1 or 2 have problems with a skill.
Then again, I have the luxuary of chosing who and when I teach now. But still it is usually in coldish, murkyish water.

Dave

[wreckferret]

In the pool I prefer 1:4 .

In good viz ( 15m+ ) solid seabed 1:4

Poor viz 1:2.

I don`t like students lifting me when doing the CBL incase they ascend too quickly + hurt my ears.

[Mr T.]

Ideally one-to-one,

Failing that, 1:4 is workable. Any moer than that an it can get messy and run the risk of the instructor not being able to keep eyes-on what's going on.

[Steve S]

1:2 ideal personally I wouldn't go more than 1:3 and even with that I would probably ask a DL to shadow

Safe diving,
Steve.

[Janos]

Well it depends on what's being taught, but in Open Water another vote for 1:2. Students can clearly see the demonstration, when we're doing drills, and AAS / CBL / Tow & AV is very hard 1:1.

When we're not doing drill I can hang back and watch them bimble along as a pair, doing they're own thing without as much interference from me. If I dive 1:1 with a trainee they tend to let me do everything and don't think for themselves as much.

Laters,
Janos

[Woz]

Well 1:4 as a max in the pool as any more than this and they start wandering off the edges of your vision.
1:2 works well as does 1:3. With both numbers you demo twice on different trainees and in 1:3 they all get to repeat it twice with different buddys. 1:4 is fine unless you get one of them with a problem then it's a real PITA.

[nigelH]

You don't want 1:1 as every student deserves a break to just stop and breath without feeling that all eyes are upon them. More than 3:1 is probably more sitting around time than you want so they stay on the job so I would go for 2:1 or 3:1 from a student point of view.

I've only ever done instructing (observing) on motorbikes at IAM level and that is 1:1 but you're not doing novices.

nigelH