Instructors - Do You use a Wing for Training OW Students?

[MarkN]

We not only teach using a wing but our students are put in a backplate and wing. We give them normal regs with normal length hoses but get them to breath from the longer hose.
This works really well and I think makes things easier for the student when removing and replacing their scuba unit underwater. Their buoyancy and hovering is also a lot better than using a normal BCD.

[londonsean69]

In the pool when demo-ing I use a (battered and beaten to death) BCD, but in OW I use my wing, with STA. They see the skills on the video one way, and I don't want to show them another too early on, as they may (read: probably will) get confused.

However, when they see me at the OW site, especially wrapping the long hose (hog style) they ask why, I then explain why I do it and it sparks some interest.

However, I will soon be teaching in the canaries, and we will be doing our confined in a bay, then going straight out for the OW, so I might have to rethink it, oh yeah, and practice loads getting in and out of said wing

[Gareth J]

I use my old Buddy & Dacors in the pool (mainly because they are stored in the kit room). Its also similar to what they are using & reduces confusion.

Open water I always use the backplate, The wing changes dependent on the cylinder configuration. If on Twins, the big wing, if on a single, or single & pony the baby wing.

I always dive the harness - I know where everything is I don't have to think about it, so if I'm teaching or at 80m on mix there's no kit configuration variations. (other then cylinders & gas). I even use a T adapter on the single cylinder with two first stages connected.

I took the wing to Gozo for the AI - I got some funny comments from other candidates at the start of the week, but later most wished they'd brought theirs!

As long as you explain the kit, its function etc I see no problem. Once you move to open water students see loads of kit variations - its part of the learning process.
The last thing I want them to experience, is arriving for a coastal dive (we are an inland club), & seeing all the dive kit change at this point - they're already apprehensive enough on their first sea dive anyway! By this time we hope they are already used to the fact that kit configurations change & there are many ways to skin a cat (ducks the DIR flaming arrows) .

[Scuba1]

Originally Posted by Gareth J

I use my old Buddy & Dacors in the pool (mainly because they are stored in the kit room). Its also similar to what they are using & reduces confusion.

Open water I always use the backplate, The wing changes dependent on the cylinder configuration. If on Twins, the big wing, if on a single, or single & pony the baby wing.

I always dive the harness - I know where everything is I don't have to think about it, so if I'm teaching or at 80m on mix there's no kit configuration variations. (other then cylinders & gas). I even use a T adapter on the single cylinder with two first stages connected.

I took the wing to Gozo for the AI - I got some funny comments from other candidates at the start of the week, but later most wished they'd brought theirs!

As long as you explain the kit, its function etc I see no problem. Once you move to open water students see loads of kit variations - its part of the learning process.
The last thing I want them to experience, is arriving for a coastal dive (we are an inland club), & seeing all the dive kit change at this point - they're already apprehensive enough on their first sea dive anyway! By this time we hope they are already used to the fact that kit configurations change & there are many ways to skin a cat (ducks the DIR flaming arrows) .

That is exactly the way I do things as well.

Michael

[TerryH]

Wing is ok as the inflator position is the same and all routing the same.
If it's a wraparound like the Zeagle Tech or a intergal wing it almost looks
like a BC anyway. Same goes for a CD, Dive Rite & backplate etc. all pretty
much looks and operates the same as students.

And that is about the only thing that should be different. Regs should be as
the students. If they are school/club regs then NO DIR, all the same even
down to the side of the octo. If you use a pony then invert and hide the
third reg. Student isnt confused he cant see it and if he looks on the top
no extra hoses it's just a yellow dome.

Twins? Forget it! Too many hoses that are NOT like the student rig.

Of course all this only applies to basic courses. Once that's out of the way
you can switch to twins and start introducing variants. At least this way
your students can cope with change knowing the basics.

All this s**t about divers needing to know all the different ways is a load of
%***/. Let's learn them A way first and once mastered, then move on
to other stuff.

TerryH

[Darren27]

I use an OMS IQ pac for all of my diving, except pool work (old BC for that). From the front the IQ looks like a regular BC just without pockets, clips pull dump and inflator are all in the "normal" place. I dont think using a wing would confuse a trainee, but a one piece harness might. I felt the IQ was a compromise I could live with. Anything beyond basic open water training I use my regular set up (twin 10's long hose) but for new Ocean divers I do use a single tank and a conventional reg set up, I dont always get to follow the same trainee all through training and all the other instructors all use conventional BC setups.

[Scuby]

Originally Posted by TerryH

Twins? Forget it! Too many hoses that are NOT like the student rig.

Depends on your twins setup surely? If they're manifolded then from the front you can have it looking EXACTLY like a standard single tank setup - one gauge, one main reg and one octo, and drysuit and BC hoses.
Obviously there's not much point teaching in twin-15's when your students have single 10's or something like that, but theres no reason you can't necessarily since the operation from the front can be identical.

David

[Steve S]

Ocean diver my old pro 2000 wing bc Sport diver I play it by ear DL & above twinset & wing.

Safe diving,
Steve

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Scuby

Depends on your twins setup surely? If they're manifolded then from the front you can have it looking EXACTLY like a standard single tank setup - one gauge, one main reg and one octo, and drysuit and BC hoses.
Obviously there's not much point teaching in twin-15's when your students have single 10's or something like that, but theres no reason you can't necessarily since the operation from the front can be identical.
David

Nope not even close.

These are new students who are mostly aprehensive and are struggling to
remember what's been taught previously. They may/may not have grasped
which way round the reg goes, but over 50% will glance over to your rig to
make sure.

You can either be helpful and present them with a point of reference and
have the same kit, or you can be an unhelpful Instructor who insists on showing different kit from day one!

Of course logic say that the student will ask for help, but in
reality many will look at there neighbours kit, who in turn have looked at the
Instructors.

Nothing wrong with twins etc. once the basics are done, but until then,
very much stick with a bog standard rig, like the students.

TerryH