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“ADVANCED” Open Water Dive Training??!! (An Article by David G. Vetter, Scuba Instructor) Is a diver an “ADVANCED” diver because they carry a card which says that they are, or is a diver an “ADVANCED” diver because they have skills and experience beyond that of the average diver? I have wrestled with this question through the years which I have been involved with diving and dive training and have seen quite a few close calls and near accidents which have resulted from the incorrect interpretation of this very same question. Consider this: A brand new student diver goes through his or her Open Water Diver Training course through their local dive shop, or while on vacation at a dive destination anywhere in the world. At the conclusion of the training, this diver now is issued a card and usually will have a total of 4 or 5 open water dives, all under the direct supervision and watchful eye of the Instructor. Next this newly certified diver, who really has found their new passion and love of the under water world, decides to enroll in an “ADVANCED OPEN WATER” training course. Without exception, these courses are open to ANYONE holding an “OPEN WATER” certification card and not having any medical conditions which may prevent them from participating in underwater activities. Most training agency standards and SCUBA Instructor preferences, traditionally and minimally require that this training is done over the course of a weekend and involve a total of 5 separate dives. These dives usually entail the three “core” specialties of “DEEP”, “NIGHT” and “NAVIGATION”, and then pretty much leave the remaining two dive choices up to the discretion of the Instructor, the students, and the area waters being dived. At the successful culmination of the weekend of training, the student diver now has a sum total of nine dives entered in their log books, each of which having been done under the close scrutiny and supervision of at least one dive professional at all times, and normally NEVER to a depth of more than 60-70 feet (approximately 2-2.25 meters), and at least to most mid-westerners, NEVER in anything but fresh water!. However, having met the base requirements set forth by the majority of training agencies, this diver is now issued a brand new “ADVANCED OPEN WATER” certification card. Here is where the fun begins! This newly certified “ADVANCED” level diver, proudly presents their shiny new card to the charter boat skipper or person in charge of “checking-in” the divers for a day of boat diving in the ocean. Maybe it’s because the card says “ADVANCED” or maybe because of the confident aura which the diver exudes as he presents the card, but seldom is a diver questioned as to their experience level, EVEN IF THE CERTIFICSTION DATE IS ONLY 3-WEEK PRIOR! The charter boat proceeds to a deeper reef, wall or wreck, conducts a quick briefing to all divers on board as to the “lay of the land”, the rules of the boat, and the conditions likely to be encountered during the dive, and with a click of the latch on the gate, the “POOL IS OPEN”. On this, the dive which can and usually does entail many “firsts”, (First Unsupervised dive, First salt water dive, First boat dive, First time getting sea sick, First Giant Stride off of anything higher that a curb, First time using real “Rental Gear”, First time encountering native underwater sea life, First time going to 100 ft (3 meters) of depth, etc., etc., etc.) the diver could be expected to be a little unnerved; perhaps a little scatter brained, perhaps even a little scared! In light of all this stress and pressure, this “ADVANCED” level diver suddenly feels like a very little fish in a great big sea (please excuse the pun.) As all of the “crusty ol’ salts”, who have done this a hundred times before, get geared up and make their entries into the deep blue abyss, it is easy for a twinge of panic to set in. The new diver doesn’t feel so “ADVANCED” anymore, but he can’t allow this to show. This is the point where stupid mistakes can and do happen; mistakes which can embarrass or even scare the crap out of a new diver and turn their new found passion into a perceived (or actual) near death experience which will be avoided at all costs in the years to come! I can’t even recall the number of times that I have witnessed new divers making rookie mistakes like “bungee diving” (forgetting to release the bungee strap used to secure the cylinders in place during the choppy ride out and back) and attempting to stand up after donning the BCD, only to be mercilessly pulled back onto the bench they were attempting to depart; lining up at the point of entry into the water and having the DM ask, “Oh, and you won’t be using fins on this dive?” Forgetting the weight belt is probably the MOST embarrassing because of the fact that in many cases, the diver will simply HAVE to notify the boat crew of their mistake in front of EVEYONE and swim back for it, against the current, against the swells, while their dive buddy struggles and delays his descent.. Sure, we all know that it is one of the responsibilities of the Captain and crew to make sure that each and every diver is properly weighted, always enters the water with the tank valve turned on, with all necessary gear either in place or in hand, as well as to look for signs of undue stress among the divers, but the simple truth is that things are missed. DM’s are only human! So, let’s assume that our newly “ADVANCED” level trained diver, let’s just call him “Mr. A.”, successfully makes the “plunge”, clears his ears and completes that first ocean descent and arrives at the planned depth of let’s say 100’ (3 meters), a full atmosphere of pressure greater than he has EVER been before; and his Instructor is not there to remind him to monitor his SPG. (This is where I have seen more close calls that I care to remember.) Maybe it’s because of the depth alone and Mr. Boyles Law that he is consuming his precious air so quickly; maybe it’s because of the raw nerves and anxiety which is causing him to breath so much faster than normal. Maybe it’s because of the moderate current which was never present in either of the quarries back home, which were the sum total of his diving experiences up to this point, that is the culprit. At any rate, what is probably going through Mr. “A” ’s mind is something like, “OK, during my “DEEP” dive at my Advanced O/W class, when I had reached my personal deepest point of 66’ (2 meters), I had a total dive time of 30 minutes and still exited the water with 1800 psi in my tank.. The guy on the boat said to ‘be back on board with 500 psi remaining’. What the Hell, sure I’m going a little deeper but I KNOW I don’t have to worry about a thing for at least 10 minutes.” So away he goes, taking in all the new sights, the new sounds, the new sensations, recalling the flushed cheeks of the chubby guy who was gearing up two seats down from him, and the embarrassment that he surely felt at the chuckles heard when he got “bungeed” back into his seat, shortly AFTER loosing his breakfast over the rail, which appeared to be scrambled eggs and sausage, with AT LEAST 1 large glass of O.J. ,and thanking his lucky stars that he had been warned about such pitfalls by his Instructor before leaving on this trip. So, after 10 minutes or so in this foreign environment, Mr.”A” looks down at his SPG and is horrified to see that it is only ¼” or so from being pegged out at zero! Where could have all that air have gone? Didn’t I check that as I was gearing up? Was it full when I started? Am I loosing air somewhere? I should have invested in that redundant breathing system that I was told about. This HAS to be a mistake!..... At this point, the all too familiar story can have any one of several outcomes: Just how “cool” of a thinker was Mr. Advanced diver? How close was his dive buddy? Was his dive buddy properly equipped? Did he happen to make note of his dive buddy’ gear configuration during the Pre-Dive Safety Drill (Standard Octo vs. Alternate Inflator Regulator)? If a standard “safe 2nd” is he a “righty” or a “lefty”. Does he like to donate the primary or the Octo? If I have to breath off of his Alternate Air Source, will the damn thing work? The question which begs to be asked of both those who have something to do with providing training to new divers, as well as to the new divers themselves is simply this: Is it prudent and responsible to continue with this “traditional” method of “Advanced” level training? More and more dive professionals believe that the answer is NO. As an alternative, in order to be issued a card which contains the word “Advanced”, shouldn’t the diver have to earn it by conducting a bare minimum of say, 20 dives, and in a variety of conditions similar to the conditions which will be encountered. This training should, and MUST, include minimal training in areas such as knowing ones rate of gas consumption (SAC Rate) and having the diver be able, within a reasonable degree of accuracy, to predict the consumption of a given supply of gas at any depth, IN ADVANCE! This training ideally should always include experience in salt water and from boats, where statistically most diving is done, rather that rely on the hapless boat crews to separate the “wheat from the chafe” and to fill in the gaps in training of their clientele. (Down through the years I have always enjoyed chatting with boat crew members during their lag time between dives and on the trips to and from the dock. With little or no provocation most are quick to offer their worst “horror stories” while dealing with the diving public. What never ceases to amaze me is that there is no shortage of these stories! Virtually EACH AND EVERY crewmember who has crewed a dozen or more charters will have tales to tell.) While I would be the first to admit that it is impossible to prevent accidents and as Forest Gump found, “Poop Happens”, I also have been around long enough to see that “thinning of the heard” and “super-chlorinating the gene pool” mentalities can only be bad for individual divers and the dive industry and as a whole. Perhaps it is time that more dive shops and training agencies change the status quo, and adopt policies of “only experience can make a truly advanced level diver”. I for one feel that this is the direction in which the industry must go in order to stay healthy in the years to come. Hopefully, our newly certified “Advanced” diver will make it safely to the surface with only a powerful lesson learned from the experience. Hopefully he was not so terrified by his ordeal that he not only continues to dive and broaden his experience, but to buy dive gear, to make dive travel an important part of his lifestyle in the years ahead, and to recruit friends and family into the sport by his enthusiasm. Hopefully, many, many others will do the same and the synergistic effect of a healthy and thriving dive industry will both provide ever improving methods of training as well as support to promote and maintain a healthy marine environment for the generations to follow.
David Vetter PADI MSDT-93036 ANDI OWI, SAI, FAI, CPRI, OXI-957 ANDI Gas Blender, Service Tech. #1002 IANTD Full Cave,Draeger,Dolphin Rebreather (#40852) NACD-Cave Diver (#3122) NAUI Tri-Mix (#11023) |
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