A Newbie Experience and Fresh Perspective on Scuba Diving, Local Dive Shops, and Instruction!
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I am a fairly new diver. I have just enough “training” to get myself the confidence to get myself, and others into trouble. Luckily, I am also fairly self aware and have recognized the above mentioned shortcomings. I have found that SCUBA is a highly unregulated (I will get to this in a minute), rogue, and often shady industry (I will discuss this further also).
SCUBA was one of my BIG dreams from child hood. It was also the last to be checked off the list and, for me, the most enjoyable and relaxing. Having acquired several aviation licenses and recognitions including pilot and maintenance inspector licenses and been employed in the aviation industry, I found that the last one had to fall…SCUBA!!
I found my SCUBA school at a travel and leisure convention and accepted a training offer that I couldn’t refuse. $150! What could I lose? A lot as it turns out. It, of course, is not written that they expect you to buy all of your gear from them right away at exaggerated retail prices. The instructor I had was very good and caring and took great effort to take care of his students but was also a loose cannon. Bored with teaching, he soon found himself unemployed after a quick Mexico run for a girl while the boss was away on business. This left me without an instructor I knew or trusted to finish up my last boat dive (beach diving was not part of the curriculum for some reason…hum!!)
I ended up with some numb nut who was probably an extra in fast time at Ridgmont High and never grew up. Needless to say, my final boat dive was neither extraordinary, nore was it a learning experience. All this after spending alot of money on equipment that was functional but not standardized and didn’t it fit my needs (another issue with SCUBA today. Standardization of the equipment is crucial to aviation cockpits and should be so for scuba. Both are potentially life threatening endeavors).
As a newbie to the industry, it is my feeling that there needs to be standardization for the basic diving rig. This would serve two functions. 1) The new initiate to the sport will feel more comfortable with the purchase of gear and more confident that they are purchasing something that will last them throughout there training and serve them in the type of diving they plan to do most. 2) It will provide a safety feature for the buddy diving. Knowing where your equipment is one thing, but knowing where your buddies gear is located is crucial!! If you both have the same rig or same configuration, this will be a no brainer.
As for the shady side, there will always be crooks, grifters, and cons out there. This is becoming more and more evident in the financial markets every day. This culling may filter down to the scuba world as the money supply gets tighter and more scuba shops go out of business. Only the strongest, most innovative, and most client focused will survive. This is where building and becoming a scuba community will be the standard for the future of the sport (Friend first, meal ticket second might be the future). Being treated fairly, giving the information readily, training, and support systems to keep the new and initiated in the water are the best ways to keep learning, upgrading, and active in SCUBA.
I hope that the industry figures out these concepts before the diving community becomes nothing but the old timer crags that have faught over the scraps of the sea floor since its inception. I tip my hat to these brave men as they have pushed the bounds so I can be a safer diver and have fun toys to play with safely in the water, but their needs to be a revolution in diving. Lets start here.
~Michael
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Tags: Gear Purchasing, Hardsell, K2 Scuba, New Scuba Diver, Scuba Bait and Switch, Scuba Diving Instruction, trust of the new scuba diver
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December 15th, 2008 at 11:46 PM
Comment on A Newbie Experience and Fresh Perspective on Scuba Diving, Local Dive Shops, and Instruction! | Team K2 Scuba Weblog!…
I too found my SCUBA school at my college discover scuba event, and the pitch I got sounded like it was almost free! What could I lose? The same as you, I was told that I wasnt SERIOUS if I didnt buy all of my gear. Serious bait and swith!
December 16th, 2008 at 4:39 PM
Well Michael, I am sorry you had a bad experience but the scuba industry isnt as unregulated, and non standard as you think, or as big a rip off. Yes there are rogue ellements as there are with any industry, but there are respectable certification agencies and respectable schools to deliver that training. In many respects we would not have the regulation, standardisation, levels of participation, safety proceadures, equipment options at affordable prices, or indeed a scuba industry at all, if it wasnt for them.
I have been teaching diving for 16 years via a number of different agencies and schools, so ive been around a bit and seen a few things.
you dont buy a car or a computer from the first shop you go into without asking a few basic questions first about whats included in the purchase price. Trouble is you got a price that you couldnt refuse !!. If you had looked around spoke to a number of dive shops and done your research my guess you would have been better informed and been able to differentiate between what was a fair price for training and a life times worth of experiences, and what was a con.
Secondly, you mention standardisation of rig. There are diferences between some training agencies, but safety is the priority of all of them. The basic rig is standard to all . Its configuration may depend on the indervidual instructor and how he was taught, or perhaps techniques that he has developed. I dont find either to be wrong, so long as they are accomodated during the training. Lets face it, if we want to progress we have to develop techniques beyond our basic training.
You have taken a short sighted kneejerk view of the industry which doesnt fairly reflect the majority. However i do sympathise with your bad experience. The sort of behaviour you witnessed gives the industry a bad name.
Andy (Liverpool)
December 16th, 2008 at 6:59 PM
First of all, let me thank you for taking the time to respond to my posting. I truly appreciate all points of view on this subject matter.
My experience with dive shops and schools was not just this one instance, but rather many over several years as well as those experiences of my close friends who have also recently become “certified”. I didnt mention the school that I got my “advanced” cert from because it did not serve the point, but it was similair to my other experience for basic. I had a freelance instructor who barely taught anything. I went into this endeavor with the thinking that the testing process was going to be semi rigorous. When I got to it, I found that the process was a rubber stamp in both cases. How anyone could think I was a safe and competent diver from the few “skills” I had to perform is beyond me. I had a couple buddies on those dives that were barely water safe, let alone SCUBA safe and they walked away with the same card I got. This is part of the standardization that I refer to. I agree that there are many good shops and good instructors, but knowing what you have until it is too late is difficult to ascertain until it is too late.
You also state in your post that standard rigs would be based on training experience and technique. How is this standard? I would like to see a rig that has the same second stage primary and secondary regulator setup, same BC configuration for all basic diving situations. Advanced set ups could also be standardized. This is all in the name of safety and economy.
I dont believe I have taken most things in life with a kneejerk approach (well I guess there were a few girls in my 20′s that might classify), but I believe that my view point is based on long term, future good of the industry as a whole. Currently, the SCUBA world is shrinking and this is in large part due to the reckless care taken by those looking strictly at the profit motive. As I mentioned, I come from the aviation world and find that field has the same crooks. The only difference is they are few and far between adn they have regulations to prosecute those that choose not to follow the standards.
I have been around diving and water all my life. My SCUBA career is rather short but my experiences are not. I hope that I am able to continue on my path towards providing others with the joy, relaxation and comraderie I have come to know currently.
Please feel free to add your thoughts and thank you again for the response. It is nice to know there is someone out there. I hope to learn from you all.
Ciao,
~Michael
December 17th, 2008 at 5:17 PM
Hi Michael,
Ok, if youve had more than one bad experience i conceade to some degree. I too have known some lousy instructors, who either cant be bothered or are simply incompetent. I have failed numerous students in the past who have not made the grade. Actually i never say “fail” as in most situations, those that dont make the grade within the time constraints of the course will do so eventually if you give them time and have a bit of patience. If a student is not ready as an instructor you should look to yourself first. I learnt this early on when a German girl was having trouble with a skill, that was not only holding up her progress but that of the class as well. A couple of hours on a one to one resolved the problems brought her up to speed and gave her a masive confidence boost from the way her fellow students reacted . Having said that….I failed a girl that came to our Resort 3 times at entry level. Each time I sent her home disapointed at the end of a holiday and thats quite a hard thing to do…..That was 14 years ago….we’er now married with a 6 yr old son!!!
I take proffesionaism very seriously
I dont understand your points about rigs though. Isnt that the same as saying we should all drive the same car? Which ever way you look at it, there is a 1st Stage and a 2nd Stage, and Octo, a HP hose, and an LPI however you want to connfigure them, and It is your responsibility to identify your buddy’s config. Personally i dive for pleasure with Posiedon Cyklons because i like side valves, but when i teach i teach with Apex as the trad. looks and feel will be more akin to what a newer diver will have bought/hired. I dont want the same reg as everyone else, i want what suits me. What i might concede is that all school kit on a course should be the same. It makes life easier for the students…Although having said that there is an argument that it gets students into the habit of identifying different equipment configs early on and gets them into good more observant habits.
The other point is that with freedom comes choice and cost reduction. There is a big market out there capable of sustaining many companies. This stimulates competition which in turn reduces prices and provides better product. Ok so equipment isnt that cheap…..but then neither is your life. The freemarket has been arround for many years and it works.
I did not intend to offend or question your integrity with my post. If i have, i appologise. The more people out there who care with a passion about diving, the better. Thanks for the dialogue.
Andy
December 18th, 2008 at 8:32 AM
Thank you so much for having this conversation. It is so important for people to know that there are caring and responsible instructors out there still. I am not at all offended by your posts and responses. It is an open dialogue that I invite anyone to chime in on.
Now, There are people all over the world, and in every industry that are out to make a quick buck and take advantage of everyone who will allow it (just read the newspapers and see the federal, state, and local financial corruption and you will know what I am talking about). As this sport is dying a slow death from shady bate and switch operators, I think it is important to work towards change.
When I suggest standardization, I am not requiring the same equipment for everyone. This is silly. Not everyone likes the same thing. Be it looks, feel, function or usage. I am mearly suggesting that there be a standardized ARRAINGMENT of gear. Everything has a place and everything in its place.
I also feel that all training should be standardized under one agency and maybe SLIGHTLY regulated. I dont believe in big government, but you do sometimes need a carrot AND stick! The industry is too fractured and could use the power and strength that unity can bring. Now more than ever.
Why cant we all be friends, treat each other as such, and attract more people to the industry to enjoy the open waters of the world? I have found diving to be one of the most relaxing endeavors I have ever come accross. I want everyone to have the chance to feel this sensation.
Again, Thank you for your comments and please send your friends to add their .02 cents worth also. I would love to hear other opinions on the subject.
your friend,
~Michael
December 20th, 2008 at 6:15 PM
Ok Micheal, I think we might have to desagree on the standardization question. I probebly didnt explain myself very well, but to get standardisation in kit config for training etc you will need to standardize cert agencies. As an instructor for three and a former instructor for another, i can tell you they are miles apart in outlook, and realistically it would never happen. Some agencies are prehistoric but if it was good enough for the army in WW2 then it shoud be good enough now???
Take for example weightbelts. Despite the intro of integrated weight systems many people in the UK still prefer to dive with a belt (inc me) so i teach that. If the school had BC’s that were integrated i would of course teach that also. Some of my associates wouldnt be seen dead with something as uncool as a W/B. But neither method is wrong, and to not allow one or the other would actualy hold back development. Look at AAS config and use, under /over right shoulder / left shoulder , and ive seen some pretty unsafe practices too. Should the 2nd stage of an AAS be configed so the hose feeds in from the right (causing the reg to twist uncomfortably for the reciever) or from the left (making it unavailable to the donor should his own 2nd stage diaphragm/mouthpiece be worn, causing aspiration of salt water). What is the proper method of AAS use anyway. Right arm roman handshake…garbage. Use that technique in a cold water drift (its cold in the UK ..honest) wearing dry suits with removable cuffs and thick gloves and you are going to have problems. All diving schools / agencies have prefered methods but i wouldnt like to be the one who imposes my way of diving and training on someone else with other ideas. If i were to do that i would be like the instuctor/diver described below. There is also the age old argument of whether buddy breathing should still be taught. Personnaly i like to teach it as an addition because it gives other options and forces the student to have some control, but its not for everyone. There are numerous other examples i think, but i wont bore anymore!
You have hit the nail on the head when talk about us all being adult about this. Cert agencies thrive on the competition. They all think the they each know best, when all that many of us want is to go diving and leave the politics at home, because the buzz of diving itself is what i signed up for. How many clubs do you see that are one agency clubs. If your not the right one, the pressure to convert is huge. I have listened to many a diver and instructor expound the vertues of his agency whilst pulling the competition to bits…..Total garbage. Personally i dont care who my buddies cert agency is, so long as they are safe, have a safe set up, and the right atitude. I get bored with the argument over which agency is best. Like, you all i want is for more people to try it, get wet, and pass the word on. Its good for the industry and its good for the environment, which lets face it, needs all the help it can get right now.
Regards
Andy (Liverpool)