By Alex Brylske
Recently I saw an ad from a dive center proudly announcing, “Learn to Dive in only three days!” It’s not that big of a deal, given that many dive centers have for years been offering programs to train divers in as little as four days (normally over two weekends). But it got me thinking about how much diving has changed over the years, and whether it’s all been for the good.
To provide some perspective, when I learned to dive — at least when I got around to getting formally certified — training involved three months. Indeed, for 12 solid weeks I had to spend three hours on Sunday mornings in the pool and three hours Wednesday evenings in a classroom. That’s 72 hours, and that’s before I went anywhere near open water.
While the classroom was a challenge, it paled in comparison with the pool training. First, anyone in the class who could not swim a quarter mile without stopping, and swim the length of the pool underwater on one breath, was told to leave. Then it took three weeks of intensive “skin diving” training before we even saw our first scuba tank. Not that tanks were any relief from the sadistic training ritual. For example, our scuba exercises included ample no-mask drills, and an exercise called “station breathing.” In the latter, one fewer tanks than there were students were first arrayed on the pool bottom. Then, wearing only mask and fins, we had to swim from tank to tank giving up the air supply once it was approached by another diver. The culminating pool training exercise was a session beloved by my instructor and his staff called, threateningly enough, “harassment.”
Fast-forward 40 years. Today, students are lucky to receive more than a dozen hours of contact time with their instructor. And, in my view, anything that smacks of challenge has been all but eliminated from the curriculum on the assumption that we don’t want to stress student divers unduly with unnecessary or unrealistic knowledge and skills.
The rationale, of course, has been to make diving more fun and accessible to more people. Perhaps it would be simpler just to issue folks a C-card with their birth certificate and be done with it.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those dinosaurs who think diver training has gone to hell in a handbasket. First and foremost, the data on diving accidents just doesn’t support this conclusion. As measured by fatalities, diving is demonstrably safer today than when I started.
So what’s the problem?
The problem is that it appears that we haven’t achieved our goal of getting more people into the sport, at least nowhere near the number we had hoped (especially young people). Yet, given that this campaign to make learning to dive easier has been going on for 30 years without success, you’d think we’d start looking elsewhere for a solution.
Now, as a disclaimer, I have to admit that as someone once responsible for the educational programming of the world’s largest diver training program,
I played no small part in the move to simplify diver training. (The pejorative term used at the time was the so-called “short course.”) But what I also have to admit is that it appears that I was wrong in assuming easier training would equal more divers. The logic was there but the experience seems to have proven otherwise. And I think that I know why.
Looking back over the three decades since the “short course”
controversy began, I believe that we missed one important point: In learning to dive there is value in significant face time with an instructor. Sure, we can make a person comfortable enough to fulfill the certification requirements in only a brief exposure, and maybe even motivate a percentage of them to continue diving after their training. But I don’t think we instill any strong passion for diving in the vast number of trainees simply because we no longer spend enough time with them to gain the requisite comfort, and establish the necessary social relationships with other divers and in the diving community. As a result, while we might certify more divers today than in the past, that hasn’t seemed to translate into more active divers.
I’m not yearning for a return to the old days of station breathing and harassment training, but I do think we should consider swinging the pendulum in the other direction for a while. We certainly have nothing to lose by trying. Three days to get certified? Maybe. Three days to become a committed diver? I have my doubts.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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I enjoyed learning to dive. It took me away from my other world of work and responsibility and my instructor was cool. I love learning new things anyway so maybe I'm different from most people who would rather blow through it.
ReplyDeleteI learned in a resort setting and it seemed too fast and I think it will be a few more dives before i feel comfortable. I would liked to have spent more time practicing skills. I can't remember my instructor's name.
ReplyDeleteI travel a lot and was offered a multi-week schedule of training but opted for I guess what you would call a short course. It worked for me but I wish Id had the time to devote to more. I would also like to develop more skill. And the dive store in Michigan was a nice environment with nice people but as the editorial says I don't feel I connected. Fast or slow -- I see the trade.
ReplyDeleteA few years bacvk we were in a hurry to get certified because of an upcoming vacation, and the store was so good at accommodating our shedule, and I was fine and still am as a diver, but I think my wife needed more time to become comfortable and I think it ultimately ruined her. When it was time to vacation for a week this winter our choice was the Caribbean or Vail. She chose skiing.
ReplyDeleteI took a short course (actually it was doing the DVD at home and maybe three other days with the instructor)and I'm fine with everything. I hang out at the store and made some really good friends there and don't see any bad issue. That said I have always been confortable in the water, as a pilot I am used to different environments, and maybe someone less apt would need more hand-holding and time. It worked for me.
ReplyDeleteI see Alex's point of it's hard to connect to other people who are getting into diving (your classmates) and if you want to call it sharing the experience or the enthusiasm -- when you are just trying to get it out of the way. I never got a connection and my training was over two weekends, so was that a long training time?
ReplyDeleteAlex is a dinosour. Training across the board everywhere is computerized and going farther away from insturctors, who should go find other work if they don't want to just be running people thru pool skills. Why do we need to connect with anyone when diving itself is so great? Forget the social, diving is a one-with-nature thing.
ReplyDeleteBigIntoDiving, you're an idiot.
ReplyDeleteI am an independent insturctor and teach for a store that does little with classrooms. It's not all home study but I call myself the pool boy. No, I don't have the relationships that I used to. In that regard I agree.
ReplyDeleteI think it's time for the diving industry (manufacturers, training agencies, dive stores and resorts) to admit and adjust to the fact that not everyone is cut out for diving. As you pointed out, for over 30 years we (I'm a former instructor and dive store owner so I include myself here) have been trying to turn diving into the next big sport like tennis, skiing or golf.
ReplyDeleteThere are commercial interests at work here so we've all been reluctant to admit that scuba diving is much more akin to other limited-participation adventure sports like skydiving, sailboarding, rock climbing and surfing. Sports that attract the adventure-minded and those who are willing to put up with all the gear and the inconveniences like sea sickness, draining sinuses, small and overfull day boats and full bladders with no facilities other than the ocean at the bottom of the boarding ladder. As a contrast, try to picture a female skier dropping her pants and squatting between her skis to pee in a snowbank - yeah, right!
Let's face it, diving will never be as popular as tennis so why don't we concentrate our attention on our real target customer, the adventure enthusiast. We should be developing training and equipment that will make her or him not only certified but comfortable, capable and confident and stop wasting the time and money of those who we all know will drop out of diving before their c-card is even printed, regardless of how fast and easy the training is.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I was certified in the traditional classroom setting back in 1985. Back then, there was no internet for online training let alone computers or DVD players. Matter of fact, the VCR was not common place in most households until the mid 80's. The training agencies eventually began producing video tapes for personal use, but that was after my initial certification.
My NASDS instructor was a stickler for perfection. To borrow from Seinfeld, she was a "Scuba Nazi." Get it right or get out. Memorable? Yes. Enjoyable? No.
I believe there is a benefit to the camaraderie felt in a classroom setting and certain amount of comfort that comes from knowing you're all in this thing "Scuba" together. I believe that still exists in today's "dive in 3 days" world, but there is less time for everyone to get to know each other.
Was that method better than today's? Everything always seems better "back in the day" as you get older. I believe that current training methods, modern equipment, and the vast amount of online resources have demystified scuba and that's a good thing. Back in 85' my only source of information was my LDS, magazines, and the library's outdated books.
Although the new method of training may not seem to be bringing as many new people to diving as you may have hoped, you should also consider that it may be responsible for maintaining the current numbers and preventing a decline as "boomers" gracefully age out.
I strongly believe that cost is the greatest limiting factor for new blood in diving. Dive Training consistently warns about buying from online retailers and champions supporting your LDS. That's all well and good, but local Dive shops need to realize that people are not stupid and that people will eventually seek out the best price for gear, especially in today's economy. The best way for LDs to keep customers is to sell gear and services at a fair price.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I was certified in the traditional classroom setting back in 1985. Back then, there was no internet for online training let alone computers or DVD players. Matter of fact, the VCR was not common place in most households until the mid 80's. The training agencies eventually began producing video tapes for personal use, but that was after my initial certification.
My NASDS instructor was a stickler for perfection. To borrow from Seinfeld, she was a "Scuba Nazi." Get it right or get out. Memorable? Yes. Enjoyable? No.
I believe there is a benefit to the camaraderie felt in a classroom setting and certain amount of comfort that comes from knowing you're all in this thing "Scuba" together. I believe that still exists in today's "dive in 3 days" world, but there is less time for everyone to get to know each other.
Was that method better than today's? Everything always seems better "back in the day" as you get older. I believe that current training methods, modern equipment, and the vast amount of online resources have demystified scuba and that's a good thing. Back in 85' my only source of information was my LDS, magazines, and the library's outdated books.
Although the new method of training may not seem to be bringing as many new people to diving as you may have hoped, you should also consider that it may be responsible for maintaining the current numbers and preventing a decline as "boomers" gracefully age out.
I strongly believe that cost is the greatest limiting factor for new blood in diving. Dive Training consistently warns about buying from online retailers and champions supporting your LDS. That's all well and good, but local Dive shops need to realize that people are not stupid and that people will eventually seek out the best price for gear, especially in today's economy. The best way for LDs to keep customers is to sell gear and services at a fair price.
After teaching scuba diving lessons for thirty years, I am convinced that "short courses" and week-end advanced certification programs have resulted in more certifications, but an incredibly high percentage of drop-outs and poorly trained people in recreational diving. Most of my former students that continued to dive after two or three years post certification took the time to make scuba diving an integral part of their leisure time activities, and spent a considerable amount of time and money in traveling to exotic diving destinations and purchasing good quality equipment. In my opinion, this is as it should be..... can you imagine what would happen to the world's reefs if two or three thousand divers visited each of them on a weekly basis? The recreational diving industry should stop trying to "teach the world to dive" and invest more time on those who truly appreciate and love the sport. Diving is NOT for everyone, but it is a wonderful lifetime activity for those who get "hooked" on it.
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me state that Dive Training is the best of the commercial dive publications on the market. However, I must take exception to some of your recent editorial. let me preface my statement by stating that I have been an active, certified divers for forty-seven years, twenty-three of that as a public safety diver. As you correctly pointed out, dive training in the sixties was much more rigorous. I was taught by a former Air Force P.J. and, in addition to what you had to do, my class had to do push ups with a cylinder on my back before we got into the water for any instruction. However, if I read your editorial correctly, you contend that the reason that there are fewer diving fatalities today than there were in the sixties and early seventies is due to training techniques. That assertion is patently incorrect. The lower rate of accidents and deaths attributable to diving in is a direct result of advances made in the technology of Scuba diving equipment. If the divers that are turned out today had to use the same gear that I trained on (double hose regulator, no SPG's and no BC's) there would be so many deaths that there would be an outcry to ban the sport. On a one on one comparison, there is absolutely no doubt that the divers turned out by the ex-military instructors of the early years, were far superior to ninety percent of those turned out today. The fact is that when I learned to dive, you were not guaranteed to pass and get certified, and, in fact, three of my class of ten were dismissed from our class due to "an innate lack of watermanship skills." Whereas today, the dollar rules the market and very few, if any, students are denied their C-Cards. No, Mr. Brylske, if the Scuba industry truly wants to turn out divers who will not only be safe, but will also continue diving then it must go back to a regimented training system, that does stress the students beyond just flooding their masks, and gives the student a sense of confidence that is true, not illusory.
ReplyDeleteI've been diving for 49 years, Navy trained by Navy Chiefs just like the one played by Robert DeNiro in "Men of Honor". I've done military, commercial, police, tech, and recreational diving.
ReplyDeleteI've been a PADI Divemaster for 30 years, and often volunteered as a Divemaster, and Assistant Instructor. I never became a PADI Instructor, and no longer volunteer, because I have always felt that PADI minimum standards were too shallow and too brief.
I don't mean to suggest that rec dive training needs to be as challenging or as comprehensive as Navy Dive Training.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to assist PADI Instructors, who were also Navy Divers. The course they taught far exceeded PADI minimum standards. And, the students all had a good time, all graduated, and all became far more proficient, competent, and most importantly, more comfortable divers than average rec divers.
Unfortunately, I doubt that any dive shop operation would invest that amount of time and effort in their students. And, I doubt that many recrational dive instructors have the knowledge and experience to provide that level of training.
It is interesting to read this article after just being certified in November 2009 because I am faced with the challenge of being a new diver without a buddy. I am definitely hooked on the sport and committed to becoming a good diver, however, I do not have the confidence needed to dive with a random buddy. I attribute this (in part) to the short course that happened in 2 days for the class room work and pool work. I traveled to the west coast to do my open water dives which was an additional 2 days. I am frustrated that I chose the weekend course because I absolutely believe that I need additional time with an instructor before I am self sufficient and a reliable buddy for someone who needs assistance. I think a longer course where the material was covered more thoroughly and additional practice in the pool in shorter intervals would have been very beneficial. I would not recommend the short course to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI was certified in 1999 and am really hooked on diving and go as often as possible. Over the last few years, I have developed concerns about how short the 'short courses' really have become. Most of the swimming requirements have been eliminated; alot of the work can be done online, limiting face-time with instructors; and the age for certification has been lowered too far. In my opinion, most teens under 16 do not possess the maturity to be calm and make the right decision in an emergency situation.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in a previous post, diving isn't for everyone... most of us are serious about safety, physical conditioning and continuing dive education.
A few weeks back I sat out the second dive because my sinuses were acting up and it gave me a chance to talk to the captain. He told me things about the diving business that I never knew. We got into the discussion about the skills of divers who buy his charters. His basic comment was that the newly certified divers don't seem to have the proper level of proficiency, not like they used to. He blamed the training and said that there used to be much more to it. I got certified 15 years ago and the way he explained how it is today I don't know if I would have been any better or worse. I have a friend (a girl) getting ready to take an online course and I'll pay attention to how she winds up and what she thinks.
ReplyDeleteThere is no questioning the fact that, under normal circumstances, there would be significant benefits derived from more face time with the instructor, especially underwater. And as far as passion goes I think that for the majority once they have completed their first open water dive that just about seals the deal, they are hooked. What keeps many people from continuing on after certification is the cost. Not that it is any more expensive than golfing and or skiing it's just that only a percentage of those completing the course have the funds to continue on, passion or not.
ReplyDeleteThere is no questioning the fact that, under normal circumstances, there would be significant benefits derived from more face time with the instructor, especially underwater. And as far as passion goes I think that for the majority once they have completed their first open water dive that just about seals the deal, they are hooked. What keeps many people from continuing on after certification is the cost. Not that it is any more expensive than golfing and or skiing it's just that only a percentage of those completing the course have the funds to continue on, passion or not.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to add my 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteI'm a new diver as per this last weekend. My take on the training period was that it is indeed too short.
My open water weekend was a huge challenge even though I felt fully confident with the drills / skills my intructors taught me.
I believe that there should perhaps have been at least another months worth of skill building / relationship building prior to that open water certification.
My instructors were wonderful, they did their jobs well in the period of time the were given. My scuba store is also wonderful, they gave me the straight scoop on what diving is like.
However I would have liked to have been more comfortable with the scope of those 4 dives over two days. Open water is a completely different experience than a pool and even though I know the basics that didn't fully prepare me.
I'm looking forward to learning "slowly" how to be a good and safe diver.
Having been certified in 1977 during a six week, 12 session course which required six checkout dives, I have long felt much the same as Mr. Brylske regarding the correlation between training time and the quality of new divers.
ReplyDeleteAs an instructor, I've come to believe it's less about quantity and more about quality of training over the last few years. Great divers don't always make great instructors and many don't have the skill set, demeanor or knowledge to become effective instructors.
I also agree that we've managed to certify many more people, but have failed to create "divers". In many cases, certification has resulted in little more than learning to breathe underwater.
Unfortunately, doubling the amount of poor instruction time won't result in a better outcome, in my opinion. Many of today's instructors are very new to diving and are the result of training programs which have rushed them from an inadequate OW course to inadequate AOW programs and then on to professional level courses.
I've taught courses with great results in as little as three days for class and pool work, with two days of checkout dives. These are not typical and they are only effective when the student is both highly capable and highly motivated, but it is possible.
I can't tell you how long it will take me to certify a student, because each student is different. I have had students which took an extra six pool sessions to be prepared for OW checkouts and I've had students who required 7 or more checkout dives to be prepared to dive independently. On the other hand, I've run private courses for students which barely met the minimum number of hours required by my agency. In either case, the divers I certified were ready to dive and not typical of the newer(and in some cases experienced) divers I see on vacation and the local dive sites.
It would appear the biggest problem in dive training today is the lack of instructors who are qualified as divers and as educators. I believe agencies need to step up the requirements for professional level training and that would drastically improve the quality of entry level training.