Once again, I got the opportunity to teach another Open Water course this weekend. Ruth, Dia and Natalie are now welcome into the wonderful world of Scuba Diving. And once again I cannot fail to be impressed by way that the Open Water course structure builds confidence and ability so very quickly.
To me, the most impressive proof of this ability is the Free Descent without Reference and hover at the beginning of Dive 4. This is so very impressive! At the beginning of the weekend, it would seem to be an impossible dream to imagine that in just a couple of dives these Students would be able to control their descent without any reference, and then hover motionless – at will – until they want to settle on the bottom. Actually I find it very emotional to see that control so soon.
But once again, (like last week) I am aware that these Students are not yet competent divers. Again like last week, I find that the course has taught them that their skills are fine and buoyancy excellent, but like new car drivers who have discarded their L plates, they have an awful lot to learn.
I really hope that I get the chance to teach them a specialty course or two very soon to help with their development. The next few dives are very important to them. If they just “dive with friends” there is a chance that they will develop some bad habits. At this impressionable stage, any bad habit will quickly establish and be very difficult to shift later.
But Thinking about the progression of divers has brought up another question. This question has been brought to my attention from a Dive Instructor in Ascencion Island that I have recently taught. It’s about continuation of skill practice. We all know that if a diver has not dived for a while, they should do a Scuba Review. They will then revisit and practice the major mask, regulator, buoyancy and rescue skills. But what if my new divers don’t have a break in diving? what if they don’t ever need to do a Scuba Review?
My friend in Ascencion Island was recently diving with an experienced diver. For some reason, it was suggested that they swapped masks underwater. The experienced diver had a minor panic, and had to surface to replace the mask. How can we make sure that our divers continue to be competant?
I suppose that the only answer is that new divers should be encouraged to continue to practice their skills. How many of you can still Parallel Park your car? or Reverse around a corner with the same amount of skill that you used on your Driving test? I would urge Dive Centres to organise skill practice sessions to their customers. As a Course Director, I often hear from IDC Candidates that skills like “Cesa” and “Remove and Replace Scuba Unit” came as a bit of a shock on the DM course because they had not practiced those since Open Water days.