Bad Instructors

[Lion Fludd]

Has anyone had a bad instructor before if so what did you do about it. I have a divemaster that is teaching me in my aow, but I really don't feel like either he's spending time with me or i'm just not getting it. It seems as if we just swim around for an hour and then he asks me questions, he says that it will come with more dives well if that was the case i could have saved my money and just did more dives myself and comments.

[Charles R]

Ask the shop for a new Instructor first off a DM should not be teaching a AOW class he should be helping out not teaching if he is and there is no instructor around then Call the shop on it if they wont fix it call the certifying agency! I had a bad instuctor once when I talked to the owner and explained my issues he said no problem and switched instuctors for me! just my 2psi

[greyzen]

Well, if you don't feel like you are getting what you need out of the class I would seriously look at the class as objectively as you can.

1) Are you paying as close attention as you can be?
2) Is the DM explaining what they are doing before they do it and watching you as you attempt to recreate it?
3) Are others in your class struggling? (If there are others)
4) Does your DM seem confident in the skills they are teaching or do they seem to have trouble organizing/etc. the class?

If you *HONESTLY* think it's all on the instructor, I would have a hard conversation with the LDS you bought the classes through (if you bought the classes through them). If it could possible be you or another element in the class, speak with the instructor and explain your concerns. A good instructor will gladly take you back through steps/etc.

[ScubaToys Larry]

Couple of things in this post that I'd like to comment on... You said the DM is teaching... and you should have an instructor teaching... not just a DM. A DM can assist - and do some things, but there should be an instructor in charge.

Then as far as saying things will take time - that may be a cop out - or it might be good advice. For example, let's suppose you're working on getting your trim right in the water, and working on buoyancy. Many times new divers have a tendency of having a bit too much weight on, then dive with a head up, feet down position, and constantly kick to maintain their position in the water column. If he points this stuff out, then gives you tips, like:

"Touch your chin to your chest and look under your fins. If you just see the bottom and not the water column behind you, your head is probably too high. And kick along for a few kick cycles, then stop kicking. If you sink when you stop kicking, that is another sign your overweighted and have a feet down attitude. So concentrate on those aspects and go practice that and see if you can improve your trim."

I'd say.. that's fair, and he's doing his job. If however he says, "Well your buoyancy isn't right, but you'll get it in time..." Yea... that's no good.

So we really can't make a judgment call without being in the class with you, but hopefully you get what I'm getting at there and can use that to evaluate how things are going.

[PrichDave]

You said you were taking an "AOL" meaning Advanced Open Water, so you are already a certified diver. Most certifying agencies require specific skill requirements for these AOW dives. What are you supposed to be doing that the divemaster is tagging along to observe? It can't be just "diving around."

[Lion Fludd]

Originally Posted by PrichDave

You said you were taking an "AOL" meaning Advanced Open Water, so you are already a certified diver. Most certifying agencies require specific skill requirements for these AOW dives. What are you supposed to be doing that the divemaster is tagging along to observe? It can't be just "diving around."

He was putting up signs in the quarry for future classes and I was just follow him as he used a reel.. from where we started and the viz was low so he said that's why a reel comes in handy, no advice on where to hook reel on or anything like that and once we made it back to the platform all he said is that's how you come back to where u started from that's why it's important to have a compass ...well first off I"m sayin to myself you didn't even use ur compass u used the reel to get back ... as far as my s&r part he had me hook the lift bag with an alligator clip so I didn't even get to see how to tie the knots like the book explains..he should at least show me how to tie the knot and then say u can use clips like these there easier if u choose.

[Splitlip]

This is reposted from the local paper, the Citrus County Chronical:

By Cristy Loftis

When Richard "Rick" Anderson learned there was a search for his longtime friend Jim Cummins, he didn't assume the worst.

Cummins, 40, had disappeared during a scuba diving trip in the Gulf of Mexico near Homosassa on Sunday afternoon. Anderson knew his friend was a survivor.

"I figured he'd end up on someone's dock," Anderson said.

But Monday morning rescue divers found Cummins in a cave about 90 feet below the water?s surface, Citrus County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Eddie Lane said.

Cummins lived in Crystal River and was a well-known Inverness attorney. He was a dive instructor and ran Crystal River's Offshore Adventure Dive Center.

On Sunday, Cummins took Harold Arnold, 37, of Crystal River, and Donald Albritton, 26, a local Army recruiter, to a cave about 3.5 to 4 miles from Riverhaven Marina on the Homosassa River. Cummins was helping the men to get their advanced open water diver certification.

While none of the men were certified cave divers, they entered a crack in the Gulf's floor, which leads into caves, Lane said.

At one point, Cummins instructed the divers to stop. Next, Cummins turned around, stirring up silt and making the water cloudy.

That was the last time they saw Cummins, Lane said.

The men waited about 25 minutes for him to reappear, then returned to the surface and reported the incident to authorities.

Authorities from the sheriff's office, U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission searched for Cummins on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. It was a certified cave diver from Birds Under Water helping in the search who finally found Cummins.

Lane said they believe Cummins became disoriented and eventually ran out of air. He was found in a cave off of the main cavern.

Cummins was not attached to a safety line, which is normal protocol for cave divers, Lane said. "Obviously, it was a fatal mistake," Lane said.

Cummins' air tank was also caught in a rock in the cave. Lane said they couldn't tell if Cummins had gotten stuck before or after he died.

He was found at about 9:30 a.m. Monday and brought to a medical examiner official, who was waiting at the Riverhaven Marina where many of Cummins' friends had gathered.

Anderson, who worked for Cummins as an investigator in his law office, met with others who knew Cummins at the marina.

"That's all he ever talked about was diving, diving, diving," Anderson said.

While his friend of more than 20 years liked risks, Cummins was typically a careful person, Anderson said.

Cummins was the father of five children with ages ranging from elementary to college aged.

Friend Cara Cacioppo said she hopes everyone remembers all the good things about Cummins.

"He was the best father I've ever met," Cacioppo said.

This is the third person who has died in a cave in Citrus County in the past three years, Lane said. The last was in July 2006 when a swimmer ventured into an underwater cave in the Chassahowitzka River and died.
__________________

[Chocoholic]

Yup, that is a bad instructor (the cave guy). An added note, I was on a dive in PV and the three Mexican guys with us were doing their AOW (straight out of OW). I couldn't listen in to the class since it was in Spanish, but they ended up doing a cavern dive at 90 feet for their final. I thought that was odd since it was an overhead and their Instructor wasn't cave instructor certified or using doubles, but i hope the instructor was at least cave certified.

[ScaredSilly]

I guess after reading your two posts I guess I am confused about what you are supose to be learning. The one dive sounds like a tag along where there was no objective - epsecially given that the DM was doing sometihng for another class.

As for the lift bag exercise as a DM I would be having you do a lot more but after being instructed by the instructor.