Are shorter courses increasing the accidents?

[scubaherald]

With E-learning + shorter and shorter courses... are we pushing students to dive more with less trainning.

It seems many people learn to dive in "holywood destinations" like Bahamas and then go home to Canda, England or cold destinations where they face challenges and potential accidents based on their lack of trainning.

I think Open Water Courses Tickets some times should be limited by geographical location until the diver does a proper orientation in different sorts of areas...
Anyway.... just my 2 cents...

[jakeeib]

I can tell you that learning to dive in the cold waters of Germany made me a much stronger diver when i did finally get to dive my first "holywood destinations" and my nav skills are stronger then most.

[cgvmer]

In NJ the hardening of requirements is being done by the local boats rather than the certifying agencies. Many of the boats only allow AOW divers to go out, require a pony bottle or dive doubles. Not sure if this is being done for insurance reasons or just because it's reasonable for the environment.

Here is one example: Gypsyblood Dives: New Jersey's Best Full Service Dive Charter Operation

[RoadRacer1978]

It comes down to common sense, which many people now days do not have. You should not dive in area/conditions you are not familiar with unless you have received the proper training and are with sombody familiar with that area/conditions. Just because one receives an OW card does not mean they can dive anywhere or at all for that matter without having someone with some experience with them.

I could be mistaken, but I believe the numbers show that there are more divers being certified than ever and accidents are declining. Maybe the people are doing a better job or maybe the dive organizations are doing a good job of scarying them into not pushing it. I can't say for sure, but the data seems to support that the training is sufficient at least in keeping accidents down.

[caroln]

The quickie courses are probably adequate for someone who only wants to do relatively easy dives a couple of times a year led by a DM. The stats don't show that there are increasing numbers of accidents, despite the courses getting shorter and shorter. Bottom line is it all comes back to the divers individual responsibility to know their limits.

If you are certified in 2 days in crystal clear calm water needing no exposure protection, you may need a little further training, or at least to dive with someone with local knowledge before diving in 50 degree murky water wearing a 2 layer 7MM suit and 20 lbs of lead.

From what I've seen, the people that dive locally in less then ideal conditions tend to be pretty dedicated to diving, so they are typically the ones who seek out mentors and additional training, and they become competant divers in their environment by virtue of diving there repeatedly, not just through their OW class. So the short class is enough to give them the start, and what they do after determines how safe they'll be in any given situation.

[cummings66]

From what I last seen I'll agree that dive accidents are fewer today with more divers than they were when the courses were longer and you had fewer divers.

[cyclone]

Originally Posted by scubaherald

With E-learning + shorter and shorter courses... are we pushing students to dive more with less trainning.

It seems many people learn to dive in "holywood destinations" like Bahamas and then go home to Canda, England or cold destinations where they face challenges and potential accidents based on their lack of trainning.

I think Open Water Courses Tickets some times should be limited by geographical location until the diver does a proper orientation in different sorts of areas...
Anyway.... just my 2 cents...

It depends on the individual. Different person, different physical limits and abilities. There are fast learner and good with practicals. So, it depends.

[dludwig]

I think it is different for each individual. There are many people out there that do fine w/ E-learning or shorter courses. I have been thru classes w/ people that need more than what the normal class offers. Common sense is a benefical asset to diving also

[bversteegh]

All about common sense and being honest with yourself about your abilities. People that are comfortable in the water, and willing to learn will progress rapidly. The most dangerous ones are the ones that are overconfident, and get in over their heads before they are experienced enough to handle it.

If you look at the statistics, heart disease is by far the biggest issue for divers - many of the accidents are traced back to a heart attack while diving. Our lifestyles and being overweight are the safely issues we need to address (and as I rapidly approach 50 and carry 30 extra pounds - I am talking to myself here).

[scubastacey]

I think they could. My experience with my certifying dive shop left a lot to be desired...there was one girl that needed all kinds of help, but they passed her anyway...I didn't understand why and made me nervous to dive with her. It's sad, but as people said above a lot of this comes down to common sense.