I was an instructor in the 90's and during OW class you were taught buoyancy skills and had to demo properly in pool and the ocean. I always emphasized proper weighting and buoyancy control. And yes, since my days as an instructor the classes have gotten shorter. It is because of both students and training agencies wanting to get things done quickly (instant gratification). But the thing is to get more experience diving beyond open water, and also get more training to help make you a better diver.

I wish neutral buoyancy and horizontal trim were taught in OW class. Even my PPB instructor only looked at my buoyancy and completely ignored trim despite my complaining that I would go vertical when I stopped finning. It took me 200 dives before I found someone with the skill to get me in trim and teach me how. No doubt my equipment improved as well but you don't know what you don't know.

very right, I have been on about 50 dives now and only recently had an experienced diver help me with buoyancy. It's an incredibly important skill, and I still need to do more work on it.

@americanazheck

8 ай бұрын

Basic open water courses have certain criteria outlined by the certifying agencies that provide you adequate book and confined water skills to prepare you for your open water qualification. It's up to you to continue training to develop those skills. 50 dives is a drop in the hat. Take additional courses and dive,dive,dive. Safe diving.

Nice trim instructor

One of my diving mentors taught through the early 2000s. He taught from OW through Advanced Trimix. His last student couldn't clear his mask. He worked with him for 2 days to get it. Padi called him and made him pass the student. He quit. It's at the point that unless you have tec training, you probably can't dive.

@americanazheck

8 ай бұрын

Bullshit.

LOL .. there's no replacement for experience

Its terrible how quick the courses are, there just get in and get out and you barely learn anything I know people with 30-40dives and have no buoyancy and don’t want to learn because they say “I’ve done the advanced I know how to” bro you don’t you did a 2 day course and half of it was a online quiz on your phone 💀

Buoyancy ?!? …… all schools load their students down with far too much weight … so you don’t shoot to the surface …. But it makes for terrible trim

Why did you block me on Instagram?

@TheScubaDivingChannel

10 ай бұрын

I’m not 100% sure or if that was the case, but I really try not to block anyone unless it goes beyond a certain negativity threshold. I basically look at it through the lens of someone interested in the topic or the industry as a whole, and does this draw them in, or run them off. If it goes too far that way, I’ve gotta keep a certain temp 👌🍺

And this coming from the instructor demonstrating buoyancy while completely vertical...

@TheScubaDivingChannel

10 ай бұрын

Despite what some “expert” channels may say, it is literally a test question to ascend and descend feet first when training OW, aside from a host of other reasons. Also, this is day 1 in a pool, which absolutely teaches angles as well as vertical and every other angle in order to train a student to understand their equipment and buoyancy. I’m really excited to hear why you have an issue with teaching literally something in the textbook?

@mgelax

9 ай бұрын

@@TheScubaDivingChannel I'm sorry I must have misunderstood neutral buoyancy to be staying neutral in the water column. Apparently, the test question of descending and ascending somehow includes maintaining oneself at the same depth in the water column. Also, I will give you the benefit of the doubt, but a little correction is that you do not ascend feet first. You ascend feet down. I know, I know, it's a semantic argument and everyone knows what you mean, but it is technically incorrect to say you ascend feet first. And as a way to make myself chuckle I just thought of people in drysuits being inverted unable to correct their positioning. As far as teaching what is in the textbook, I only have access to the PADI Instructor Manual so I can't speak for what the other agencies require. Anytime I search for the word "neutral" in the manual it references neutral buoyancy, most often in connection with the word hover, sometimes with the word swimming, using breath to gently rise/fall, and avoiding the bottom. Some of the performance requirements do say something along the lines of "while neutrally buoyant, swim slowly in a horizontal position". This is usually in connection with the concept of "trim". But I have yet to find where neutral buoyancy is written in the manual connected in anyway to a vertical position. I can't see anywhere that it is a performance requirement to maintain neutral buoyancy while vertical. The performance requirements certainly allow for it for certain skills, but that's not a requirement, but an allowance. As far as new students go, absolutely it is difficult for them to achieve neutral buoyancy. No matter how much you show them how little air needs to go into the BCD, they still clamp down on that inflator! It takes time for them to learn how to inflate with small puffs of air. Now, mostly I was just trying to tease you on it. My course director, when staying perfectly still goes vertical and has no desire to stay horizontal. I think he finds it easier to gather students' attention and instruct. And that's his prerogative. But when you see an instructor stay horizontal effortlessly, meaning their weighting is so well-balanced that they can't help but be horizontal, that is pretty awesome. My deco instructor had the most amazing trim and neutral buoyancy, even in his drysuit (40 degree water). That was inspiring! That's a great example for an instructor to set.

@potat-re4ji

9 ай бұрын

@@TheScubaDivingChannel I learned that when descending from the surface you want to get into horizontal trim as soon as possible and stay like that for the entire dive. I don't think there is a point in teaching this "sleeping whale" position.

@TheScubaDivingChannel

9 ай бұрын

@@mgelax the book and NAUI standards actually say “feet first” and yes, as a course director myself and dive guide on a weekly basis, vertical is better for supervision, and occasionally there are lessons to be taught vertically, as well as many other uses which would warrant demonstrating.

@TheScubaDivingChannel

9 ай бұрын

@@potat-re4ji that is generally correct but the “sleeping whale” joke is coming from an entertainment page, which sadly many get their advice from. There are literally Agency Standards and test questions requiring descent and ascent training “feet first” in the beginning, and many reasons to ALSO teach things requiring an understanding of buoyancy in multiple positions. We actually work underwater several days a week (in addition to teaching) and aside from measuring, fixing, cleaning, videography, supervising, and many more reasons, we have to teach beyond the basic “in trim” position. While yes that is the default in motion for most divers, and should be mastered early, it’s by no means the end all be all 👌✌️ *Also, much of what you see is just b-roll, using whatever footage that we can find that may or may not be directly related to the subject.

Done my OW but buoyancy and vertical trim is a mess when i stop finning and really don’t feel like want to continue

Oh, and maybe require red cross advanced swimming instead of taking in non swimmers

Students need to get rid of the inflatable training wheels. Learn to dive without a BCD. I dove for decades without one and only used one twice when I got certified and now back to the original way.

👍😎🤿🇵🇭! Buoyancy is the key to success in scuba diving because it makes a great dive!

@TheScubaDivingChannel

10 ай бұрын

So true