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Dear Cavers,
I happened to come upon a multinational group of students being trained
for some course at a cenote in Mexico. The only things I take into notice are
the large ratio of students to instructor and the duration of how long this
group has to remain standing in a gravel parking lot with their singles,
listening. After gearing up, finishing my dive of an hour and a half I
return to still see this multinational group in the parking lot. After my
SIT time and again gearing up this group finally gets ready to go diving.
Aside from the clumsy way they prep., it becomes apparent that they are
being trained to some cave/cavern instructor standards by a fellow with a
mustache. I don't know who this guy is, I don't make it a point to know. As
an instructor trainer for another agency I notice the less than articulate
(bumbling) in-water presentations they give, less than wonderful in-water
control the candidates have holding onto a OW cenote rope in glassine calm
water, the total global awareness in letting your candidates scatter on the
surface like children at recess and the drones of an instructor trainer who
talks a LOT. OK, none of my business. GO HOME.
I decide on some additional days of cenote diving. I now see the same
candidates pumped up in macho bluster walk brusquely down steep stairs and do
Hawaiian sling entries and headrolls wearing doubles. Rookie bravado, but as
future cave instructors diving into water that is 3-5 ft. deep, way stupid!
Even better is their control while diving. Watching them in the water is
entertaining as they don't swim like any experienced caver I know. Grace &
calm are replaced with chicken like movements by some. Aside from gnashing my
teeth and thinking that these guys are going to hurt someone someday I find
out the guy teaching them is a guy named Joe. Enuff said. Aside from the
disservice I saw to the diving community, it seemed apparent to me as an
observer that all parties involved were consensually doing what they wanted,
which was ^%$#%&^& each other.
Fenstah
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