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OK, one of the fun things about this newsgroup is not only does it span every
time zone on earth, but there's also that 
fun delay from the approval thingy.

Anyway, I've had a while to think this over, whilst bottling a nice young, but
pleasant Valpolicello:)

These are my thoughts:

First of all, I would not like anyone to make the mistake of assuming I think
I'm an expert diver.  All I try to do is add what 
I do know to the general discussion.  I have alot of education, and was taught
by my father to be a critical thinker and 
researcher.  This does not of itself qualify me to say diddle about diving. 
What I do feel qualified to comment on is what 
relates to human physiology and medicine. I do not claim any expertise beyond
that and welcome criticism on all 
subjects.  My hope is that by commenting from time to time, I can pay back the
many people who have volunteered so 
much information that has helped me.

So, the topic at hand- philosophies of the various training agencies.

I have actually read most of the training material, classroom standards, and
background information available to the 
public on the major agencies- TDI, NAUI, PADI, and GUE.  I have certifications
from the first three, and am carefully 
considering how best to continue my education with the fourth.

What have I gleaned from this comparative analysis?

There is little fundamental difference between the approaches and standards of
the first three.  There are a number of 
factors involved in this, but they are primarily related to the problem of mass
standardized education.  The way courses 
are taught by NAUI, PADI, and TDI, are the same as the military, Boy Scouts,
and YMCA ( I'm sure there are others, but 
these are the ones I'm familiar with).  Whenever you want to set a standard,
the simpliest way to is draw up a list of 
information that must be learned, and then set up a lecture series to make sure
that all the items are presented.

Almost by necessity, the standards are the minimum that must be taught, and do
not allow for individualization.  In 
practice, given the minimum standards prescribed, there ends up being alot a
variation in how the course work is 
implemented, especially when in comes to the practicum for a particular course.

GUE, on the other hand, takes a different approach.  With DIR, everything, down
to the size of clips, is delineated.  
This could be based on arbitrary decisions, but with these guys, everything has
been very carefully thought out.  
Nothing new is added to the gear set up without careful consideration of all
the possible implications of each step.   No 
one else is doing this.  Does this mean that there might not be another way to
do something?  No, of course not.  
However, why try to re-invent the wheel?  DIR invites critical analysis and
wins.

To my mind, why not do what has been well established to work?  Whenever I run
into a new problem, I have 
consistently found the DIR approach to be sound and able to stand up to
critical analysis.  Could I come up with an 
equally workable approach?  Possibly, but when melded together, the GUE
standards stand up well and consistently.  I 
simply do not see why I should bother with anything else.  When I get ready to
do something new, I have a ready 
standard to follow.

This is not to say that if there is a qualified instructor nearby who can teach
you gas mixing, or staged deco, you should 
not utilize their knowledge if they don't have a certification from a
particular training agency.   However, whatever they 
teach should stand up to critical analysis.

When its dark, silted out, and near freezing, knowing that you and your dive
buddy are "Doing It Right" is invaluable.

Wendell


P.S.  If someone wants to discuss something fun, has anyone thought about
alternative methods of underwater 
propulsion?  Specifically, the upcoming raising of the Kursk makes me start
contemplating implimentation of underwater 
hypersonic propulsion.





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