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Hi, Richard!
In regards to your posting about "Do as I say, not as I do"...
I've been pondering that question a lot. There are often very simple
things that we do that are not even thought about. Case in point:
We teach open water students never to dive alone - to always dive with a
buddy (please let's not get into a discussion about whether that's a good
position to be teaching, we're only using this as an example). However,
over and over, I see instructors sending a divemaster out, alone, to set
a float for a checkout dive. I used to set it by myself when I was a
DiveMaster and I used to send DMs out by themself since I've been an instructor.
One day the thought whacked me by the side of my head. Here I was
actually _telling_ someone to do something that I was _telling_ the
students NOT to do. Never mind that the float was being set in 30 feet
of water. That's immaterial. I was telling a DM to break a rule.
Well, I've stopped sending DMs out by themself. They either go out with
another DM or I go with them before the class to set a float OR we set
the float with the class (i.e. all together).
The problem is not education. We all know better. It's complacence in
that case -- the assumption that because I'm a better diver, or s/he's a
better diver, that something that's considered "dangerous" is now "safe".
This is, I believe, patently false. There is no such thing as "Safe" --
which is part of the philosophy behind your signature.
A 30 foot dive for you (or George, or me) is _just_ as dangerous as the
same dive would be for a newly-certified (or not yet certified) diver.
However, there is also a better chance that you or George or myself will
be better equipped mentally to handle the problem. The danger is not
less, but our options and solutions are enhanced. Well, Okay, George,
our gear is better than the typical not-yet-certified student's rental
gear, so the danger is lessened a little bit.
As a professional instructor (I teach for Apple Computer, inc. as well as
having been a teacher at private high schools) I believe in the PADI
system. I agree that hazing is not necessary for open water students. I
also believe that _every_damn_one_ of the instructors out there should
have been absolutely terrified/blind paniced at least once in their lives
so that they have had SEARED into their minds that this is NOT a safe
thing to be doing, that people can DIE underneath the water, and that
they are not doing their students ANY favours by passing a marginal
student, teaching a marginal class, or not keeping up on things.
Gak! I'm getting worked up - my "play" button got pushed. Time for me
to go push my "record" button and go back to listening.
-- Kevin --
I'll get around to it today
-- for sufficiently large values of "today"
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