Advanced open water?

[BobK]

When I was working full-time at a shop I noticed something I disagreed with. There were fifty questions on the open water test, and you had to make an 80 to pass, so you could miss ten questions. But there were only eight questions where you had to do the tables to arrive at the answer. So you could miss EVERY question on the tables and still pass.

I think I've dove with some of those people.....

[skip]

NAUI has a similar pass requirement (80%), but I've added 50 more questions for 100 total, and require students to get all the dive table questions correct or they don't pass! naui allows this kind of flexibility. as everyone knows, it's the instructor, not the agency, that's important.

-skip

[jj1987]

When I was working full-time at a shop I noticed something I disagreed with. There were fifty questions on the open water test, and you had to make an 80 to pass, so you could miss ten questions. But there were only eight questions where you had to do the tables to arrive at the answer. So you could miss EVERY question on the tables and still pass.

If I were in charge, you would have to make an 80 on the tables section, plus an 80 on the other part.

Last night one girl didn't get the dive tables, so they agreed she would get a dive computer and she got the c card, but I couldn't say it was creating an extra danger, she didn't know how to use the air tables anyways. Besides, she had more c cards than me, OW, AOW, and rescue

Nitrox seemed fairly straight forward. I'll just be sure to get my tanks filled and discuss my dive plan with the more tech diving oriented shops like Lloyd's, Steamboat, and the one in High springs who's name escapes me, I really appreciate how they have knowledgeable divers on staff that always seem willing to help.

[JahJahwarrior]

being that all agency’s limit Open Water Divers to a Max depth of 60ft NDL and AWO to a max depth of 130ft NDL.

Being that an instructor certifying an OW Diver to Cavern is violating OW Certification Standards that instructor will be Liable if that person ever has an accident at least until another instructor violates standards and gives them a higher certification!

As a Cavern Instructor I will/would never accept an OW Diver into Cavern Training, not to mention that it violates the standards NAUI Cavern Diver Course.

With that logic, isn't an OW shop violating the "must see your C card to give you air" standard when they rent a tank to a student in the OW class? I understand that you want good divers in your class for safety reasons but I think you are extrapolating laws out of suggestions.

Last night one girl didn't get the dive tables, so they agreed she would get a dive computer and she got the c card, but I couldn't say it was creating an extra danger, she didn't know how to use the air tables anyways. Besides, she had more c cards than me, OW, AOW, and rescue

Nitrox seemed fairly straight forward. I'll just be sure to get my tanks filled and discuss my dive plan with the more tech diving oriented shops like Lloyd's, Steamboat, and the one in High springs who's name escapes me, I really appreciate how they have knowledgeable divers on staff that always seem willing to help.

Sounds like she shouldn't have gotten the C card. Maybe the marginal danger wasn't that great but the total danger sounds, eh, greater than 0 for sure! Not certain if she should be allowed near a bathtub or a pool with scuba gear if she doesn't understand how to use tables...

Lloyd is expensive. Waterworld isn't necessarily tech oriented but several of their employees and instructors are cave divers and some of them work at Dive Rite too. Extreme Exposure is in High Springs but don't shop there if you don't have all black gear with blue H's! (I'm kidding, but not too much...) (they are also pricey, but give good air and they are good divers there) Cave Excursions East is about 10 minutes away from EE and they have the cheapest air in the county (I think they are about a penny/cubic foot cheaper than Amigos' for nitrox, but I don't recall exactly. I don't go by Amigo's much but if you are out that way I'd reccomend supporting them, great business too!!) as far as I am aware and are a great shop.

[jj1987]

What does cave excursions east charge for nitrox?

[Line Squirrel]

Now you're splitting hairs.

All the shops in cave country are within a penny or two of each other. You will spend more in time and gasoline driving to the cheapest place. Just go the the nearest, most convenient shop that sells it by the cu/ft. Which is, as far as I know, every dive shop within 100 mile radius of Branford.

I only mention Branford because that seems to be the epicenter. More or less equal distance between Luraville and High Springs.

[JahJahwarrior]

CEE is $.09/cu.ft., Amigos is either the same or $.10. I go to CEE usually as it's close or on the way to several of the sites I dive, but if I were out that way it would be my pleasure to support Amigos as well!

EE I haven't had amazingly pleasant experiences with but I won't speak badly of them, per se. I have friends who only shop there and they get treated just fine.

[jammer]

Well this is what N.A.C.D. REQUIRES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think the word they use here is (equivalent). Not trying to step on any toes just saying that I think it is up to the instructor.


Cavern Diving
The cavern diving course is taught in a minimum of two days and includes classroom lectures, field exercises, open water line drills and a minimum of four cavern dives. This course emphasizes planning, procedures, environment, propulsion techniques, buoyancy skills, problem solving, equipment modification and the focuses on the specialized needs of the cavern diver.

Purpose: To teach the safe exploration of the cavern environment within specified limits. The course develops and establishes minimum skills, knowledge, dive planning abilities, problem solving procedures and the basic abilities to safely cavern dive.

Prerequisites: Advanced open water or equivalent or 15 logged non training open water dives with open water certification.