Divers React to ways to fail the Open Water Test
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- Here are some ways that you can fail your open water test...or are they?
Original video by @simplyscuba: • 8 Ways To Fail Your Op...
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Failed the first 2 open water courses I took. Just couldn't keep up with the pace of the course and panicked when I messed up the mask flood skill. The second instructor let me stay on for his next course and learn with his next round of students, which was a much smaller group. I felt much more at ease, learned to stay calm, and passed easily. Been happily progressing as a diver for 11 years now :) very thankful to all the patient OW instructors out there
I can say whole heartedly I would have never passed certification with this instructor. I learned to Scuba at age 13 in Malta and I probably made every mistake under the sun during basic open water. I was always told as you both have said, that it's about showing competence in the skills required, they accept and even expect people to make mistakes during training, that's why people are there, to learn & improve in a skill they didn't have before. My instructors where incredible with me and my family throughout all of our certification all the way to rescue divers, nothing but supportive & encouraging.
Building people up for success rather then breaking them down when they make mistakes is critical in teaching/communicating with people so they can properly learn a new thing. From managers to diving instructors no student wants to feel like an idiot when they are literally trying to learn something new and mess up.
Woody, I love your humble attitude towards teaching students. I just took my advanced course and felt the instructor had a bit of an ego thing from the way he was talking to me, and joking about me choosing between the 2 weak light choices he gave me for my night dive, while he revealed his bright one during the dive. i felt ridiculed and like he didn't have to make it a joke. And I remember Dive Talk had another video about a terrible stress and rescue course instructor having ego issues, that really came to mind during my advanced course. So I let those things go and tried to just focus on the course itself. I appreciate Woody and Gus's tremendous humility - you guys are tec and cave divers, and you still wouldn't ridicule people with less diving experience who are new and looking to grow.
everyone took that first stride off the boat, difference is do you let go of that thrill or do you take it with you.. instructor who make it about themselves have let it go so they cant see what diving is all about no more.. I bet these guys remember that first jump because i sure do over 14 years ago :) don't let people take the experience from you and don't be afraid to say, hey can i have a stronger light or i don't feel comfortable in this mask can i have another.. its all about you at the end of the day !
@@glitchyhitchy1811 Thank! You! For the encouragement! Those dive lights are the cheap ones they give students, he wouldn't have given me a better one. ;) There were even a couple of other egoesque incidents from him but it's passed now. At least I got my buoyancy down and that will help me for the next dives, already can't wait. Having only 11 dives, I've already seen the elitism in diving, with people complaining about other divers after the dive; "why are they floating up, oh it's because they literally just passed in early August; why does this girl flutter kick with one leg, so weird lol". I hope to stay away from those types of energies and make more friends who give positive experiences in diving!
@@t-ime best thing you can do is have a look on forums or social media in your area for dive groups so you get to dive with different people although at your stage id suggest staying with a buddy you trust, for now. That about the complaining i agree its not needed but if its put forward as constructive criticism then id at the very least entertain it unless its absolutely ridiculous I might just point out a bad habit , I do find myself just helping some newer people to the sport on easier ways to go about things.. its like a car, you learn to pass the test then you learn to drive haha but awesome :) sure gus and woody wont mind me saying welcome to the club !
@@t-ime if you're going to carry on diving regularly a decent divelight really makes a difference (particularly if you're diving in cold water - where life tends to hide in holes, plus you get to really appreciate colours that are washed out otherwise. Take care.
I would say if you have an instructor who isn't appreciative that you are giving him your money and he doesn't have your safety and knowledge as the top priority, make a change without apology.
He is just coming across as more stern I think, he's definitely from across the pond. They don't sugar coat things there. Gus and Woody trying to "kick someone out" was pretty funny though 🤣 I'm glad dive instructors like you guys exist 💙
Don't sugar coat things in the UK? We certainly do. Nobody wants upset customers. The guy in this video just sounds like an arse.
I'm across the pond, yeah we don't sugar coat things and sometimes a little too honest but weren't this critical at all haha I think this is for video content 😅
yep. It's half jokingly delivered with a straight face, and pretty stern aswell, but I feel like / think he's just emulating how other "serious" youtubers talk!
Woody is totally on Amazon researching the the grandma knitted wetsuit. 😆
I just passed my SDI open water course a 2 weeks ago and now I have 20 dives under my belt (only about 40’ quarry dives to look at man made wrecks) but I’m totally addicted now. The last few dives I rented a BP/W and now I’ll never go back, so much better. Next year I’ll probably get a used wetsuit and a new BP/W, a regulator set is out of my budget for now in these times but that’ll be for later. So glad your channel got me out and actually diving, thank you guys for getting me interested in this hobby!
Congrats!!!
I'm thinking of all of my dive instructors I've had, they were all ok and I eventually learned the coursework. However, I think Woody's competence, attitude, and philosophy to teaching presented in these videos would absolutely blow any of them away. Is it that no one fails or more that y'all are such good teachers no one fails your classes in particular?
I think the issue here is cultural understanding. The video is intended as a bit tongue in cheek with underlying points being valid. Having worked with Americans for many years, there is definitely a cultural difference when it somes to humour, sarcasm, tongue in cheek comments, inuendo's, quips and so on.
Agreed
I'm an American, don't watch a lot of British humor, and I caught the subtle dry sarcasm.
As a commercial diver we always called them flippers out of good humor. I get a kick out of SCUBA professionals getting so hung up on this term. Just have fun!
I’m watching this video the day before my open water check out dives. I have already logged two but my very first time I had a panic attack and was pulled from the water for the day. The next time I went it was just me and my instructor and he helped figure out why I panicked and I was able to log two doves that day. He told me that he wasn’t giving up on me bc he knows how bad I want my certification and said he wasn’t giving up until I either made it or gave up myself and we all know I won’t give up
It's all about relaxing and having fun Crystal! One thing that helps me is talking to myself out loud through the regulator, you sound really funny and if there are any fish nearby you can talk to them like Woody! 😂
@@JohnnyEscopeta u know I kinda caught myself doing the same thing. But then my instructor told me he could hear me breathing the whole time too and made me slow down lol. But yes thank you talking to myself does help
I am also a fan of Mark and Simply Scuba. The best takeaway from this video is the part discussing instructors. I had one recent scuba instructor who talked at me during the whole class. It was like he had a script in his head that he regurgitated back at me. The class was about him, not me. People who lack the ability to analyze their audience, smile and give eye contact, actively listen, ask probing questions & follow-up with positive/constructive feedback should not teach. I’ve had some amazing instructors throughout my life that left a strong imprint on me, but unfortunately I have also had many others who just sucked.
When I took my OWD, we were 4 students.
One of the students couldn't swim (he couldn't move underwater) and got a little jumbled when doing some of the exercises. The instructor didn't failed him, but told him to come back for another sea lessons (without taking any more money for it)
That sounds like "remediation" rather than an outright "fail" situation, and I can get behind that kind of thing. So long as someone gets to the water on their own WITH the requisite skills adequately trained into them, they should be fine...
Much like riding a motorcycle... if you can't even manage a figure-8 in a two-acre field, stay off the street until you can. AND the MSF has a fine (and public) set of standards for maneuvering and emergency techniques that allow you to be adequately prepared for the road and traffic... Their course, unfortunately, doesn't go far enough at "Basic" to get it all, but prepares students to "sharpen that edge" on their own... ;o)
I can remember spending the whole day in a pool with a young lady one on one getting her to take off and replace her mask underwater because she feared inhaling water up her nose. We got there in the end after I had her stand up in waist deep water without a mask but with a regulator in her mouth to bend over and place her head in the water and breath. After about 20 breaths like this we dropped down deeper into the water kneeling and she aced it 5 times in a row. Every student is different in their needs and a good instructor is one that can work with that
Love you guys! It’s 5:22 am in Colorado! Getting ready for work and watching you guys. You guys have great energy! Keep it up!
Well for 14:00, I remember reading in a PADI manual (or online... I'm not 100% sure) that at least for regulators, and life critical equipment in general, the standards are very strict, and so even the cheaper regs or BCDs are safe to dive with. Maybe not as comfortable or configurable or light or or or, but they're not a hazard
It's actually like that with carseats. I paid a ton for mine but the cheap ones from Walmart are held to the same safety standards and must pass the same crash tests to be sold in the US. Confort, ADDITIONAL safety features, ease of use... those are all perks.
I was a certified scuba diver at 13 years old. In 1985, my family rented a house with a pool, and the owner had previously used the pool for scuba lessons. They offered to certify our entire family and provide all gear rental for free if we allowed them to continue using the pool. We agreed. We dove off Laguna Beach, CA and Catalina island. We only lived in the house for a year or so, and I didn’t continue to dive after that, but I learned a lot and it was a great experience!
I think Mark and Simply Scuba definitely are an example of British dive culture which I must say is stricter than what I’ve observed of American. The UK doesn’t have very many ‘easy’ sites so tends to get split into Divers who dive in the UK and learn to deal with Cold, lower vis diving vs a cadre of divers who just dive abroad in warm conditions…’easy’ diving. Must say that it does result in a bit of an elitist culture generally because if you are enough of a scuba addict you’ll dive in the UK and typically aim for a much higher training standard than the nicer diving available in warmer waters at shallower depths. The channel Divers Ready is a good example of this.
Re failing someone in a certification, I think not being able to fail is an issue, when everyone always passes that shows a level of leniency in my opinion that can be dangerous, in more challenging conditions where you don’t always dive with a guide (like the UK) being a sub-par diver is deadly so it’s important instructors feel empowered to fail a student who hasn’t met the standard in their opinion. Sure come back and try again but if you haven’t become competent (I.e able to perform the skills with little correction or repetition by the end of your course) then you need to either book onto another course or continue your learning. Doing intensive week courses I think puts undue pressure on students to get everything right so they don’t waste their money/time on holiday
On our open water final I arrived at the bottom with the rest of the class and promptly discovered (when it fell off) that I hadn't secured my weight belt properly. I caught it - and managed to pull my reg out of my mouth. So now I have two problems. I managed to solve both without intervention (Ok I ended up with my octopus mouthpiece instead of my main reg, but it worked!) but I had to do some serious gyrations (in full view of my classmates) to get the belt back on. I no doubt did serious harm to my pride and the already limited vis off West Seattle, but I passed!
Marks a hoot! There is a lot of tongue in cheek humor from him.
Woody, have you ever givin out a dive carf requiring a certifying duver to dive wiyh a certified diver until they successfully meat the SSI OW Diver standards?
If i ever learn Scuba diving i want you two as instructors, i feel like i would be in the best hands possible and actually learn everything i need to and if i do something wrong it will be explained in a way that is easy to understand and remedy, Awesome videos as always.
"Pregnant women shouldn't dive."
There goes my bucketlist dream of being a human submarine 😭
I saw the original video several months ago and honestly forgot about it. It definitely didn't deter me, and I just did a try scuba class a couple weeks ago and it was AMAZING! Now I'm working getting my open water certification trainings scheduled. I had an inkling before, but now I know in my heart it's for me!
I totally agree that a ton of divers try to find the cheapest way to dive. I have made a point in my classes when I'm talking about gear to physically talk about "cheap" gear vs. GOOD gear and how your gear is what is KEEPING YOU ALIVE while you dive. Pick good gear!
I'm a firearm instructor and I could tell you that it's not easy to kick a person out of a class but at every so often I got to kick somebody out for not listening or saying something stupid or just buying cheap equipment that fails during the class
Hey Guys - I think it's called a piss take - Mark is pointing out how low the bar is to becoming a "Qualified Scuba Diver" in a very amusing way. The fact that you can rock up to a (insert name here) 5 Star facility, do 4 open water dives and be considered an open water diver is just bonkers. Mark is just extrapolating this to the point of absurdity. Today I went on a dive and we had a Flappy Snag Hazzard who was more interested in her gopro than the actual dive, a guy from Utah who's last dive was back in 2017 and a couple on Nitrox who needed the DM to show them how to set their computers to Nitrox...... We did a warship penetration dive at 24 metres and as I swam at the back I watched silt being kicked up to snow cone levels. No one had good attitude, and way too many hands were used to orientate themselves.
I love this channel! I don’t scuba or even snorkel but I’ve been just watching video after video. Love you guys !!
I think Mark's tongue in cheek delivery went over your heads a bit. These lighthearted videos are a hallmark of Simply Scuba. They're meant to make you laugh. There's a core of truth there but most of it is over the top and sarcastic
I still see it as an issue. Someone might look up what might make you fail, Watch this video and be completely put off. Just because you have the context doesn’t mean everyone else does or needs to have it.
I didn't pick up any sarcasm, even on a re-listen. I dont think you're correct but if you are he's doing a job of being subtle about it.
Perhaps a British thing? Mark sounds like many of the instructors I knew from training in the UK
Yeah, these guys are way too sensitive and as you say Mark is clear, correct and just being straightforward. He's trying to be clear that it's a life or death responsibility and that teaching correctly makes for a clear conscience. 👌
@@shmeli the knit wetsuit didnt tip you off at all?
Gus scoping out dive spots seeing what everyone is diving with. LOL
Gus! Woody! As a non diving Floridian (born and raised) I just want to tell you guys that I love your videos, ideals, and personalities. I also love hearing you guys talk about these videos. Keep it up dudes you guys are so awesome!
14:43 I’ve been diving for 2 years but I’ve been skydiving for 16. My first parachute system I bought was pretty old and very cheap. I didn’t have much experience at the time looking at parachute systems, so I took it to my friend, who was a certificated FAA parachute rigger, and he gave his stamp of approval. That rig lasted me just shy of a decade before finally failing the required semi-annual inspection/repack simply due to wear and tear due to age. The rig was almost 25 years old and had roughly 3,000-4,000 jumps on it by the time it was deemed unairworthy, greatly surpassing its life expectancy.
Just because something’s cheap or old doesn’t mean it’s no good. If there’s ever a question on the safety of the apparatus, there’s no harm in getting the opinion of a trusted peer, instructor, or technician. In fact, better to get a second set of trained eyes looking at it regardless it’s age or condition.
Watching your videos from day one. You guys are amongst the best channels on TH-cam and YOU BOTH DESERVE IT
I live on a island, we have a few dive shops schools, some really huge ones. The instructors the community are so welcoming, I mean so friendly, and so small that it’s almost has to be. I mean after visiting my first few shops, I had a list of questions, even when I told the current shop I was at about the other shops they all talked great about each other and knew each other, and recommended each other. It was weird but lovely at the same time 😂 so there are plenty of instructors you just have to find the right one
Something similar happened to me once in a tiny island. The guy recommended me two more dive shops, one was ran by his uncle, and the other by his brother 😂 A complete family of divers.
@S C Long Island New York 👍
Hey Woody and Gus, hope you guys are good. My partner and I passed our OW course last week! I feel that after watching you guys for a while now I've been able to learn a lot of things that will help me/us out in the future and help make us safer divers. Thanks for what you do for the dive community (that I'm thrilled to now be a part of!), you guys rock!
That is great insight on not everyone learns at the same pace but given time everyone can learn the same thing it might just take extra time for some people to learn from Woody. Intelligence vs wisdom in the real world explained in such an easy to understand way.
I waited a long time to get to a place where I was able to afford the costs of diving, I can understand how some people younger than myself might be tempted to take the riskier choice of going the cheap route with equipment because it gets them in the water sooner. I wish I had the finances earlier in my life. I also wish that cephalopod hats were more commonly available on the market cause Woody is bringing them into style :P
I really appreciate this channel. I just got my open water in large part for to watching these videos. So much information and entertainment. I didn't really like my instructor he rushed everything but seeing dive talk videos and other's i felt like i had enough extra information to make it work. It wasn't bad but i always felt like i was between him and lunch/cocktails.
My closed water instructors quickly became family this past weekend. I'm very excited for my open water with them this Saturday and Sunday.
I agree with Gus that a lot of people do try to get as cheap of a setup as possible, I've commented before how I want to get certified but I'm not in the financial situation to do so right now. I understand the temptation to try something new, and trying to save money, but when it's your life you gotta ask yourself if it is worth saving a few hundred or maybe thousand dollars but almost always lowering quality and safety as the cost drops. And I feel like out of all the sports Gus mentioned that diving requires the most complex gear with more moving parts so should be the least likely for anyone to try to cheap out on, but that's my opinion from outside looking in at sports that I haven't tried.
I've been stationed in Germany and continued my scuba education and certifications through SSI. We use dive shops in the German economy that are contracted through the base recreational facilities. I can tell you German instructors are very forward and strict. Completely different from U.S.
One thing that we, as Americans need to keep in mind is that there are significant cultural differences between the US and much of the rest of the world. These differences can really stand out in our various educational systems…
I was just thinking about that this guy sounds like he is English and sometimes the English People can be a bit more strict than in say 🇺🇸 America 🇺🇸 oh and BTW I am of British Decent both mom and dad are welsh
Yep I have noticed that Americans really don't understand the more direct communication styles that are more common in other western cultures.
Just because someone comes across a bit serious doesn't mean they are talking down to you or that they aren't nice.
Personally I like people who are more direct.
Interesting topic my instructor was German that had changed from a European diving organization to "Put Another Dollar In" due to his prior organization not being recognized by US or non European diving community. Now the good part he held students to higher standards than P.A.D.I. but most diving conditions was more extreme than learning in Florida or tropical dive destinations. Low vis, Cold water, Altitude, Ice and Dry suits was the norm.
Im American and also served in the military where everything is explained straight forward and strict. One big realization after I got out was how soft American society has become. "Words hurt" or "inclusive language" shouldnt be an acceptable training mantra especially when peoples lives are at risk, otherwise you sometimes get untrained divers diving into caves because their training had been too relaxed.
I just wish that soft language wasnt baked into matters of training when death is a real possibility. People take it less seriously when the risks arent drilled into their brains.
Edit: Gus sort of talked about this around 13:30 although it was in regards to cheap vs expensive gear. Now apply that same reasoning to language during training.
Calling them goggles and flippers is a literal war crime 😂
I don't care about diving at all and can't stop watching you guys 😆 you really have something special here.
I remember my very first open water checkout dive. I got partnered with some 16 year old girl. She couldn't maintain buoyancy at all, one second she's at the bottom next second she's forty feet above me. I burned all my air just keeping up with her and getting so frustrated with her. We actually had to buddy breath to the surface 15 minutes into the dive. Now I'm really agitated.
Instructor told me for second dive not to follow her if it happens again, just keep a visual on her. It was still a pain as I spent more time looking up for her than down at the reef a few feet below me but at least I got my thirty minutes in. She failed due to the buoyancy issues and I passed.
She was the only student he ever had to fail and she never showed back up to the pool for more one on one training so she could pass.
She could do everything else but not being able to maintain buoyancy to the degree she was was life threatening for her and put other divers at risk trying to deal with her. Instructor watched how I followed her when going up constantly and saw I was controlled accent each time.
I personally learned a lot from that first dive, getting angry will just burn more air which then causes more frustration. That lead to a real world buddy breathing accent but I controlled her inflator valve so we didn't rocket to the surface which was my fear.
Woody's hats make my day.
The videos are also really great. Thanks guys
The cable stitch wetsuit was hilarious.
I was a tag-along, but I had an amazing instructor in Roatan and just got my OW certification! Whenever I feel anxious now, I think about how I did CESA correctly!
Always happy when you guys upload a video
14:10 I've seen lots of kinds of divers that had different approaches to gear. When I was a newbie, I wasn't trying to find the least expensive gear because my finances were all right, but I didn't go towards the ultra high-end either.
After some years of experience and many changes, I can tell some things about other divers.
There's the new diver with a good bank account getting all the most expensive stuff on the advice of the scuba store seller: You'll spot them easily, they often have the latest top of the line regs like MTX-RC from Apeks or Aqua lung Legends with a brand new top of the range BC, while having the bare minimum certification to dive.
Then, the same new diver but buying entry level gear. Either can't afford high end or doesn't want to. Either way, the gear often matches his certification (An aqua lung calypso regulator is perfect for shallow water dives, you don't really need more)
Repeat the same characters but in tech diving.
For my part, after lots of experimentation, I'll advice this: Buy a tech BC right away, even if you're beginning. Nothing beats the toughness and affordability of a harness/backplate/wing combo. An Xdeep zeos is 50% cheaper than 80% of "consumer grade" BCs, and will last longer. As for the regulator, determine if you're hooked to diving first. Don't buy the cheapest unregulated piston regulator unless you know for sure you'll never go deeper than 20 meters. A compensated first stage like the AL Titan is a good medium range regulator that can take you down to 60 meters with comfortable breathing effort. It can later serve on a pony or bailout tank if you go full tech.
If your goal is to go tech/deep diving, buy high end first. Save for it, wait a bit if you can't afford it. Believe me, you'll save money on the long term since you'll have bought once, and not twice.
A high end reg like the scubapro Mk25/S600 combo will provide constant and effortless breathing until your tank is empty. Not true for entry level and medium range regs. That might seem futile, but if you go full tech, that can be the difference between life and death if a problem occurs. An AL Calypso begins to be hard to breathe from when your tank is below 30 bar, so you spend more energy breathing. In an emergency or a stressful situation, you're better off breathing easily than hard.
Oh, and I can't stretch this enough: buy used gear! You can get scubapro Mk25 first gen for less than a Calypso sometimes! Even if it hasn't been serviced in a long time, having it serviced doesn't cost much and you'll end up with an excellent reg suitable for everything!
Case in point on the medical restrictions. I have a quintuple heart bypass and have recently been cleared by my cardiologist to go scuba diving. He's not happy with my intention to work my way up to cave diving, but he has cleared me physically to handle it. If you want it bad enough, you can make the needed changes to make it possible.
Another fine chapeau, SquidWood!
😆 Gus slipping the old if I agree with you we’d both be wrong 😆 funny guys thanks for making my day!
In my OW class the instructor had us observe him in the shallow end of the pool while he demonstrated a skill. He had us simply put our snorkels on. The next skill required us to use our regs. He told us to put our regs in and I absentmindedly put my snorkel back. He looked at me and pointed to his mouth and I nodded "yeah, I'm ready!" with that stupid snorkel in. He pointed again and I nodded again. It wasn't until I heard my son laughing beside me that I realized my error. I learn best by screwing up the first time :)
I absolutely love Woody's hat! The lady that makes his hats do such a good job!
I’m a teacher myself (I teach languages) and aspire to become a scuba instructor, and the point about failing because of screwing up kind of doesn’t make sense. I would actually half expect, especially with completely new students who haven’t studied something before, that they’re going to make mistakes or screw up. If this happens, no big deal, I come along, explain the issue and we move on to try and solve the problem. No big deal.
I mean, I spent half my OWD course either struggling with skills or screwing up. My two instructors were amazing in that they worked with me to correct the problem and I was able to come out of the water each day actually feeling comfortable and happy that we’d worked together to solve the problem. More than once I came out the water actually laughing so hard that my sides hurt.
The gear issue is one I’ve struggled with. I knew right from the off that I was probably going to fork out a fair bit of money for gear. However for me personally at least I didn’t want to be the ‘all the gear and no idea’ diver who turns up to their dive with $$$$$s of gear but doesn’t know how to use it. So I ended up going to a dive shop, asking the staff themselves for help and then choosing what I was happy with. Result was that I’ve got a mish mash of cheaper gear (like my spare BCD or dive computer) and more expensive stuff (my main BPW, regulator).
One thing I’ll mention on this is I agree with Woody. When I was a new diver I was on a budget, so I still bought new recreational dive gear, but it wasn’t the best of the best Scuba Pro and fit both my diving and budget restrictions. It was inexpensive but trusted dive gear not “cheap” as one might interpret that statement. I got it serviced annually and worked for over 15 years until I replaced it. There is a lot of lower priced dive gear that if taken care of will work for a very long time.
Just finished dive master and working to AI. The agencies materials make it clear that you should be supportive, understanding, and encouraging. My instructor also spends a lot of time working on teaching the right way to handle and talk to new students.
Especially because the DM may be seen as more approachable if there are questions or concerns
Love your videos 👍
You guys are great!
Great video 😊
Ha ha the knit wetsuit made me smile 😊 😂
The gear discussion is very interesting-- should do a separate video on it! In my open water class one student went out and bought all new gear-- not cheap but it still had all these problems and he ended up using all the rental gear anyway! I feel like a class is a time to learn skills-- not test out new gear
If I ever take a class with yall I will be calling them goggles just to see if you catch along. Thank you for making these videos. My husband and I are wanting to try diving of some sort. He's trying to convince me on cave diving. 😅
Omg woody's hat is amazing! I've seen his other ones, but this one is new to me. Love it
A lady in my class kept trying to breathe at the bottom of the pool through her snorkel. She was asked to leave the class and re-evaluate her desire for SCUBA diving.
Regulator from the 80s? I've got one from the 90s, and it's great. Balanced diaphragm regulator, sporasub matrix. When I got it serviced last time the technician told me he replaced some parts that were over 20 years old, he knew because they hadn't been made with that particular material for 20 years.
Part of the reason I sought out *ahem* "affordable" gear was that I wasn't sure I was committed to diving. I didn't want to sink serious money into gear until I knew the hobby would stick. Low quality wetsuit, non air-integrated computer, and so on. Now that I have a few dives and I'm familiar with my gear, I now have a better idea of what premium features I would appreciate in my gear and am willing to pay for it.
hi guys just found you, love it. I've been wanting to learn to dive for a while now! I'd love to see a reaction to THIRTEEN LIVES the cave rescue movie!!
Age of gear, really depends on the quality of the gear and how it’s been treated. A lot on my gear is over 20 years old but has been taken care of like the life preserving equipment it is. I had my son certified last month using my backup regulators, Scubapro Mk20 and G500 purchased 25 years ago that had been serviced this spring and I took them out on a test dive before having him use them. I trust those more than a two year old set of rental regs because I’ve seen enough of how those get treated lol. The Extreme Explorer HID canister light I purchased from JJ back then worked great till the ballast died last year and Halcyon couldn’t fix it so the head got replaced with the Halcyon Focus 2 (saved some money keeping the canister and my homemade battery pack). One good way to save money is buying quality initially, treating it properly and not needing to constantly replace it 😉.
Man, if skills were on a strict "mess up and you fail instantly" type of policy, I'd imagine quite a few people would probably fail just on mask skills 😂🤦♀️. As for the medical situation, I've met some people that don't understand the importance of getting a doctor's approval. I have spine problems and other health issues, and refused to dive without being fully signed off on, but some people would 100% lie through their teeth on the medical form. Better safe than sorry, IMO.
Do you know a reputable source that lists conditions that aren't permitted with diving?
@@backpackingcarlie1487 I'd recommend contacting Divers Alert Network (DAN). They can give advice on things like the consideration of preexisting conditions and provide information on doctors to search for, as it's not as easy as a list of conditions.
I am so pleased I landed on my feet with a great instructor and a great club, I honestly believe an instructor can make or break you! Yes it should be serious but also fun!
great video guys. When are you guys going to film some diving? Oh and Gus great job on all the editing and putting these videos together. Love watching these.
I dive with a scubapro mk 10/G250 ,I purchased this combo in 1994.
I have used rental gear over the years when I was on holiday without my gear. None breathed as well as my scubapro combo in spite of the age difference.
Good equipment regularly serviced and taken care of properly pre and post dive , will remain good kit!
I love that you've reacted to Simply Scuba. I love their channel.
I would love to see your reaction on some old Jacques-Yves Cousteaus documentaries like is Le monde du silence/The Silent World. Could be very interesting to see your perspective. Times and equipment changed a lot since 50s, but they were the pioneers back then and they deserve all the praise despite some questionable(by modern standards) things.
When I did my OWD test, I was in a class with a guy that lied and didn't tell the instructor he had cancer. And the guy couldn't even move after our last dive. But my instructor called SSI and they said she had to give him his certification because he was able to get "medical sign off". Sounds contrary to what you guys stated. But that guy definitely should've gotten his certification.
What a great way to start the week!
Alright, especially with the last two and also being a fan of simply scuba, it's all hilarious and definitely a joke for sure. Love both channels!
"as a dive instructor, I have two obligations, the primary of which is your safety and well-being. Therefore it is imperative that you please carefully observe all im teaching you"
I failed my pool session the first time.
I couldn't clear my mask and felt paniced.
My instructor organzied me a private lesson (I just had to pay for my tank) with another divemaster/instructors friend of ours and he showed me how to clear my mask and then had me do it countless times over the next hour (and we practiced other skills too). By the time I tried my pool session the second time, I felt so comfortable doing what I had to do, I passed no problem.
I loved my dive instructor because he expected a lot (Tec diver, former military diver I believe, cave certified) - he kicked our butts in the best way , but he was also super supportive and helped us work through the skils so we felt confident. He also continued to offer us help and feedback after we finished our training.
When I was a new certified open water diver, I didn’t cheap out on my gear. My gear was bought and used on my last dive day for certification. It wasn’t the most expensive gear, but it wasn’t cheap either.
I "failed"/quit my first OW cert. My instructor was awfully rude to me when I was experiencing an autistic shutdown halfway through the pool session. I had a panic attack once I got out and I was essentially told that if I'm not having fun then diving isn't for me. He was eventually ousted from the dive club for being misogynistic and rude and I think there was an assault allegation in there too. Since then I've got my OW and have done a couple of extra courses with much better, kinder and more patient instructors.
lmao the part about the BCD was absolutely hilarious
I’m moving to Key West , Florida here soon to move into a halfway house and get my life started. I love you guys.
Woody is always so proud of his dome covers.
I totally agree about the age of equipment, if it's properly serviced I don't see a problem diving with it. My wife bought a second hand regulator and first stage four years ago, which is 30 years old, we service it every year and it works like a charm.
For me it's much more secure to dive with it than diving with a four years old regulator never serviced... The same with tanks. We have five tanks and three of them are more than ten years old but always sended to the inspection laboratory as the law requires it to be in Switzerland. Every five year visual and every 5 years hydrostatic check, each control is separated from the other of 2.5 years. It's better to dive with controlled gear.
I’ve diving since 2005. I own all my own gear . I have 5 complete sets ( from fins to tanks and everything in between) the only items I have gone used or I guess you can say cheap is non life support equipment! All life support systems are serviced and purchased new . Or at least in service requirements at time of purchase .
JQuillen …. “You mean Jacqueline?” Lmao
That last one did happen to an instructor i know, who was a dm at the time, on a tec courses from 36m dm was fine but was bear hugged so couldn't let air out so basically hat to ahhh all the way up. Wasn't in deco at this point but students lungs popped. Wasn't done by our school but can't imagine what the instructor had to go through after that one.
Woody and Gus you guys made an interesting point in this video I volunteer on a scu a shop and I did notice that not the young generation but the old generation of divers that had the means and will were always asking for the chepest gear to dive and I could never understan that. I treat my gear the way I use to care for my military gear cause I know if I don't care for it. It will kill me
I got my OW cert even after I couldnt do the final two open water dives. Our group was only 4 people and we did all the skills during the first dives and the last two were just fun dives. For both of those I had major pain in my ears while going down because I couldnt equalize. I was only 5 minutes underwater each dive before I had to go up again and call the dive. Still got my cert though.
Regarding gear pricing - a lot of people do start off that way (guilty myself!). Having the initial mentality of 'what's the least I can invest to get going'. Sometimes people pull the trigger at that point but most will soon experience the horrors/discomfort of rental gear or, on the flip-side, the amazing gear that is available and go for that instead.
In my initial 'load-out price list', I had effectively budgeted for the cheapest 'combo bundles' available, basic regs (that would not be suitable for cold British waters year-round), a basic vest BCD (that would squeeze me in ways I wouldn't like) and basic fins/mask etc. Thankfully I got to try a lot of fins from the club (jet/RK3 style fins were a revelation!), had two free-flows (bought MTX-Rs to make sure that wasn't likely again), had a weight belt slip off due to body shape (so bought integrated weights), had the luxury of borrowing a nearly brand new, top of the line O'Three dry suit (just put my order in for my own, YAY!), didn't like the squeeze front and back from vest BCDs (XDeep BPW instead) and realised that I couldn't read small, black & white computer screens very easily so bought a large, full colour one. It pays dividends to wait and to experiment with different gear.
Best pieces of advice to those looking to buy is
1) Buy once, cry once. Buy the best that can afford at an amount you're comfortable spending. You'll only end up buying a replacement, costing more in the end, whilst possibly being left with something with little resale value too.
2) Borrow/rent different types of gear when you can to mix up the type of gear you're using, it can eliminate or highlight something that you didn't know you wanted/cared about.
3) Invest your time in being a gear nerd/tech head for a while (you'll probably enjoy it anyway). Watch/read reviews on different types of gear to see what the common threads/discussion points are, even with retailer reviews they will often be either frank/honest or say things in such a way to read between the lines about. You'd think that personal reviews would be the best to look at, but they have even more at stake there with their sunk-cost, 'I paid £700 for this backplate/wing and I love it', or they have limited experience with other models/brands in the same category. Read/watch both and try to find people with similar priorities, a huge gear selection and no sponsors/retailers where possible :) This will also allow you to create a list of 'must-haves' and 'nice to haves' features in your gear. Do you NEED air integration? No, probably not, are you willing to spend a bit extra for it? Read the Reddit/TH-cam posts and watch/read the reviews!
Gus is right , saw too many customers customers with the best of everything cheap out on gear or try to use crapped out 2nd hand gear in my time at a dive shop
Great video once again a thumbs up from me !
The only thing I've ever had to medically exclude a diver from the course for was one who had a history of angina. Or I should say, my boss made the call.
I've even tried teaching someone with an anxiety disorder, but he couldn't handle it in the pool, and dropped off the course.
I have an anxiety disorder and would love to try scuba diving but I probably would be too prone to panicking lol that’s awesome that you tried to help that person though.
In terms of people buying cheap gear, I feel that people (at least in my case and my friends) realize it’s expensive sport/hobby and try to find a cheaper alternative. Expensive doesn’t always mean better, people should definitely do their research though before they buy
Being familiar with mark's style of video and humor might help 😂 Such a big fan of both channels.
"Nobody fails, but that doesn't mean you will all pass at the same time!"
I've seen an instructor fail a student in rescue class. The guy showed up an hour late to the open water section. Didn't have the gear he was told to bring. Didn't know any of the skills when asked to do them. Couldn't use a compass, didn't know search skills. It was a mess. The instructor has been teaching diving since the 1970's and is a retired school teacher. Super nice guy. He took the student aside and said he couldn't pass him but if he wanted to try again later he would let him. The instructor wasn't rude but very stern about it.
I’m regards to diving as cheaply as possible… it’s true, I have two buddies who are commercial divers and they both tried talking me into buying the cheapest gear on the market because it works just fine. I wasn’t into it. I have spent thousands on my gear because I want reliable equipment and redundancy. Even my dad gives me crap for spending so much money on it all because he dove on minimal garbage when he was younger and even pushed for me to get rid of my octo because it’s an annoyance. Idk why people don’t look at it like the life support equipment that it is
THE HAT!
I am advanced diver with instructor training (helping out fellow divers at the center being there test subjects and everything for there instructor classes, many many many times lol)
I have over 150 dives under my belt.
I still put my mask on my forhead just because I feel like it and my tanks stand up at home in my garage, and this person would be failing me for some stuff lol