 Instructors Please Review
INSTRUCTORS PLEASE REVIEW I WOULD BE INERESTED IN YOUR COMMENTS
A certified PADI Master Instructor with many years of experience with training and dive shop ownership was supervising the last dive on an Advanced PADI course.
It was the deep dive and had been delayed and routed to an alternate site. Some of the student divers were concerned about getting the last dive in so the certification process would be complete. The students were please that they were going to get the last dive in.
The MI organized the student divers into 2 groups of three students to one highly experienced Assistant Instructors with years of experience who have worked with the instructor in excess of ten years.
One recently qualified AI who has exceptional dive skills and had the benefit of intense mentorship with the MI as they often drove long hours to dive sites together was pared with two students.
The MI directed the dive from shore where the MI could have a vantage point to watch everyone.
A Dive Master Candidate who has been diving for less than two years with 55 logged dives was pared with a diver with 12 logged dives and were left to do their own thing.
The MI expressed concerns about the quality of the skills of the DMC. The previous year had two incidents while drift diving on his 30th dive and 37th dive that were unsafe for the DMC and had scared the AI’s and the DMC. In both instances the DMC was able to respond and surface unassisted but not in a safe manner no injury occurred. Post dive the AI was so mad at the DMC he couldn’t talk to him because the DMC had lost contact with the AI in poor visibility. The candidate purchase a pony bottle that he always uses in challenging drift dives and deep dives so that he had a higher degree of confidence in self rescue situations. During previous assessments concerns had been raised about being too helpful with the student divers “I like to hang back and let them work it out by themselves”AI comment, “you communicate well with the students at least they can hear you”AI comment, “sometimes you are too loud and need to cut back” MI comment, “You are notorious for constantly adjusting your inflator”AI comment.
The DMC scored well on the exams. The DMC is senior to the rest of the group and has not fit well into the group of instructors and other dive masters. The DMC accepts he may have some self esteem issues, a keener that likely comes across overcompensating, opinionated, seeking, and overbearing. His physical shape is good to excellent for his age but doesn’t have the stamina of the younger staff. He was able to complete the swim and water treading test successfully and better than some younger candidates in his DM course.
The DMC requested a dive with the new AI to attempt to workout concerns about his techniques as he found him to be nice to work with and balanced in his criticism.
The DMC made a dive on the previous day with the new AI to work on concerns about buoyancy control and kick techniques. The AI’s comment at the end of the dive were “good dive continue to work on kick techniques, and decent techniques.
The next day a dive on a shallow wreck provided an opportunity to work alone on the techniques and the DMC commented to the new AI that he felt he had improved.
Pre dive the DMC asked the new diver about her experience and she raised no concerns. BWARF was done and the DMC told the new diver he was carrying a pony bottle and that contrary to the instructions by the MI in the pre dive briefing he prefers to leave his pony bottle off. In the event of an out of air situation go to my octo then when we are sorted out I will clip the pony to you and we will immediately ascend was his instruction to his buddy. The pony is clipped to the front of the DMC.
When the dive begins the DMC tells the new diver we will just follow one of the groups and a distance of 15 to 20 ft is maintained.
At a depth of 65 ft in cold water one of the Advanced Students experiences a free flow. The new AI quickly controls the situation by placing the student on his octo. He looks at the DMC and gives a you watch him signal indicating the other advanced student. At this time they are approximately 8 ft above and to the left of the dive master candidate his buddy is 3 ft to his right and the other student is 5 feet below and five feet to the right. The DMC immediately looks to his right and signals the student and his buddy OK they reply OK. The DMC gives a wait signal to assess the situation. He then looks up to his left and sees the assistant instructor 20 ft above aggressively signaling to come up.
The DMC immediately indicates to the student and his buddy to go up.
The DMC grabs his inflator/deflator hose and signals with his other hand to do the same to the student and indicates go up again. The DMC has 1750 PSI the buddy indicated air OK. The DMC assumes the student air is OK because they are just in the middle of the dive.
The ascent begins and the DMC is monitoring the assent rate as he is the only one with a computer. Things are going well until they get to about 35 ft then the student start to exceed assent rate the DMC pulls him back down and indicates to the student to dump air. The student dumps it all and they start to descend rapidly the DMC hangs on to the student and they go to the bottom. The dive buddy follows. They are both indicating to the DMC ear troubles and the DMC gives the up signal. The DMC has no ear problems. The student starts to fin to go up and he is not getting off the bottom. The DMC swims over and hits the inflate button and they start to rise at about 40 feet both buddy and student are indicating ear trouble DMC indicate go slow up. He suspects maybe reverse block so he attempts to slow rate. They continue to complain. The student attempts to clear and spits out the regulator, eyes go wide but as the DMC reaches for it but the student manages to replace it. OK signals are exchanged. They find themselves back on the bottom again. Buddy swims over and checks the student air and indicates 500 PSI. DMC thinks to himself that was stupid I should have been checking the student’s air. DMC indicates OK gets back OK indicates go up. He thinks this time we are surfacing no matter what. The DMC grabs BC of student and begin a controlled assent. Things are going fine they are still indicating ear problems but DMC is resolved to surface due to air situation. Again at 15 ft the student start to exceed assent rate but DMC lets him go. On the surface both buddy and DMC tell the student to inflate BC he says he did.
DMC asks is everyone ok they indicate OK.
The DMC looks around and comments to reassure everyone we have a long swim but everyone is OK and we have lots of time.
About half way back the DMC, the student, and the buddy are met by the AI who has swam back to meet them after returning the other student to the shore.
The DMC goes over expecting thanks at the car. DMC comment well that turned out ok. With out benefit of an explanation the Master Instructor and the AI come back that was a dangerous situation that could have gone very bad. The MI say what were you even doing there I told your buddy to stay away from the Instructors. If you hadn’t been there the other student would have followed the instructor up. “We need to talk.”
I am the DMC and I am interested in constructive comment by other instructors as to what went wrong, who was using good diving practices and what rules may have been breached and how I could minimize risk for myself and the other divers.
My future in diving.
To date 56 logged dives of varying experience night, deep, drift, wreck, worked with students, demonstrated the PADI skill list.
I have scheduled two wreck dives to do my mapping exercise and will complete two more dives with another organization.
I hope the Master Instructor to sign off that I have completed the requirements of the PADI Dive Master program and we will part ways..
I do not intend to pursue Instructor or lead dive trips don’t need the responsibility or the job at 57.
I do intend to hone my personal skills, read articles, and take specialty courses for the safety of myself and the people around me. Deep dives over 120 ft are not my goal but I may take the entry Tech course for my own knowledge.
My diving in the future will be more focused in the warm waters of the south on holidays not on the cold waters of Canada. | 
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