Today we had some great dives and I have redeemed myself by getting some great photos and video. We headed south to Palancar for amazing swim throughs with nurse sharks, turtles and Rays. The coral reefs and tropical abound, and the turtles and nurse sharks are the rulers of this amazing dive location. Casa Del Mar and the attached Del Mar Aquatics staff are accomidating and just a pleasure to deal with. The boats are well run and the diving is breathtaking. Drift diving rules!!! I was on the third dive of the day and spotted a nice sized turtle heading north into diagonal into the current and I kicked as hard as I could to get close for a video and a couple of snap-shots. I burned through 500 psi to do this and it was well worth it. Once I got close enough to shoot I hit the record button and shot the video.(Go to the video by clicking on the title of this post) Once the video was done I changed from video to photo mode and snapped a couple of photos. By the time all of this was done I was winded and headed to thirty feet to just drift with the current and catch my breath. What an amazing encounter!!! The items attached are cool but don't do justice to my experience. WOW!!!
Carl
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
What is an "Assistant Instructor"?
So, if you have trained with us, you may have been working with an Assistant Instructor during part of your training. What does that actually mean?
Let's start with a very brief explanation of the PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) structure. To start off your professional diving career, you become a PADI member when you apply for and are accepted as a Divemaster (see prior blog for info on Divemaster). From there, you can take a ~4 day course and become an Assistant Instructor (AI). From there, you only have to take the Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) course and pass the instructor exam to become a full Instructor. Most people combine the AI and the OWSI into one week long course called the Instructor Development Course (IDC). After that they take the two day exam and are a full instructor.
So, what can you do as an AI. Basically put, you can teach the Open Water Scuba course under the direct supervision of an Instructor. Which means you get to work directly with students from beginning to end. Introducing people to diving can be extremely rewarding. Also, you can independently complete the pool session only Discover Scuba Diving.
For a lot of people, being an AI is a career. Most of those people are not here in the US though. For the most part scuba instruction in the US is taught by part timers who have "real" jobs on the side and they teach scuba for the fun and extra money they can make. In the rest of the world however, teaching scuba is considered a full time job. Even though the pay is small, often times Divemasters, AIs, OWSIs rely on tourist tips to augment their income and a professional that has a lot of hustle can make a good deal of money. I know a number of American ex-pats that are doing quite well on Caribbean islands.
Overall, being an AI is not that difficult. The course consists of four parts and each part is performance based, not time based. This means that you get to become proficient at teaching scuba and get comfortable, and not simply just meet a criteria for X number of hours. There are 8 lectures that you have to attend - a little over a days worth. You have to prepare and deliver at least two micro teaching presentations. Micro teaching is just a way to help you organize how you present info to students so that they retain it. The final parts are two confined water and open water teaching presentations. Remember that the system is performance based, so if you have a weak area that needs work, you'll get more practice to build it up.
PADI has built a fantastic instructional system. The basis of this system comes from the founder who in the sixties recognized that scuba instruction could benefit from an organized approach similar to what was being used in more progressive colleges and schools at the time. PADI's system has been copied numerous times, but still remains the gold standard for scuba educational systems.
What I enjoy about the PADI system is that it clearly defines what divers need to do to become certified, communicates it ahead of time and then is also performance based, meaning that divers can take as along or as little time as needed to master skills that they need for their level. Compared to the old days of training, it has come a long way.
If you want more info, let me know. Greg
Let's start with a very brief explanation of the PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) structure. To start off your professional diving career, you become a PADI member when you apply for and are accepted as a Divemaster (see prior blog for info on Divemaster). From there, you can take a ~4 day course and become an Assistant Instructor (AI). From there, you only have to take the Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) course and pass the instructor exam to become a full Instructor. Most people combine the AI and the OWSI into one week long course called the Instructor Development Course (IDC). After that they take the two day exam and are a full instructor.
So, what can you do as an AI. Basically put, you can teach the Open Water Scuba course under the direct supervision of an Instructor. Which means you get to work directly with students from beginning to end. Introducing people to diving can be extremely rewarding. Also, you can independently complete the pool session only Discover Scuba Diving.
For a lot of people, being an AI is a career. Most of those people are not here in the US though. For the most part scuba instruction in the US is taught by part timers who have "real" jobs on the side and they teach scuba for the fun and extra money they can make. In the rest of the world however, teaching scuba is considered a full time job. Even though the pay is small, often times Divemasters, AIs, OWSIs rely on tourist tips to augment their income and a professional that has a lot of hustle can make a good deal of money. I know a number of American ex-pats that are doing quite well on Caribbean islands.
Overall, being an AI is not that difficult. The course consists of four parts and each part is performance based, not time based. This means that you get to become proficient at teaching scuba and get comfortable, and not simply just meet a criteria for X number of hours. There are 8 lectures that you have to attend - a little over a days worth. You have to prepare and deliver at least two micro teaching presentations. Micro teaching is just a way to help you organize how you present info to students so that they retain it. The final parts are two confined water and open water teaching presentations. Remember that the system is performance based, so if you have a weak area that needs work, you'll get more practice to build it up.
PADI has built a fantastic instructional system. The basis of this system comes from the founder who in the sixties recognized that scuba instruction could benefit from an organized approach similar to what was being used in more progressive colleges and schools at the time. PADI's system has been copied numerous times, but still remains the gold standard for scuba educational systems.
What I enjoy about the PADI system is that it clearly defines what divers need to do to become certified, communicates it ahead of time and then is also performance based, meaning that divers can take as along or as little time as needed to master skills that they need for their level. Compared to the old days of training, it has come a long way.
If you want more info, let me know. Greg
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Random Formulas About Air Consumption v2
I came across a great list of formulas for helping calculate air consumption. If you have never calculated your Surface Air Consumption Rate (SAC or SCR), it is interesting to see how it varies from dive to dive. If you have an air integrated computer, this can be done for you automatically. Greg
Calculating Surface Consumption Rate (SCR) in PSI/MIN:
Salt Water: ((PSI used/Bottom Time) X 33) / Depth + 33
Fresh Water: ((PSI used/Bottom Time) X 34) / Depth + 34
Converting SCR from PSI/MIN to Cubic Feet/MIN: (note: this is how SAC or SCR is normally talked about)
Cubic Feet/min = SCR X Tank Volume (full)/Fill Pressure
Calculating Air Consumption at depth:
Air Consumption at Depth in Sea Water = Surface Consumption Rate / 33 X FSW
Air Consumption At Depth in Fresh Water = Surface Consumption Rate / 34 X FFW
Calculating how long a tank will last at depth:
Tank time = Tank Volume (cubic feet) / Air Consumption at Depth (cubic feet) OR
Tank time = Tank Pressure (PSI) / Air Consumption at Depth (PSI)
Calculating Surface Consumption Rate (SCR) in PSI/MIN:
Salt Water: ((PSI used/Bottom Time) X 33) / Depth + 33
Fresh Water: ((PSI used/Bottom Time) X 34) / Depth + 34
Converting SCR from PSI/MIN to Cubic Feet/MIN: (note: this is how SAC or SCR is normally talked about)
Cubic Feet/min = SCR X Tank Volume (full)/Fill Pressure
Calculating Air Consumption at depth:
Air Consumption at Depth in Sea Water = Surface Consumption Rate / 33 X FSW
Air Consumption At Depth in Fresh Water = Surface Consumption Rate / 34 X FFW
Calculating how long a tank will last at depth:
Tank time = Tank Volume (cubic feet) / Air Consumption at Depth (cubic feet) OR
Tank time = Tank Pressure (PSI) / Air Consumption at Depth (PSI)
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Why should I get my regulator serviced annually?
The latest issue of Undercurrent has a good discussion on regulator care, and, it makes some valid and provocative points that I feel are important to share.
Following the manufacturers’ recommendations for an annual service on your regulator gets it back into manufacturer’s specs. It makes sense to get optimal performance from it, but most important is the life support issue. If $100 is too much for you to spend annually to get a regulator to perform as it should, then maybe you should re-think your priorities. When you are dealing with an emergency you want to know that your regulator is functioning correctly. Your last thought shouldn’t be, ‘Maybe I should have gotten that thing serviced after all”.
A Scubapro warranty will get you "free parts for life" if you get your reg serviced yearly. This is a good savings over time. When you take your reg set in make sure the service techs attend manufacturer’s training. Our service staff regularly attend 1-3 day SCUBAPRO training seminars. When you pick up your regulator after it has been serviced, test it on air while you are still in the dive store. Bo
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