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From: Darrell Pearse <DPEAR_at_cymbolic.com> subject: [Paddlewise] Poor judgement thread/training Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 07:21:43 -0800 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:32:54 PDT

Re: Poor judgement Thread.

 I have been reading this thread for a couple of days now, and I just can't keep my trap shut on this one.

First of all I am new to kayaking, but I am a certified PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)   Divemaster. (Big deal you say. Let me continue.) The kayak industry and the diving industry seem to be parallel in many facets. But the one thing that the diving industry has on its side is international training agencies.

 There are about five major training agencies ( I won't name them all ) and each has its own training programs for everything from basic diving to professional development. Of course kayaking can not dictate the way diving can. ( You can not buy or rent scuba equipment without being certified. ) But kayaking can take advantage of the same systems of training. There would be a beginner rating with the kayaker needing to show competence in x number of basic skills in order to be certified at that level, and so on up the ladder.

This would continue until you reach the professional level. ( Trip leader, Trip Organizer, Instructor, etc.) Where the level of training would increase dramatically. With everyone being trained by the same system the level of competence and consistency between paddlers would increase, and kayaking would be better off as a whole. All professional level kayakers would have to be certified by the agency in order to teach classes and to lead groups on trips. ( I can hear all the instructors around the world groaning. )

I guess one of the biggest problems is the fact that anyone can go out and buy a kayak and / or accessories without any experience in kayaking in any way. ( Like what I'm doing by building the kayak first, taking lessons later. But that's another story. )  So you can't really know someone basic skill level without seeing it first hand. With this in mind I will ( with your forgiveness ) explain what I had to go through to get my Divemaster rating.

 First I had to have completed both the Open Water level ( get wet, breathe underwater, look at fish and stuff. When I took mine the visibility was 1 foot. ) and the Advanced level courses. ( Navigation, Night dives, Deep dives, etc.)  Then I had to finish my Rescue Diver course. ( Search and Rescue, First aid, CPR, etc. ) With all this plus a minimum of  60 logged dives, I was allowed to take the Divemaster training course.

Now the hard work began. First we looked at our own basic skill level and critiqued every aspect of it. Then we had to practice our basic skills until they were of demonstration quality. ( No easy task ) All this underwater with a instructor watching every move. Next we began real rescue training complete with a totally out of control panic situation. ( The instructor was the victim ) I was the sucker who the instructor told to go first. Well let me tell you, I did just about everything wrong, and he almost drowned me. This rescue training continued for three weeks ( three nights a week and weekends ) both in the pool and the ocean. 

Next was Observation and Group Dynamics. The instructors would do things wrong and we would have to tell them exactly what they did wrong and how to correct the problem. ( Both on the surface and underwater) This would go on from now until we passed the course. We would be trained on how to spot problems and problem people before they got into trouble. Then we looked at the pre-dive interview, which most amateur  divers have no idea that the little friendly chat before the dive is actually the divemaster finding out their actual diving experience.

Now we were allowed to observe ( look but don't touch ) in the pool actual Open Water classes ( beginner )
During the class the instructor would make notes on his underwater slate, and we would have to tell him all  of the problems encountered in that class. ( sounds long and tedious doesn't it )

Then came the day we were selected to demonstrate basic skills to real students. ( can you say nervous! )
Needless to say I passed some but failed others. ( Keep practicing ) This would continue for this class and two others minimum. (The Open Water classes consist of 5 nights of theory and pool practice and 1 weekend of ocean diving.) The students had no idea that as they were putting their gear on, we observing everything they were doing. Even underwater we are able to check their gauges without their knowledge.

We also had to assist in an Advanced class and a Rescue class, and map the underwater area of a dive site. (Three weekends of diving)

Now it was time for "hell week". The two nights in the pool we were tested on everything that can happen in a class. As well as our team work to solve problems underwater. (there is no coming up to solve our problem. We had to exchange ALL of our dive gear with another trainee underwater.) Next came the weekend. The first day was a complete diving emergency scenario. Which included an underwater search of a bay about 150 meters across and 200 meters out. Once we had found the victim we had to tow them in and perform emergency procedures i.e. CPR, site control, and evac. 

The next day each trainee was paired up with an instructor. We had to simulate an Open Water class cert. dive with the instructor as a "student". The instructor was given a list of problems that they were suppose to have. Everything from mask on wrong to someone going ballistic from 60 ft down to one joker going down non-stop to a 130 ft. 

All this and swim tests and written tests. If you pass these then you get your divemaster rating. Even then you are on sort of a unwritten probation. 

Now you are asking where in the hell is he going with this. My point is that if you are going to be instructor or group leader you are going to have to expect that some of your charges are not going to be up to the task at hand. It is your job to make sure that nothing happens to them. They are your responsibility. If you are in charge of a trip and you in your judgement think that it is in the best interest of the kayaker not to go, then tell them no, or stay with them every step of the way. ( Yes I know this is not fun, but safety comes first, then fun) If you stay within the limits of the least experienced you should have an uneventful and fun trip. 

There is nothing saying you can't help the kayaker push their limits ( if that's what they want to do) but you must be there to assist them in this undertaking.

Above all look for problems before they happen, not after. Be observant!  

Darrell K. Pearse

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