DEEP BREATH
Instructor fail thyself the myth of mastery
Sometimes, and for a variety of reasons, trainee divers get themselves certifications they don’t really deserve. This can have consequences later. Shocked? Probably not. STEVE WARREN considers the problem
AMY’S LONG SCARLET fingernails dug like talons into my throat. Amy needed to demonstrate her mastery of rescue skills, including resuscitation, to become a certified diver. I was her pretend casualty.
Her attempt fell far short of a pass.
But pass she did.
Amy was desperate to dive but she struggled through her training. Eventually the school’s lead instructor had had enough. “I’m certifying her.” he told me, “regardless.”
I didn’t object. I was young, starting out and lacked the confidence to speak up.
When I became a lead instructor, I certified two students I should not have done. On one occasion I ran out of time at an inland site and telescoped two dives’ worth of skills into one.