This week we have a guest commentator. Here is what he has to say:
“Over the past four decades, I’ve witnessed a lot of diver training, both as an Instructor and Instructor Trainer for several organizations, and as a headquarters employee for NAUI, PADI, SDI and TDI. Thus, when I see scuba certification classes, I tend to scrutinize what is going on a bit more than most.
“Recently I was at Vortex Springs on a weekend when more than 300 divers were completing their open water training dives. I had the opportunity to observe Cindy Caldwell and Daryl Deroche as they certified six new divers for Harry’s Dive Shop. Suffice it to say, Cindy and Daryl did a number of things differently than the other instructors I observed — things that set them apart from the crowd. Here are just a few examples:
“When teaching and diving at a crowded site, consideration of others is important. Unfortunately, most instructors allow their students to tie up the few available entry stairs while the students struggle into their fins. Cindy and Daryl would not accept their students doing that. They had everyone inflate their BCs, enter the water and float clear of the entry area before donning fins. The result? No one else was delayed because of Harry’s Dive Shop’s students.
“Visibility at Vortex Spring is generally excellent — but it can be severely diminished when students are allowed to stand or wallow on the bottom. Cindy and Daryl discouraged their students doing that, entering, exiting or performing skills.
“It was also easy to identify Harry’s Dive Shop’s students because of their distinctive yellow hoods. On a busy training weekend, when all divers tend to look alike under water, it is easy for students from different dive centers to find themselves accidentally following the wrong instructor. The yellow hoods make Harry’s students stand out and help prevent them from getting separated or confused.
“A long-standing test we use to determine whether to certify a new instructor — or recommend any dive store or instructor to students — is to ask, would I trust this person or dive center to teach my loved ones? Based on what I’ve seen of Harry’s Dive Shop, that answer is an unqualified Yes.”
No relation to Harry Caldwell, founder of Harry’s Dive Shop, Harry Averill has nevertheless been a key contributor to the diver training materials used by over 90 percent of the world’s divers, regardless of agency. He also teaches people how to dive in caves.
