The other side of the dive

After trying to shuffle around work and scuba trips, my training as a dive master began a little over a month ago with observing my boyfriend's Discover Scuba session. For the first time, I wasn't the participant and it wasn't all about me and my diving. Because Dan got the hang of everything, Mike went beyond DS, into mask clearing and on to basics about buoyancy. While not all of my observation hours will be so up close and personal, I discovered how beneficial it was to have a relationship with the student as well as the instructor. In the pool observing, I was able to see how Mike from The Scuba Source demonstrated the skills and how Dan executed them, but I had the opportunity to discuss the lesson from a student's perspective. In the car, Dan and I discussed his first scuba experience. I was beaming with pride and by the time my car had turned the corner I was ready to book him on the next trip to Cozumel.....that was the moment I learned something from the student.

Basically, I have the ability to scare people from scuba.....that's what he told me....not in those exact words, but apparently I get so excited about diving that I get too technical. He was right. Thinking back to his beginning scuba questions my talk was filled with decompression limits, air consumption, safety stops, and surface intervals. Little did I know I lost him the moment my talk hit the water. A good instructor, an instructor who wants their student to enjoy the learning process, not only teaches the skills and anticipates problems, but helps the student discover the subject a little on their own.

Typical mistake from a beginning teacher.....as a former high school teacher I should know better....I appreciated the lesson.