BSAC Ocean Diver Pool sessions

[AndyA]

I see from the BSAC website that the Ocean diver programme includes 5 sheltered water/pool sessions. How long are these sessions, can they be done in a block or do they have to be on different occasions.

[Gareth]

Pool (Sheltered water) lessons can be run as a block. What you must ensure is that the students have the opportunity to repeat & consolidate skills.

This includes assembling & dismantling Scuba sets, & different types of entry & exit. So during the pool sessions they must exit the pool to change cylinders etc.

I have in the past taught 'weekend courses' (BSAC & PADI). Theory & sheltered water skills completed over two days.

It is very noticable, that those who learn on a compressed course do not seem to absorbed the skills as well as those who have done a course as a series of evenings.
I am certain this is down to the fact that people learn better if there is a break between lessons, they forget a little & have to relearn it at the next session. They have to think harder to remember skills that they where taught the week before.
It is also noticable that during a day of intense instruction individuals tend to lose the ability to concentrate, thus absorbing progressivly less & less of what they are taught.

I am a great beleiver that if you can afford the time that you learn more & absorb the information better over a series of weeks. However, compressed courses do work for those who are time poor.

Gareth

[Richard Whitcombe]

I'd tend to agree that the longer spend doing something the more instinctive and easier it becomes.

One of the main drawbacks with some clubs training is they take this to extremes and its not unknown or even that rare for someone to take 8 months to get ocean diver as a result however the opposite is also a problem with compressed 3 day or so courses meaning they've only done the basic skills one or twice and moved on.

There's a happy medium in between that which allows proper experience and practice without dragging it out.

In short, the sessions can be done as a block OR stretched out or any combination in between. The structure will depend on if you're in a club environment, paying through a school and so on.

Typically clubs have about 1hr per week of pool so that alone means the confined lessons are spread over several weeks or more.

[bernie]

ive nearly done now with ocean water tomorrow will be the last 2 dives then ill start on the sports vobster quay tomorrow but after doing the pool sessions and taken to the outside waters this was done over a series of weeks/months and i have learnt so much during a more of a spread because a few things are refreshed each time we start the dive just hope the water aint to cold again like last time.......... although now i have purchased a dry suit and wot a difference..

[SteW]

I did some of my sheltered water lessons in Chepstow quarry. I don't think they have to be specifically pool lessons.