Revised BSAC DL Syllabus

[Allan Carr]

During last night's webinar on changes to the DL and SD syllabus, I was rather concerned to hear Dom Robinson (BSAC Head of Diving and Training) say that he didn't think mid-water DSMB deployment was a particularly relevant skill since nearly everyone lined off and came up the shot in order to do deco, recounting that that was what he had done for the 65M dive that he had done that day (he's currently in Malta). It struck me that he was not really in touch with the sort of diving that most BSAC members do, that it is not solely deep wreck diving but often scenic diving drifting across the bottom where a mid water DSMB deployment just before safety stop depth is the norm.

[notdeadyet]

Even on deep dives it's not unusual to jump off the shot and drift under an SMB. It's not ideal, a lazy shot or deco station is much better, but it's still fairly common.

I can think of loads of very normal situations where you wouldn't be deploying from the bottom or coming up a shotline. A lot of the walls or pinnacles off the west coast finish well below the surface with a couple of metres of kelp on top, you've no choice but midwater deploy if you're sending a bag up. As you say, drift diving too then midwater deployment is you're only choice. Loads of shallow and mid-range wrecks I'd just send a bag up from wherever I am when the time is up rather than trying to get back to the shot. Clyde, Sound of Mull, it's 50/50 whether I bother with the shotline or not. Seems a bit daft to preach buoyancy control and then plant yourself on the deck to fire the SMB.

[bottle maker]

Using a lazy shot it's not uncommon for everyone to bag off at 12 meters and float with the bouy. Did not listen to the webinar but if the BSAC want to remove that from DL where are they fitting it in.

Graham

[Dave1w]

I thought that he said it was still in there in the diving skills?


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[Allan Carr]

It struck me that Dom Robinson was not totally familiar with all the DL syllabus. Somebody specifically asked about it and it appeared that Dom did not realise it was a specific lesson in the DL course.

[dwhitlow]

It struck me that Dom Robinson was not totally familiar with all the DL syllabus. Somebody specifically asked about it and it appeared that Dom did not realise it was a specific lesson in the DL course.

IMHO he lives in an alternate reality! Why would he worry what the rest of us do?

My only interaction with him was similarly unfavourable. It seems the only future format for BSAC instructor materials will be 'phone-friendly' PDFs (phone-friendly means huge fonts, lots of pages, active index links, but useless if someone wants to print and annotate the lesson notes). In his world 'this is what people prefer', in my world I've yet to meet anyone who agrees. On the last course old lesson materials closely matched the useful content, and everyone passed the exam. The most important knowledge transfer is real live experience transfer and not sitting on the phone reading stupid PDFs!

Mid-water SMB deployment is something that should be taught from the start. It's not actually hard if you've 'got' buoyancy and staying mid-water for lessons reinforces that core skill. That aside, if a DL hasn't mastered that mid-water SMB, and becomes an instructor, are they really equipped to deal with the things that might happen in their diving?

I sense the BSAC HQ focus is about growing the reliance on the BSAC HQ, and BSAC centres, getting BSAC fees paid (to support HQ wages and pension funds) and perhaps absorbing the branches into 'their' view of BSAC. They seem to be doing so much of it badly and the 'why BSAC' question has recently appeared in our branch. How active are the alternative branch-supporting agencies?

[Allan Carr]

I sense the BSAC HQ focus is about growing the reliance on the BSAC HQ, and BSAC centres, getting BSAC fees paid (to support HQ wages and pension funds) and perhaps absorbing the branches into 'their' view of BSAC.

That is the view in our club. BSAC seem to want to move to being HQ centric with the branches being marginalised when it comes to training. The growing number of SDC's, each with an expensive pack seems modelled on the PADI system to provide a source of revenue for BSAC centres and HQ. Before an OWI can teach some of these SDC's, they have to have done the SDC themselves even the the content is part of courses such as Dive Leader which they can already teach. I was talking to someone who had been on the compressor operation SDC and he said it was a total waste of time and money since he learnt nothing that he did not already know. He had been told that unless he went on the SDC, his club would not be covered by BSAC insurance in the event of an incident related to compressor operation.

When I'm doing theory lessons, there are always questions about related subjects which are not covered in the formal presentation material. Doing all the theory on-line does not allow for this interaction which is vital in building knowledge and confidence in trainees. We have several junior members whose parents are also members and I use a different presentation style with them than I do with adult trainees. In-water teaching also needs to be done differently. It's not a case of one size fits all.

BSAC seems to be concentrating on hard-core, deep wreck technical divers and seems to think that this is the future. Diving is in danger of becoming a very elitist sport, open only to the affluent. Our club is doing everything we can to make it more affordable and accessible. Being an inland club, travel costs and accommodation are massive factors even without the cost of hardboats. Much of our diving this year will be shore diving and where overnight accommodation is involved, many members will be camping. We are looking at Seasearch actvities to add interest to our shore diving.

[Chrisch]

.... He had been told that unless he went on the SDC, his club would not be covered by BSAC insurance in the event of an incident related to compressor operation.

A lot of bovine dung seems to sit behind this particular windbreak.

....
BSAC seems to be concentrating on hard-core, deep wreck technical divers and seems to think that this is the future. Diving is in danger of becoming a very elitist sport, open only to the affluent. ..

Maybe so. I don't know anyone that dives that is anything other that (relatively) well off. Never have.

[gobfish1]

Dom Robinson is talking out of his arse.

[Paul Evans]

Dom Robinson is talking out of his arse.

I am sure PADI will run a speciality to cover it for him 😃

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