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Home » RAID

134 Teaching Skills Neutrally Buoyant vs Kneeling

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we learn about teaching scuba diving skills while neutrally buoyant vs kneeling.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

So the Internet is a buzz with banter regarding teaching scuba diving skills while neutrally buoyant from the beginning versus kneeling from the beginning. In fact, the debate is quite heated in some cases. Now it’s true that we all want to make the best divers possible, but how to get there varies by dive pro and even agencies in some cases.

So obviously all open water divers will at some point during an open water diver course need to demonstrate proficiency in neutral buoyancy. For some that mastery is quicker than others. And for some of us Instructors, seeing students demonstrating neutral buoyancy or hovering for 30 seconds or a minute is not mastery. But that’s a whole other soapbox. So what is at debate is how we get them there and how quickly should we introduce neutral buoyancy.

James Blackman is host of the wildly popular YouTube channel Divers Ready. And during an interview with him he mentioned how he was doing training for a young lady who wanted to become a Technical diver. So he started off with an assessment Dive and when he asked her to do mask clears she immediately deflated her BC and kneeled in the sand to do her skills. This blew his mind and it was proof that her training never involved doing these exercises, to mastery, while neutrally buoyant.

So in this episode we are going to breakdown the pro’s and con’s of teaching skills neutrally buoyant vs kneeling.

Items In This Episode

  • Pro’s and con’s of kneeling on the bottom
  • Pro’s and con’s of neutrally buoyant
  • Examples of skills
  • Overall benefits of teaching all skills while in neutral buoyancy

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

https://www.patreon.com/thedivelocker

Thanks For Listening!

That’s it for today, everyone. Thank you so much for listening. Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified of new episodes as soon as they go live and please leave a rating. Items talked about in this episode can be found on the show notes Page at scubaguru.com . There you can also click the microphone and leave us a comment. Thanks again. We’ll see you in the next episode. Safe diving and take good care of my friends.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/divelocker/134_Teaching_Skills_Neutrally_Buoyant_vs_Kneeling.mp3

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Filed Under: The Dive Locker Podcast Tagged With: Kirk Krack, kneeling, neutral buoyancy, RAID

LXD053 : Paul Toomer

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

Paul Toomer – Legendary Technical Diving Instructor

Paul_Toomer_ScubaGuru

In this episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with technical diving legend Paul Toomer.

Hey everybody welcome to another episode of the League of Extraordinary Divers. It’s so great to have you here with me today.

Today’s guest is one of the most stand out, iconic figures in our industry. Paul Toomer looks more like a rockstar than an accomplished technical diving instructor trainer. His wit and his fun-loving nature are balanced by his dedication to his craft.

Bio

Paul is the President of training agency RAID, he is a working instructor trainer and expedition diver.

After living in South Africa for 23 years it’s odd that Paul discovered diving in the cold waters of Southern England. It is this kind of behavior that defines Paul and his passion for doing things differently. Within months of learning to dive he had his own center in London and rapidly progressed to Course Director before finding his passion for technical diving in 2002. Paul is an avid wreck, cave, sidemount and rebreather diver.

In 2002 Paul began pursuing his technical diving interests and rebreather diving became his main focus.

In 2007, he decided to concentrate purely on technical diver training and expeditions, and Diving Matrix Tec Lab was born. Tec Lab was innovative in its design and philosophy and set the benchmark for advanced diver training. In 2011 Paul was offered the position as Director of Technical Training for SSI (Scuba Schools International) and was responsible for writing diver and instructor manuals and training standards as well as training future technical instructors and trainers.

In 2014 Paul became a co-owner of RAID International. Initially he held the position of Training Director but in 2019 he accepted the position as President for the company.

Paul has dived wrecks and caves all over the world and also safely planned and executed many deep ocean wreck dives.

He has participated in multiple expeditions including the HMS Hampshire, Vanguard and Royal Oak in Scapa Flow. In Malta and Italy, he has worked on ancient Italian and Phoenician amphora wrecks and has participated in exploratory dives on the Polish destroyer L-72, the British submarine HMS Olympus, an American WWII B-24 bomber, and many others.

Paul regularly contributes to various dive magazines including Submerged, Diver, Sport Diver and Tanked Up. He has worked with Film and TV Companies as a diver, supplier and advisor. He has given many diving related presentations at training agency member events, OZTek, DEMA, TekDive USA, BalticTech, ADEX, EuroTek, TekCamp, the British Scuba Industry Trade Association, the London International Dive Show and global dealer Seminars.

A little boy called Sebastian, motorcycles, tattoos and playing drums are the other major influences in Paul’s life.

Items In This Podcast

  • BSAC dive training
  • From terrified of marine animals to dive pro
  • Opened a dive shop the week he became a scuba instructor
  • Worst PADI Course Director application in history
  • Working for SSI
  • Working for RAID
  • Getting through COVID
  • The DEMA hotel bar
  • Sardine run excitement
  • Flooded rebreather loop at 110 meters
  • Panic diver at 100 meters
  • Pee valve practical joke

Sponsor

Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Adventures

Aggressor Adventures

Thanks For Listening!

Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.

Please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/tecclark/LXD_053___Paul_Toomer.mp3

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Filed Under: League of Extraordinary Divers Podcast Tagged With: BSAC, DEMA Show, PADI, Paul Toomer, RAID, SSI

097 All About RAID

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast you’ll learn about the dive training agency RAID and what makes them different.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

Today we catch up with one of the newest dive training agencies on the block. RAID. RAID stands for The Rebreather Association of International Divers (RAID). It is a dive training organization which was founded in 2007 by Barry Coleman to support diver training for the Poseidon Mk VI Discovery Rebreather. It has since extended its scope to include open circuit scuba training and training for both recreational and technical diving sectors as well as snorkeling and freediving. Today I interview RAID’s iconic president Paul Toomer. And you will learn so much about why this training agency is different and turning many heads.

Items In This Episode

  • The origins of RAID
  • Unique training standards
  • Shaping the future of the RSTC
  • Teaching skills in neutral buoyancy

Episode Sponsor

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

https://www.patreon.com/thedivelocker

Thanks For Listening!

That’s it for today, everyone. Thank you so much for listening. Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified of new episodes as soon as they go live and please leave a rating. Items talked about in this episode can be found on the show notes Page at scubaguru.com . There you can also click the microphone and leave us a comment. Thanks again. We’ll see you in the next episode. Safe diving and take good care of my friends.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/divelocker/097_All_About_RAID.mp3

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Filed Under: The Dive Locker Podcast Tagged With: Paul Toomer, RAID

059 The Importance of The Swim Test for Open Water Diver Courses

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast we uncover the importance of the swim test during Open Water Diver courses.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to The Dive Locker Podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.


Thanks for being with me today! Well in this episode we are gonna talk about the importance of the swim test for open water diver courses. RSTC says one thing, the agencies say something else. Then you’ve got variations of the test to consider as well as rules that can be, and are being, violated because instructors are letting them. There’s some great items to discuss, clarify and bring to light. Im also going to discuss tips for administering the swim test to make it as effective as possible.

Now we all know you need to be able to swim to be a certified diver, right? But what does “able to swim” mean? What is the ability needed and what should be measured? And by the way we are only addressing open water diver in this episode, the leadership swim tests could be a whole different episode. First, let’s break down what it is and what it isn’t. It’s not to measure fitness, endurance or technique. Although some of those might be on display, it’s not what we’re focused on. Instead the swim test is to demonstrate aquatic comfort and proficiency in the ability to keep the airway unobstructed in water. This is done while moving or swimming, and not moving, stationary. Strokes used and how fast one swims are also not measured directly. Yet indirectly they do give us a snapshot of big picture aquatic abilities.

Agency Swim Test Standards

So lets look at what our agencies using as standards for this test. And special thanks my colleagues for providing me with their standards and rationale, thanks to Sage Dalton with SSI, Steve Lewis with RAID, Derik Crotts with PSS, Ben Brown with SEI, Kris with NAUI and Jarrod Jablonski with GUE.

First here is what the RSTC standard states:
Physical Conditioning and Watermanship Evaluation. The student shalleffectively demonstrate basic watermanship ability by performing, to an instructor, the watermanship evaluation required by a training organization. This watermanship evaluation shall include either: a) continuous 200 yard (183 metre) surface distance swim and a 10 minute survival swim/float without the use of mask, fins, snorkel or of other swimming aids. b) 300 yard swim using mask, fins and snorkel, and a 10 minute survival swim/float without mask, fins, snorkel or other swimming aid. If an exposure suit is used, the wearer must be neutrally buoyant at the surface.

Swim Test Standards

  • PADI
  • SSI
  • RAID
  • PSS
  • SEI
  • GUE
  • NAUI

Items In This Episode

  • What to look for in the swim test?
  • How to conduct the swim test?
  • How do instructors do the swim test wrong?

Episode Sponsors

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Click these links and be sure to type in the coupon code TEC12ALL to receive a 12% discount off the course price. You’ll be amazed at what you can do!

ScubaGuru Immersion Freediving
https://immersionfreediving.teachable.com/?affcode=206131_bl8ovx1s

If you find this show adds value to you as a dive pro and you’d like to help support the show, please consider supporting it on Patreon. It’s only $4 per month – that’s only $1 per episode. When you become a supporter of The Dive Locker you’ll get a shout out from me on the next episode after you join. You will also be listed on the Patrons of Dive Locker Podcast webpage. And you will receive 10% off any ScubaGuru Academy course at the Patron level, and 20% off at the Rockstar level. And of course my undying appreciation for helping support the show.

https://www.patreon.com/thedivelocker

Thanks For Listening!

That’s it for today, everyone. Thank you so much for listening. Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified of new episodes as soon as they go live and please leave a rating. Items talked about in this episode can be found on the show notes Page at scubaguru.com and there you can also click the microphone and leave us a comment. Thanks again. We’ll see you in the next episode. Safe diving and take good care of my friends.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/divelocker/059_The_Importance_of_The_Swim_Test_for_Open_Water_Diver_Courses.mp3

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Filed Under: The Dive Locker Podcast Tagged With: GUE, NAUI, PADI, PSS, RAID, SEI, SSI, Swim Test

034 Awesome Dive Industry Resources During COVID-19

By Tec Clark Leave a Comment

In this episode of The Dive Locker Podcast you’ll hear about the top professional development webinars and the top fun challenges to get you through COVID-19 lockdown.

Welcome To The Show!

Welcome to the dive locker podcast, the podcast for dive professionals where we bring you the latest in diving industry resources that make you excellent at teaching techniques, risk management and dive business.

Well the dive industry keeps steeping up. It seems everyone is getting in on the podcasting or webinar bus these days, and that’s a really good thing. Why because we can keep up with our industry relationships and professional development. I really like seeing people shift into a new gear when faced with adversity. Its been so impressive to see ingenuity and creativity emerge during a worldwide lockdown. And that’s what this episode is all about. Im going to share with you awesome industry resources that will professionally develop you and keep you connected to your industry colleagues through fun internet challenges.

Resources to Get Through COVID-19

  • The Diver Medic Webinars
  • RAID’s Online Magazine The Edge
  • PADI Resource Hub Webinars
  • DEMA’s COVID-19 Resources
  • SDI TDI Facebook Live Interviews
  • PSI-PCI Virtual Classroom Training
  • William Cline’s Special Dive Industry COVID-19 Survey

Fun Challenges You Should Do

  • #DIVESTRONG
  • #FODO
  • Under Bathwater Photography Competition
  • Thrash Till We Splash!

Episode Sponsor

Thanks For Listening!

That’s it for today, everyone. Thank you so much for listening. Remember to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play or Stitcher, that way you’ll be notified of new episodes as soon as they go live and please leave a rating. Items talked about in this episode can be found on the show notes Page at scubaguru.com and there you can also click the microphone and leave us a comment. Thanks again. We’ll see you in the next episode. Safe diving and take good care of my friends.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/divelocker/034_Awesome_Dive_Industry_Resources_During_COVID-19.mp3

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Filed Under: The Dive Locker Podcast Tagged With: #DIVESTRONG, #FODO, COVID-19, DEMA, Force Blue, Fourth Element, PADI, PSI-PCI, RAID, SDI, Stream2Sea, The Diver Medic, Willie Cline

About Tec Clark

Tec Clark is a diving industry expert who has held very elite positions in the dive industry including Managing Director of the University of Florida’s Academic Diving Program and National Director of the YMCA Scuba Program. He holds over 40 professional certifications with over 15 diving agencies. Tec has received numerous honors for his instructional abilities and has co-edited several diving texts. He also appeared as a diving expert on A&E, The Learning Channel, and Outdoor Life Network. He was Captain of the US Freediving Team and is the founder of both Reef Ministries and ScubaGuru.com. Tec is the Associate Director for Aquatics and Scuba Diving at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Read More…

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Aggressor Adventures BSAC c-card CMAS confined water Cousteau COVID-19 DAN DAN Risk Retention Group Darcy Kieran DeeperBlue DEMA DEMA Show Doug McNeese First Dive Insurance Owl Underwriting Agency Force Blue Fourth Element freediving Gareth Lock GUE Immersion Freediving Kirk Krack Mark Evans mask Mastery of Domain NAUI Ocean Education International PADI Performance Freediving International Professional Liability Insurance RAID RSTC scuba SDI SEI SSI Stream2Sea Ted Harty The Human Diver Tom Ingram UHMS University of Florida Vicencia & Buckley HUB International Willie Cline YMCA

Welcome Dive Professionals

Welcome to ScubaGuru.com!  The ScubaGuru brand is dedicated to giving dive professionals tools and techniques to be GREAT LEADERS – leaders in the classroom, leaders underwater, and leaders in their diving businesses.  With unique leadership skill-sets, the dive professional can create:

  • Better divers
  • Loyal customers
  • A thriving dive center
  • A flourishing dive industry

See what we mean by Go Beyond the Standard and enjoy the rewards of being truly great at what you do!

Sincerely,

Tec Clark

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