How to determine a inst-buddies qualifications?

[mikerault]

In a thread on the question was brought up about how to determine a divers qualifications. I have tried to condese this into a 600 word article at:



Let me know if I missed anything!

Mike

[ScubaDo]

I liked what you had to say.  My first year I had done some dumb stuff.  I was doing fine as a local diver up here, but my first two time in the Keys, I made mistakes being first time for a number of things.  My biggest mistake was diving the Spiegel the first dive of being down there the second time.  I didn't have AOW yet even though I had done dives beyond 80' before.  The Dive operation only required that you had logged two dives beyond 80'.  Later after completing AOW I learned what a bad boy I was.  Lucky for me, I didn't encounter ill effects.  Can't wait to go again this fall with more experience and training.

I think a lot of the problems occur is, students get their training up here, don't do any practice dives locally, do their first real diving in the tropics and not knowing what the heck they are doing because it's an entirely different environment.  Starting diving this way is not the best way to start, it's hard to enjoy the dive because you are trying to get familiar with equipment, how to interreact with other divers who could be in the same position, saltwater verses fresh, being on a boat for the first time etc...