Underwater exchange of equipment was a VERY educational experience. I had a few minutes to discuss the procedure with my partner (about my size) and we thought we had it down..... but actually swapping all equipment underwater while buddy breathing was a VERY enlightening experience. I can not imagine open water students doing this, but I highly recommend this experience to everyone. It sounds so easy to swap BCD, fins, mask, etc... but actually doing it was an experience I highly recommend.
Second....
Playing victim in rescue classes.... I have done this three times and will do it again tomorrow. This is another VERY enlightning experience.... to play 'unresponsive victim' with different students and different instructors is a very good thing to me. Yes, it was good to take the rescue diver course and play "rescuer"..... that is definitely invaluable....
but playing victim has been giving me insight I could not get from the books or from being 'the rescuer'. All the time I am trying to relax and be a limp pile of blubber gives me the time to really pay attention to the 'rescuer's actions and how effective they are and how much effort is being expended. I notice as they fumble with my low-pressure inflator (and usually activate the pnuematic squawker instead of filling my bcd). In fresh water (the pool) I sink... so it is really good experience when the student climbs out of the pool and momentarily lets go of me to let myself sink to the bottom of the pool .... it takes some anticipation and the ability to hold my breath.... but it also makes me aware that when trying to rescue a swimmer/diver that you have to pay attention every milllisecond. Someday I want to see the students face when they hear the instructor ask "where's your victim?" and the student sees I am on the bottom of the pool.
Let your local instructor / dive shop know you are willing to play victim. I think you will find the experience to be rewarding.
Another very rewarding experience is playing "panicked diver at the surface". When another student handles this well, it REALLY drives home how effective it can be to have water splashed in my face... I know I am fine, yet I still am repulsed when I try to go after the rescuer. And if I do get the chance to try to climb right on top of the rescuer, and they respond by quickly descending... this also drills into my brain the effectiveness of that rescuer response.
Anyway, these are not things I would consider "missing" from "open water"... .... are advanced students ready to play victim? Are advanced students ready to do a complete equipment swap ? Perhaps students in 'rescue diver' courses should have to play victim ?
What do you think ?
Edited by Dive_Girl, 25 September 2008 - 10:22 AM.
[Topic split from What was missing in your dive training, as this is an EXCELLENT topic and suggestion!! Thank you!]