Angelo Pardinas wrote:

> but the problem is I did not learn about stuck BCD inflator in my OW
class.
> As I recall I only practiced OOA and Regulator free flow in my class. BCD
> problems and ditching weights was not practiced even once.

I'm not able to explain the choices made by certification agencies.  I've
long thought that the separation of entry level and advanced level courses
to be a mistake.  In my experience with those courses, the combination seems
to form an approximation of what I view as a minimum foundation for safe,
self reliant diving.  I'm not even close, however, to being able to define
everything that should or should not be included.

> Another thing, I saw in the archives some arguments on merits of OW
> students actually practicing ditching weights. Some said that if you
> practice this enough - it would become sort of automatic in emergency
> situations.

This is an interesting comment.  My entry level course, almost 40 years ago
now, taught ditching weights.  In fact, ditching your weight belt was the
answer to almost every diving emergency.  That was when BCDs of any kind
were very rare among recreational divers.  The fact is, in all those years
of diving, I've never deliberately ditched weight.  These days, I and most
experienced divers I know recommend ditching weights under water only in the
most extreme circumstances.  Ditching weight at the surface is a more common
recommendation.  An interesting note to this is that today, it is advisable
to look below you before dropping a weight belt.  In my day, there weren't
enough divers to expect someone to be right below a falling weight belt.
For good or bad, that's not always the case these days.

 An a related example, I'll give my personal experience in my OW
> class specifically the Oral Inflation of BCD. Sure we read about it in the
> manual but we did not practice it in the pool session. The first time we
> did it was before our OW controlled emergency ascent, all of us had a
> hard-time doing it. For my part, I kept blowing but forgetting to push the
> deflator button. I sank/swam up maybe 3 times before realizing my mistake.
> And even after the Controlled ascent where we had to orally inflate it
> again, a lot in my class still couldn't do it. Now imagine if this
happened
> it real life - they can't inflate it orally and at the same time cannot
> ditch weights.

Sounds to me like you're doing a fairly good job of defining risks for
yourself.  Keep up the good work.  What it does not sound like you are doing
is devising and practicing your own solutions to those risks.  Without
intending any criticism, if you didn't practice something in the class, why
not practice it on your own?  It is, after all, your life at risk.

> Anyway, do you guys have any personal "war stories" about these things ?
> What problem did you encounter (if any) the most ??

The problem I have encountered more than any other is failure to pay close
enough attention to what I'm doing.   With very few exceptions, every
problem, small or large, I've had while diving was a directly result of
having done or not done something I knew better than to forget.  Complacency
is quite possibly the most significant risk of diving.  When your agency
said diving was safe, they lied.  It's not safe, it's dangerous.  Pay
attention to what you are doing, consider your risks and how to deal with
them and take every chance you get to learn more and it can be done safely.
It's up to you.

> Where in Malaysia - Pulau Tioman - just some favorite weekend getaway of
> people living in Singapore ('coz it's near) - I'm sure you guys would find
> the dive sites boring. :-)

Somehow I doubt that.  Many of those you will correspond with her eat,
drink, sleep and live diving.  Diving is rarely boring to us.

Lee