IDC In-Water Training
Presentations
The phases of presentations:
CONFINED WATER
- Briefing
- Demonstration
- Control & Delivery
- Problem Solving
- De-Briefing
OPEN WATER
- Briefing
- Control & Delivery
- Problem Solving
- De-Briefing
As you will have noticed, confined water training requires one more phase than open water training. This is because, in confined water, the students receive a demonstration of how each skill should be performed to meet the performance requirement before they actually practise the skill themselves.
Tips: Ensure you use your cue cards and lesson cards but do not read from them parrot fashion, be positive and interesting, make it fun. Make sure you have a timing device that you can time 30 seconds / 1 minute from and all presentations that need to be for a specific tim,e ensure you make the student do it for this time minimum (add a few seconds on for contingency)
Get yourself a Pop-a-Point pencil (or a normal pencil and sharpener) as well as some reading glasses piping (to attach your pencil to your slates) or a bit of string will suffice. Pencil can be removed with soap and a scratchy pad (like the one to clean dishes). Get yourself a small karabiner to attach slates to your BCD D-rings when not needed
- Always begin by introducing students to the class / location / assistant
- Always finish with asking for questions ‘Has anyone got any questions’
- Prepare all slates the night before you need them
Confined Water
Students perform each skill after a demonstration of the skill
Students can receive instruction to help them.
Open Water
Students perform each skill on your signal.
Students are expected to self correct (as long as safety isn’t compromised)
Don’t teach skills – just apply reminders of critical attributes (only teach good dives practices – such as checking air)
Inform students of the difference if performing skill in open water as opposed to confined water Control is very important as open water environment is less predictable than confined.
You can practice more than one skill at once whereas in confined you only practice one skill at a time.
CONFINED WATER TRAINING
BRIEFING
Intro / overview
Introduction of skills
Value
Realistic value of why divers will learn the skill and a reason to apply it during diving
Objective
A clear statement of measurable performance requirement for each skill
Explanation
A brief description of the critical steps required to complete the skill
Tip: it may be beneficial to demonstrate the steps while explaining them or have student divers go through the skill’s motions
Conduct
A clear description of where and when the skill practice will be performed
Where the students will be positioned also include statements describing what they should do before, during and after their performance. It may be appropriate to explain the instructor & any assistants roles
Signals
A demonstration of the signals that will be used throughout the skill
Performance
Establish specific signals used to indicate each skill, so divers will later.
Recognize what is being asked of them.
DEMONSTRATION
Ensure that all the student divers can clearly see the demonstration Tip: think how it is best for you to be positioned while demonstrating the skill. For example if you are demonstrating the fin-pivot ensure that your left side (where your low pressure inflator hose is located) is nearest the students so that they can clearly see how it is used during the skill.
Show all the critical steps as described in the briefing Use slow, smooth, exaggerated and deliberate movements to draw attention to details that will make performing the skill easier If necessary use your assistant to help you demonstrate the skill (especially Buddy Breathing and AAS)
CONTROL & DELIVERY
Position yourself and students appropriately, in an area conducive to the skill (shallow or deep water, corner of pool, back to face wall of pool etc.) Tip: it may be beneficial to position students with their back facing the pool wall so that they cannot float away very far. You will generally be positioned in front of them. The poolside will also act as a support for them should they need to surface. If you have many students you could use the corner of the pool so that they still all have their backs to the wall and can still see you clearly.
Consider ways of conducting the skill to minimize problems or reduce the risk to student divers should problems occur.
Position assistants, if necessary, where they can observe student divers that are not directly under your supervision.
Tip: communicate with your assistant frequently to ask them if they are ok and to instruct them to watch the group whenever they are not under your direct supervision (when you are supervising a student practising a skill)
Organize activity flow efficiently.
Tip: connect the skills performed in shallow area and those performed in deeper water, for efficient use of time.
Provide guidance and adequate positive re-enforcement
Tip: shake the students hand and/or clap while underwater once the student has successfully performed the skill and met the performance requirement.
Student Practise
Ensure that each student practices each skill.
Have them repeat it until each demonstrates mastery of the skill.
PROBLEM SOLVING
Anticipate problems and make provisions to correctly respond, or prevent, each.
Tip: For skills that require student to swap to their alternate air source it is a good idea to anticipate that may experience a problem and have your alternate air source ready in your hand to offer them in such circumstances.
Be close to student divers and ready to help
Tip: When a student is performing a hover ensure that you are positioned close enough to stop them from making a rapid ascent should they fill their BCD too fast. Maybe hold onto their SPG. Remember to explain in your briefing that you will do this and why.
Offer guidance through signals and touch.
Reinforce the proper technique after identifying and correcting a problem Tip: remind students of any problems that they encountered (maybe tap your head with your finger, to signal ‘ remember’, and remind them of the specific problem by mimicking it exaggeratedly. Then wag your finger, to represent ‘ no’ or ‘not like that’, and then demonstrate how to perform the attribute of the skill correctly. Ensure you give the ‘ok’ signal at the very end to confirm that the student has understood what you’ve told them. Then gesture for them to return to the group and call the next student forward (remember at this point to ask your assistant if they are ok and to watch the group)
DEBRIEFING
Examples
Give specific examples of how well students performed the skill (positive re-enforcement)
Highlight parts of the skill that students performed smoothly.
Clearly state that students met required performance requirements.
Problems – Identify specific problems.
Suggestions – Give specific suggestions for avoiding problems & improving performance.
Re-state the objective (read this from the confined water cue card relating to the dive and skill you are presenting.
Value – Re-enforce the value of the skill and how it was applied.
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OPEN WATER TRAINING
BRIEFING
Intro / overview
Introduction of skills
Brief statement welcoming divers to the dive site
Value
Realistic value of why divers have learned the skill and a reason to apply them in open water
Objective
A clear statement of measurable performance requirements (read directly from open water cue cards)
Skill Review
Quick reminder of the key steps Quick reminder / suggestion for successfully accomplishing the skills in open water.
Conduct
A clear description of how the skill practice will be organised.
Where the students will be positioned, the sequence of events and the instructor & any assistants roles.
Signals
A reminder of the signals used to indicate each skill and guide practice.
CONTROL & DELIVERY
Position yourself and students appropriately
Ensure your positioning of Assistant allows him o monitor students (normally behind students)
Communicate efficiently with students and Assistant
Tell Assistant to ‘watch’ students before you begin with each student
Organize activity flow efficiently
Ensure you can always see your students / the students waiting and your Assistant (ie don’t have your back to them)
Provide guidance and adequate positive re-enforcement
Observe surroundings & diver interaction with environment and each other
Do not waste time / violate PADI standards / allow any unsafe practises
Student Practise
Allow students to self correct (only as long as safety isn’t compromised)
Identify problems and then tell students what they did wrong and how to prevent from occurring again (ie couldn’t reach regulator on regulator recovery – emphasise leaning right and sweeping the hand down and round)
PROBLEM SOLVING
Anticipate problems and make provisions to correctly respond, or prevent each
Be close to student divers and ready to help
Offer guidance through signals and touch
Reinforce the proper technique after identifying and correcting a problem
TIP: expect problems and run through the skill in your head as the students are practising and if they make a safety critical error stop them before they continue (safety critical errors include putting regulator in upside down, over inflating BCD on hover / fin pivot / 5 point ascent)
DEBRIEFING
Examples
Give specific examples of how well students performed the skill (positive reinforcement)
Performance
Clearly state that students met required performance requirements
Problems
Identify specific problems
Suggestions
Give specific suggestions for avoiding problems & improving performance
Value
Re-enforce the value of the skill and how it was applied
Objective
Restate the objective (read directly from cue cards)
RESCUE – UNRESPONSIVE DIVER AT THE SURFACE
You will have a 50/50 Chance of doing this with a rescue mask so practise both
APPROACH Splash water to try to get divers attention. Shout ‘Diver, diver – I am a rescue diver, are you okay?
SHAKE VICTIM Ask if okay.
TURN OVER VICTIM Crossover arm turn.
CALL FOR HELP Shout ‘Help, help – I have an unconscious diver, call for EMS’
ESTABLISH BUOYANCY
Inflate the victims BCD
Inflate your BCD
Remove the victims weight belt
Remove your weight belt
POSITION YOURSELF
Position yourself on one side of the victim, at their shoulder, so that your head is near the victim’s head. Whichever side of victim you are positioned will determine which hand should be used to support their head and which should be used to remove equipment.
Always use the hand that is closest to their weight belt to remove equipment and the hand that is nearest the head to support their head. If you prefer to use your right hand to remove equipment position yourself on the victims left side and support the their head with your left.
REMOVE REGULATOR Remove the victims regulator
REMOVE MASK Remove the victims mask Remove your own mask
OPEN AIRWAY Head tilt, chin lift method
Left hand under head (head tilt, chin lift method – never stop supporting the head throughout the rescue. It is vital that you keep their face above the water – water continually flowing across the face s deemed as a failed rescue attempt)
CHECK FOR BREATHING
Look – for chest rising and falling 10 seconds (count aloud)
Listen – for breathing or coughing
Feel – for breathe
(To perform the above 3 key-points simultaneously: position your head with your earlobe over the victims mouth and nose area so that you can feel any exhalations on your ear lobe. You will also be able to hear any murmuring or coughing that may occur. Face your head so that you are looking down the victims body, towards their feet,and look to see if their chest rises and falls)
2 RESCUE BREATHS
Perform 2 slow rescue breaths – remembering to pinch the victims nose
CALL FOR HELP Shout ‘Help, help – I have an unconscious diver, call for EMS’ You can do this anytime before this
COUNT 5 SECONDS
(count aloud)
1 one thousand, 2 one thousand… (Flick any excess water from your hand at 4 one thousand)
1 RESCUE BREATH
Perform 1 breath
CONTINUE RESUSCITATION
Continuously repeat the cycle of the above 2 key-points until the victim is at the exit point and can be removed from the water.
EQUIPMENT REMOVAL
Remove victims BCD This should be carried out between performing resuscitation(undo releases and cummerbund, you may wish to vent some air using the Low Pressure Inflator hose so that you can easily slide the BCD from beneath them) Remove your own equipment (It may be preferable for you to remove equipment near the boat or exit point because it may provide necessary buoyancy for both the victim and yourself during the tow)
Please note that if you accidentally leave more than 5 seconds between performing a rescue breath, you must give 2 rescue breaths then continue with the procedure.
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