There are several things you can do as an instructor or group leader that will make both our lives easier and show consideration for your fellow divers and instructors. Here are five of them.
Arrive with full tanks
First thing in the morning, our staff is busy checking in all of the groups who want to get an early start. Consequently, we can’t get to filling tanks as quickly as we can at other times of the day.
If your goal is to get in the water as quickly as possible, arrive with full cylinders. This will speed things up considerably. If you plan on additional days of diving, refill your group’s tanks before you leave.
Mark your territory
While each pavilion is numbered, and we have small signs designating if and for whom a pavilion is reserved, these can be hard to see from inside a car.
Smart groups will have a banner or flag with which to mark their pavilion. Or, if you have a company truck with a large logo, park it directly in front of your reserved pavilion. This will help your divers find you quickly.
Clear the decks
Many instructors like to keep extra weight on the dock “just in case.” We don’t have a problem with this as long as the weight you leave doesn’t interfere with divers trying to enter.
The area between the entry and exit stairs on our new dock is reserved for divers doing giant stride entries. If you leave weight here it will get in the way.
The better place to put your additional weight is on the finger piers located on the far left and right sides of the dock. Here it won’t interfere with anyone.
Just be aware that these narrow pieces of the dock are not very stable. This is why we have ropes that prevent divers wearing tanks from walking out on them where they could lose their balance and fall in.
As an instructor, you are welcome to unsnap the rope and position your weights near the edge. Just remember to re-attach the rope when done.
An added benefit of putting your weights here is that there are chest-deep platforms on either side of the dock. These provide a convenient place to stand when adding weights to students or dealing with other equipment issues.
How many is too many?
This is a complaint we get from many visiting instructors. They will be on one of our training platforms with a small number of students, keeping to one end so that there will be space for other instructors to work.
The next thing you know, a group consisting of an instructor, eight students and one or more assistants will descend on them. Such a group invariably monopolizes the platform, leaving little or no room for other instructors to work. Or, if such a group is already on one of the platforms, there may be no room for anyone else.
Your training agency’s standards may say you can work with up to eight students in open water. This doesn’t mean you should.
Standards may limit the number of dives students may make in a day, but there is no limit on the number of dives you can make as an instructor. You will be better off breaking your class into two smaller groups and making a separate dive with each. Among the benefits of doing so:
- Students will have less chance of becoming cold and bored while they wait their turn to do Yet Another Skill.
- You will move through the skills portion of each dive faster, leaving more time for your students to get off the platform and actually dive. They will learn more this way.
- You will maximize the space available for other instructors to share the platform with you.
Watch those fin tips
When working with students on one of our training platforms, you want to arrange them on the side facing the cavern. If they are on the other side, there is a good chance their fin tips will be in the silt.
This, of course, will stir up the muck, leading to reduced visibility for everyone.
…and don’t forget
Here are some things we’ve covered in previous blog posts, on our website or in our instructor orientation video. However, they bear repeating because not every instructor seems aware of them.
- If your total group size will be eight or more, reserve a pavilion as far in advance as possible. There is no charge to do so, but if you wait, there is a good possibility none will be available.
- Have your students visit our website, watch the orientation video and download and complete the Blue Grotto dive waiver. Have them email the completed waiver to you. When you arrive, you want to be able to turn in all the completed and signed waivers as a group.
- Tell your students not to arrive any earlier than 8:00 am. If they arrive before the gate opens, they will make it harder for our staff to get to work, harder for people staying overnight to go out for breakfast and harder for our neighbors to get to and from their homes and jobs.
- If you have reserved a pavilion ahead of time, have your students meet you there. Otherwise, have them wait for you outside the store. Remind them that they may not go to the water until they have their wristbands on.
- Have your students park either next to your pavilion or directly behind it. Do not allow them to take parking spaces belonging to adjacent pavilions or to park in such a way that they prevent traffic from passing between pavilions.
- Turn in your divers’ waivers and pay for them as a group. This saves time and is the only way to qualify for group pricing.
- Remind your group members to rinse their boots before entering the bathhouse. This helps us keep the floor clean.
- There are changing mats in all our pavilions. They will, however, get dirty. This is why we equipped each pavilion with its own broom. Keep the mats swept off as needed. When leaving, sweep the mats off one more time. The next group will appreciate it.
Do these things, and you will be more than just a regular instructor. You will be a true superhero.