July 04, 2023

S3:E04 | Teaching scuba certification skills from a neutrally buoyant position in the pool is a hotly debated training method in the world of SCUBA diving.

7 minutes

Kenny and Mike break down a highly contentious subject within the dive training community: Should students be taught all the required scuba skills only AFTER gaining the ability to hover in a neutrally buoyant position?

Many supporters have been quoted saying they’ll “die on this hill”. But since this is NOT the widely accepted industry standard, at least for the WRSTC or most major training agencies (like PADI, NAUI, SDI, SSI and others)... should it be the norm, or is it simply overkill? Is it realistic in every single scenario with every single student, and is it even practical for group classes within a typical budget of an Open Water certification course? There is no doubt an issue with poor neutral buoyancy training, as most working divemasters and instructors will vehemently profess, but is this the solution or is there another angle?

This topic can be seen stirring pretty strong opinions in any given scuba forum or comment thread, so we decided to discuss it point blank.

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Regular Guest Michael Kest is a jury trial attorney for civil litigation, and an experienced scuba instructor. He’s worked many dive shops, charter boats, and has taught independently in locations ranging from Florida to Hawaii. Mike has also been a Divemaster for Epcot’s Dive Quest program at Disney for over 15 years, leading tens of thousands of Guests in the Seas aquarium on a weekly basis. He played football for FSU, he’s a father of three, a husband, a coach, and regularly dives in South Florida for fun on his spare time.

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