11 Aug

Tips for PADI Dive Instructor teaching in currents

As PADI Dive Instructor you should be able to adapt to unexpected situations and challenging conditions. A PADI Instructor should always consider and know how to adapt to any weather and examine the currents conditions before jumping in for a dive.

Currents can easily become dangerous for the inexperienced student. Strong currents can push you out and separate you from your group. That’s why as a diver and PADI Instructor, you need to take precautions and be prepared for this eventuality.

PADI Instructor Teach their students

Always remember to dive in conditions where you feel comfortable to teach. Sometimes it is wiser to terminate or postpone a diving session rather than risk being taken away from the reef or end up exiting the dive in a place where you should not surface. You should also always check how the students are feeling and their level of experience in these conditions.

Having said this, currents can arise unexpectedly and that’s why it is so important to know what to do in such moments.

  1. Firstly it is crucial to plan before beginning a dive session. Every PADI Instructor should be able to read and understand the type of current he or she may encounter.
  2. Currents are strong on the surface and in mid-water, if you find yourself in a strong current try to keep close to the seafloor or close to a reef to minimize the impact of the force of the current. If you are too tired, try to find shelter behind large objects.
  3. Reduce the underwater drag by streamlining your diving gear when diving in strong currents.
  4. Try descending using a line. This will help you keep the group together before you start the dive.
  5. When diving in areas where rip currents occur, there is a possibility that you could get swept away. In this situation, the most important thing is to keep your nerves, stay calm and think the plan.
  6. If you get swept away by a strong current, do not try to fight against the current as this will only make you tired. Instead, you should go with the flow and try to swim out of the current either on the left, right, bottom or upside of the current.
  7. Be prepared.For example, carry a reef hook, a backup SMB, provide an SMB to all your students. Preparation is key to safe drift diving!

PADI Instructor Teaching in Sanur Divesite

The best and most reliable way to be prepared for these eventual situations is to become a drift diver specialty instructor. At IDC Bali Internship, we provide the PADI Drift Diver Specialty Instructor course held in Nusa Penida, Bali. During this course, you will learn how to handle currents and the skills to teach to your students. Our Course Director will discuss with you how to best choose a dive site to teach this specialty and give you tips on how to handle your students in currents.

For more information regarding this course, don’t hesitate to contact us!

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