JGordon
October 20th, 2009, 09:12 PM
I just finished my Trimix class with Greg Such today, and I wanted to take this opportunity to pass along a few observations and to express some well deserved thanks.
My AN/DP instructor was Brett Byers. Brett got his instructor's card from Greg, and they share a common teaching philosophy. When Brett found out my class dates he took some vacation to dive with the class and help Greg as necessary. I was grateful for the moral support yet feeling some self imposed pressure to justify the encouragement I was getting.
I'm not the best writer, so I'm not going to try and give you a detailed accounting of the class. Tom's Trimix Class thread is a very good description. The primary difference for my class was that I and my fellow student Eric had already passed AN/DP. This meant that we did all our skills with two bottles.
To condense a long first day into a short paragraph, both Eric and I survived the skills tests. I made some mistakes and left Lake Wazee thinking that Brett would be asking for my card back. Being the stubborn sort I decided that I needed to get my head back in the game and execute to the best of my ability.
Days 2, 3, and 4 were much better. Eric and I got used to diving together and eventually started clicking as a team. We managed two and three bottle dives up to 180 feet and we actually started to feel like we were getting the hang of this trimix stuff.
A few observations on Greg's teaching style. Greg is a laid back instructor. He gives you good news, bad news, and constructive comments in a calm, direct, civil manner. He doesn't berate, ridicule, or embarrass you. He gives you pointers and if you have any sense, you follow them. I'm an engineer by trade, which makes me an instructor's nightmare. I ask questions and I understand the math. I want to understand the theory and the general practice, I'm not in class to slide by. Greg has an excellent foundation in dive theory and the ability to concisely explain a concept. He added considerable value to the somewhat sparse (IMO) material in the TDI trimix book.
So in closing, I would like to thank Greg for an excellent learning experience. I know I have a lot that I can improve on, and I intend to do so. I would recommend Greg without reservation to anyone looking for dive instruction.
Thanks also to Brett. First, for not asking for my card back. Thanks for being such a good instructor, dive buddy, and for all the moral support.
Last, thanks to Eric. You were a great dive buddy, and I hope we will be able to get a few dives in together next season.
Jeff
My AN/DP instructor was Brett Byers. Brett got his instructor's card from Greg, and they share a common teaching philosophy. When Brett found out my class dates he took some vacation to dive with the class and help Greg as necessary. I was grateful for the moral support yet feeling some self imposed pressure to justify the encouragement I was getting.
I'm not the best writer, so I'm not going to try and give you a detailed accounting of the class. Tom's Trimix Class thread is a very good description. The primary difference for my class was that I and my fellow student Eric had already passed AN/DP. This meant that we did all our skills with two bottles.
To condense a long first day into a short paragraph, both Eric and I survived the skills tests. I made some mistakes and left Lake Wazee thinking that Brett would be asking for my card back. Being the stubborn sort I decided that I needed to get my head back in the game and execute to the best of my ability.
Days 2, 3, and 4 were much better. Eric and I got used to diving together and eventually started clicking as a team. We managed two and three bottle dives up to 180 feet and we actually started to feel like we were getting the hang of this trimix stuff.
A few observations on Greg's teaching style. Greg is a laid back instructor. He gives you good news, bad news, and constructive comments in a calm, direct, civil manner. He doesn't berate, ridicule, or embarrass you. He gives you pointers and if you have any sense, you follow them. I'm an engineer by trade, which makes me an instructor's nightmare. I ask questions and I understand the math. I want to understand the theory and the general practice, I'm not in class to slide by. Greg has an excellent foundation in dive theory and the ability to concisely explain a concept. He added considerable value to the somewhat sparse (IMO) material in the TDI trimix book.
So in closing, I would like to thank Greg for an excellent learning experience. I know I have a lot that I can improve on, and I intend to do so. I would recommend Greg without reservation to anyone looking for dive instruction.
Thanks also to Brett. First, for not asking for my card back. Thanks for being such a good instructor, dive buddy, and for all the moral support.
Last, thanks to Eric. You were a great dive buddy, and I hope we will be able to get a few dives in together next season.
Jeff