Divers React to No Pain, No Gain

[@petrapedia]

I'm glad it turned out that Achim had a much closer outlook to Woody than it originally seemed! People who want to take a frustrated Boomer attitude about teaching anything, but in this case diving, should accept that they're great divers who aren't cut out to teach. Then they should resolve to not teach, even when asked. And continue being a good example. That's our responsibility, to not ruin the student with our own egos.

[@DIVETALK]

Achim is amazing and any student would be lucky to have him as their instructor. I’m always gonna voice my opinion and I will not always agree just for the sake of agreeing. The channel is called “dive talk” so it’s a forum to discuss different view points. Achim and I had MANY more similarities then differences and I know I could learn a ton from him also. I hope to dive with him soon and often. Woody

[@petrapedia]

Looking forward to watching that dive video once you get together! Thanks for the reply!

[@StegOo]

wanted to fuss out smth - nope - you are just right! great vid, much love

[@petrapedia]

The second two paragraphs of my comment are dependent upon the first.

[@petrapedia]

@@FreddyNietzsche. The second two paragraphs of my comment are dependent upon the first. I am indeed not calling him that.

[@CoastalDevelopment]

Thanks Gus and Woody - it was an absolute pleasure!

[@Robert_H_Diver]

Love your channel!

[@georgefloyd4143]

I agree sometimes people just want to complain. And especially him asking to go with you when you just wanted a relaxed dive, I don't blame you for losing patience

[@Peter_Parker361]

@@georgefloyd4143 Hey George, can you tell me where I can get some good Fent and counterfeit money? I will pay you upfront in bananas! Thank you in advance, good sir!

[@thirstybonsai1888]

@@Peter_Parker361 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@hdors13]

Achim is great! Just subscribed to his channel. This has been mentioned multiple times, but... this was not his student. It was a random guy approaching him who he graciously allowed to intrude on his dive. Dude then refused to listen and kept making excuses. I'm stealing 'eat a spoonful of cement and harden the fuck up!' Pure gold.

[@sucramsucram3558]

16:24 'Eat a spoon of concrete and harden the f up' I love it! I needed to hear that.

[@zarlorz]

I know this is a bit of an older video but I'm just finally getting to see it. I wanted to comment that my recent training was with an instructor that pushed the idea of being in trim and buoyant every class and during the "checkout" dives, and he could fully explain why it's important. He and his assistant (also his diving buddy) are both very experienced technical and cave divers and in the water he was a marvel to see lying body flat as a board in the water, knees bent 90 degrees, fins 90 degrees flat again with some of the more gorgeous modified flutter and frog kicks I have ever seen, and not moving up or down in the water column, and that's even watching videos of folks like Edd Sorensen and Achim. They are absolutely gorgeous. I say this to give context that as instructors they seemed very much to be very knowledgeable and have excellent understanding and skill with buoyancy and trim. And yet... and yet... when teaching skills and when doing a checkout they always gestured for us to get on our knees to do the skills. Every single time. I think that part of this came from some of the diving agencies insisting that centers to be certified with them follow a particular standard and I have verified that SSI does, indeed, tell instructors to teach that way (although I have heard some clarification from SSI that testing skills in trim is fine based on student comfort level). My guess is that at least allowing a difference to check skills in trim is a bit newer concept and that the big agencies simply have insisted that training be done this way. I wanted to point this out because I'm not completely convinced that it's a bad diver becoming an instructor that is passing on bad habits as necessarily being the problem, but it may be that it's some of the big training agencies themselves insisting on some of these requirements that are creating bad habits in the students, even when the instructors in all other cases tell them to get neutral and trim and are perfect examples of being neutral and trim, but then feel they simply MUST meet the training standards that put students upright and likely negative. I guess for those that are instructors out there if you agree with Dive Talk and Achim that it shouldn't be taught that way (and students as well) please send feedback to the training agences about their practices and why you think they should change them. I don't think it gets better until the agencies become convinced and make that change.

[@takingupmycross9869]

Woody is a true teacher. You have a real a gift. The patience to teach is paramount to being a great teacher. Anyone can spout knowledge and commands at people, but how you communicate that knowledge and instruction with patience and understanding is what shows your true passion. I appreciate you man! Keep leading by example.

[@derekmikel6562]

I used to be a lifeguard instructor. One student I had started crying mid test, and I pulled her out into the hall and read the questions and choices out loud to her. She stopped crying, and started answering questions correctly. She ended up passing, and yelling at her wouldn't have solved a thing. Sometimes people just need a little support doing something easy. Great video guys

[@Fishifyed]

You’re a g!

[@GuncladSaiyan]

I'm not a diver or an instructor for anything. That being said, you guys are so humble and I'm so happy to see instructors giving each other feedback and discussing training. Even the teachers never stop learning. It makes students (in whatever field) actually want to learn and maybe even further the specific field going into the world with that knowledge and set of skills. Great work, guys!

[@markusleitner3735]

That is the one I am waiting for! Knowing Achim in person, and beeing inspired as cert. technical diver from his coutless videos on equipment and technique, it was about time that the 3 of you do something together, so that the community can benefit from the different views. Would be interesting to have a regular disscussion on the technical videos and the expeditions. Looking forward for more! Keep it up!

[@20sshilk]

And woody you are my hero, patient, knowledgeable, reliable, fun, just a great human being, a real man, so many people don't have the patience for a newbie, I am so dumm, scares me to even try and learn this if people gonna be on my ass, but I agree sometimes that's what a student needs, but woody bro you are the man

[@lsewell95]

I'm so glad that you guys chose this video for discussion. I watched the original video a few days ago and my first thought was "I wonder what Woody and Gus would have to say about this topic." It's also great that you brought in Achim to get his thoughts to your questions about the video. This is why I love Dive Talk. You guys are creating better divers by having discussions like these. If one person hears this discussion and learns from it, it is a win.

[@theprodigy20p]

Woody is such a genuinely good person and he even understand human psychology and gets the best out of everyone around him.

[@mahkra_]

and fish psychology :)

[@mustanggun]

Come on, stop it. 🙄

[@mclovin2408]

@@mustanggun no no, he’s out of line, but he’s right.

[@MrTmm97]

7:56 it might have been different if he went to the lake with the plan to teach a student, but he went for a short dive to check if he was healed enough to go back to diving. Instead he ran into someone asking to dive with him and it became a class teaching basics. So I think we can give him a little leeway for the reaction he had. I’m sure he regrets losing his temper. It sounds like he’s been dealing with similar issues for awhile and finally just lost it a bit.

[@jonathanhestroffer4469]

Watching Woody speak so passionately about instruction is something special.

[@dignum]

"Get through the pain" is an advice to keep to oneself. The challenge must come from within, you're the only one who knows the amount of pain you can and are willing to take. Some people are more gifted, some have more limitations. A small pain for you to get through is maybe excruciating for somebody else.

[@ScubaGirlsInternational]

Interesting hearing his perspective. I completely agree with his last comment. Divers don't feel safe , dive less, and stop diving. Outstanding conversation.

[@patrickrw01]

So true! If we want to grow the sport, it's not just about attracting new divers, it's also about retaining those that start diving.

[@ScubaGirlsInternational]

@@patrickrw01 exactly. We need to create the sticky factor so they keep coming back. More training, more practice, more travel. More fun.

[@KB-gd6fc]

Achiem is kind of a legend in his own right. He is an extraordinarily well accomplished diver. Learned from people like William Hogarth Main and went on to start his own agency. He's no schmuck. And yes... his style is no nonsense.

[@emmylee8862]

Have you read his book?

[@KB-gd6fc]

@@emmylee8862 no I don't think it's available in English.

[@olegjanas]

He cannot publish in English, but on Patron he told content in English

[@paintpalo5785]

Hello Dive Talk! I am not a diver at all yet still everything you said just resonates to me. I am a horse riding instructor and my "industry" suffers from the exact same lack of quality. The other effect in the horse world is that a living animal, powerfull one as well, suffers the consequences of poor rider training trained by trainers with poor knowledge and abilities. Loved your video, thank you! It points out as well all the psychology involved in the skill of being a trainer. Thank you!

[@darkferiousity]

I agree with Woody on this. When I look back at my flight training I most certainly impoved myself with instructors that kept calm and were able to demonstrate something to me in a manner in which I could learn from even when I was making mistakes. The instructor that would get angry with me it did not help me learn and improve instead made things worse for me and threw me off of things. Each person learns things differently to some extent. I do agree that if a person is not willing to listen or improve maybe just cut the dive off.

[@mikesbigadventures194]

I have to agree, one of the best ones yet. Achim is great. He pulls no punches. And I can say first hand that the pressure to make instructors is tremendous. I’m a relatively new DM and already being asked if I’m going to go AI or do a IDC soon. I really don’t want to until I have at least 500 non-training dives and can really dial in my trim and buoyancy. I’m good but not great and I think you need to be great to instruct. So 250 more dives and I’ll consider it.

[@richardlong4076]

I wish more folks thought like you, to many instuctors who just fast tracked it and dont know there rear from a hole in the ground teaching out there

[@Lord_Sully]

@@richardlong4076 I once had an Xbox gamertag called "Richard long" lmao

[@DOHCG]

Visualize it and do it if you want to do it,the IDC. but be ready

[@mikloszakar5314]

A comment on losing patience. Generally I'd agree that an instructor should never lose it when teaching. However in this case Achim just planned a fun dive and suddenly he found himself in this role. This was not a classic instructor student relationship.

[@Lord_Sully]

I commented this too. Patience for the same issues on and off the clock are waaaaaay different haha

[@99twenty9]

Yea but he could have respectfully told the guy no and that he's on a solo dive. The guy may have gotten upset but I'm sure he ended up upset anyway after achim lost his temper.

[@Lord_Sully]

@@99twenty9 how was he to know this guy was a know it all at the time he accepted?

[@99twenty9]

@@Lord_Sully he wasn't. But if he would have stuck with his plan of a solo dive and had the guy do a class or even just ignore the guy that entire situation wouldn't have happened. He may have lost a fan for saying no but he probably lost the guy as a fan anyway.

[@99twenty9]

@@Lord_Sully idk if I did KZbin and was trying to do something on my own time I wouldn't have had a fan come along. I'm not faulting him that's just my view.

[@conference-interpreter]

This is so cool! I was overwhelmed by the book Achiem wrote (Der Tod taucht mit) and am a big fan of him. Too see him on your show 🥰💕 made my day. He didn’t mentioned it, but the guy he lost his temper with wasn’t even his student. Just someone who approached him in his own leisure time.

[@eldoolittle]

Woody is such a kind soul which makes him a great instructor trainer. That said, the original context of this story is very important: this wasn't a formal student-instructor situation. Random guy asked to join the storyteller and he was willing to freely give his time to see if the random guy was legit. He had NO obligation to be nice or kind or patient in that situation especially when the random guy started making excuses after asking for critique. Random guy forced himself onto Achim and then refused to listen to his FREE advice. I would have called him on that BS if the same thing happened in my profession in my free time.

[@sandygrogg1203]

Non-diving Gramma Sandy here… I definitely appreciate…and prefer Woody’s approac to teaching. I can’t evrn imagine him giving in to anger… His obvious patience…and respect for his students are As a firmer teacher, I agree thst students learn best in a relaxed fun environment. I realize, of course thst there are times when this may not be possible… Great video, guys…and congrats on 200,000… You deserve your success.

[@leehouston4395]

Woody's discomfort was obvious throughout that! He did a great job of 'challenging' Achim's comments honestly and courteously.

[@bunkertons]

I've noticed that Gus says "my question is" when he makes a statement. 😁

[@just.4.fun.diving2634]

I don't believe that Achim took the guy on (refered to) as a student and so he owes the guy nothing. Why waste his time polishing the guys ego. He needed a reality check and got one. Well done Achim, more honesty is needed.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@davidhillman5008]

Woody, you can be in pain and having fun because in your mind you know that the reward of improving is the fun.

[@KWW0321]

Some of the most fun I have ever had was during Marine Corps training. Yes there was misery involved, particularly during dive training, but overall it was a blast. The instructors were key components in achieving balance between those two things.

[@muratakay100]

Loved this episode. I am a long time fan and follower of Achims content. Being a police officer (direct and non-bullshit type of communication within the work environment itself) and a diver, I really like the no-nonsense and direct feedback type of style Achim has since it's essentially about life and death when diving. Even if you're rec diving, things can quickly go south with panic, and poor training and equipment choice (like mismatching heavy tanks and non-sufficient buoyancy devices for a quick example) can lead to catastrophy. People are sometimes reading too much into some of the things he expresses. You have to see the context so to speak. Thank you Dive Talk and Achim!

[@katrinaDS]

200K followers. Congratulations Gus & Woody! That’s amazing! 🥳

[@pukpukkrolik]

Yet another video that has a surprise expert guest without a hint in the title or thumbnail. Not sure what the opposite of clickbait should be called, but I love it and find the approach hilarious, thanks guys!

[@ericburgess4995]

Great Collab. I am subscribed to both channels and feel that you each make a great contribution to the dive community while having very different approaches. I have been certified now for almost 10 years, but I only have about 100 dives. I have the OW, AOW and Nitrox certifications. I have never felt any fear or apprehension while diving but if I am honest for most of that diving my trim has been mediocre and my buoyancy control terrible when ascending. I have gotten much better in the last 2 years only because I put a focus on diving more frequently and working on these skills. Thank you for revisiting this important topic and thank you Achim for your point about certified divers abandoning the sport because they are not comfortable in the water.

[@brunol-p_g8800]

Just reacting to the last of Achim’s comments: when I got OW certified in 2001, my club/dive shop requested to have at least 20 dives before taking the next AOW level class. At the time I found it normal, only later did I think that it might had to do with my club/dive shop being both CMAS and PADI, and applying CMAS standards to PADI students. Nowadays I see people getting both OW and AOW certified in the same week, doing only their 5 to 6 certification dives before getting the next certification…. Back when I got OW certified, I didn’t even think I would later get the AOW certification. I was getting certified to be able to dive independently in the 15 meters range, and that was my instructors view as well:handing me that certification card to me was awarding me the ability to dive in the 15 meters range, and thus I had to be able to confidently move in the water column and do every diving skills he had taught me. I feel like nowadays it’s very different, I feel like today getting OW certified doesn’t mean you’re able to dive by yourself and exerce every skill your instructor taught you, but like it’s more of a « pass » to get to the AOW where they will teach you to be , if not a confident and competent diver, a diver that will have to pay for more certifications to learn what should have been taught at the OW level.

[@eddieguyvh4765]

I didn't expect this crossover, but it's a pleasant surprise! Achim inspired me a lot and his videos taught me quite a few things about technique and gear setup that I tried and adopted. While I now disagree about some things related to sidemount, his videos are both instructive and fun to watch. His latest wreck hunt is brilliant!

[@lydialeigh4]

Woweee - 200K subs! Congrats and bravo! Loved this entire conversation! Lots of interesting and important information shared about the dive industry as a whole, as well as instructor and student mindset. Woody - great to hear you allow your students fun dive time to help absorb all those skills they were practicing. So important to have fun in order to learn and build confidence. Having fun should be at least half of the class. Have I said the word FUN enough yet? 😁 And especially for those of us who are more nervous and worried about doing the skills well. The wrong approach to nervous/unsure students can determine the outcome of whether they fall in love with scuba or leave it behind.

[@ddacombe4752]

i just recently did a lake dive where my buddy and i just played with the weighting and buoyancy, no swim around, just focusing on that. It was great fun and made a huge difference to my trim. I wonder how many rec' divers ever take the time to do that rather than always diving to 'see stuff', which is why they take a long time to advance from a seahorse!

[@miguelgarcia2480]

One of your best - I had not heard this take on a diving. I was already subscribed to ISE but you definitely add clarity. Even though I should know these axioms (its not the equipment, training is hard, nothing is free etc) the draw to equip up and buy gear is strong. Of course there is no substitute for practice, cant hear that enough. Thanks again for great content.

[@Maggie-tr2kd]

Woody, you sound like the best instructor ever and I agree with much of what you commented on in this video. I don't know Achiem but I was happy to see that you and Gus included him as a guest on your video. Context is everything. Remember that Achiem was recovering from an illness and wanted to see if he was fit to dive again. He may or may not have felt 100% that day. Also, remember that the YT viewer/diver intruded into Achiem's personal time. This was not a class nor was it a formal teacher-student relationship. Achiem was just trying to be polite. I'm not surprised that he sort of lost his temper as the YT viewer/diver kept making excuses as Achiem tried to give him pointers. When I am on my own personal time or at a social event and someone wants my professional advice in my field, I usually hand them my business card and suggest they call me and set an appointment. A dive instructor could be friendly yet point out that he can be contacted at a later date in regard to classes or one-to-one instruction. Just my view.

[@Jimmy_CV]

Training and experience are worth more that having fancy gear. I 100% agree you can't buy skills, they have to be formed through trial and adversity. That being said, the reason I want to know what gear skilled divers use is because there is probably a reason that they using it and I want to know why.

[@eliz_scubavn]

You can have the best gear in the world with all the bells and whistles and it’s not going to mean a thing if you don’t know what you’re doing with it.

[@jamesbenners9114]

I really enjoy Achim and Inner Space Explorers content. I’ve seen many of his videos. Was happy to see him on DiveTalk. Enjoyed the open exchange between the three of you. Thanks for this post!

[@stefanheld6904]

Achim sounds only harsh when speaking English. In German he sounds way more polite ;-) Having had Achim as my instructor I can only say besides Jacob Childs he is the best instructor I ever had, never felt stressed what's or ever.

[@Chogogo717]

I appreciate his directness and honesty even if it sounds rough in English.

[@lilletrille1892]

In my experience, it's a common misunderstanding when Germans speak an other language. So if you are not speaking with them in their language give them some slack on the "harsh and angry".

[@tvelocidad]

Achiem is a legend. I didn't see anything wrong with what he was saying. "eat a spoon full of concrete and harden the f*ck up!" That was classic, I'm gonna use that one.

[@breakerwave31]

Great stuff! Thank you so much for taking the time and for sharing it.

[@thingselectronic]

love the 1/64th scale cars in the back! nice collection ( :

[@TotusEius]

Woody seems like he would be a fantastic instructor. He's so patient and knows to explain the "Why" behind everything. I know nothing about SCUBA but do know quite a bit about teaching. Once a student knows why you do something they will never forget.

[@alexanderbenison6622]

I'm only wondering, why you didn't discuss one of Achim's videos earlier... Excited about this one...

[@DIVETALK]

There’s a lot of KZbinrs and videos out there. We haven’t covered a lot of stuff.

[@matthewwyjad]

On mask clearing, i think one of the things that is often not addressed is tightness. If the mask is at all overly tight it is not that easy. If the mask is loosened up it gets REALLY easy to clear. I feel like there is a tendency for people new in the water to wear overly tight masks.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

When my first mask lost it's strap (broke/dry rotted... lolz) I was only 13, and didn't have enough disposable income to justify a new mask, even with a swimming class in High School... SO for almost 6 years, I did everything in a mask WITHOUT EVEN A STRAP TO HOLD IT ON MY HEAD... SO yes, in TOTAL agreement with you on this one. A LOT of people keep their masks ENTIRELY too damn tight for their own good. Just a foot below the surface and the thing will suction to your face ALL on its own, and you can vary the pressure through your nose, suck in for tighter, let out for looser... NOT hard nor difficult... Just for clarity, it was a "classic" old school big round mask with a single pane of tempered glass, like you see in the older (70's or earlier) movies about pearl divers and scuba and the like... It's still my favorite "style". ;o)

[@matthewwyjad]

@@gnarthdarkanen7464 ha. Wonderful. You have some great technique and calm nerves. I find that tricky because I have a habit of air trickling out my nose. Like crazy slow. I'm trying to use it only intermittently, but it's how I have always equalized. I almost never have to pinch. I've just always slow trickled out my nose and equalizing just happens. As a result I always have a bit of positive pressure.

[@mouisehay930]

Alot of people's first experience (as a kid) with a scuba mask is a crappy toy mask with a badly fitted, rock-hard plastic seal, where you need to strap it on tight so it doesn't leak. Then they buy a real one and tighten it up like they're used to, leading to problems.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@matthewwyjad Yeah... mash the mask to your face and it just constantly sucks... and sucks... and well... sucks... all the time... The deeper you get the more it sucks.... BUT you can fight a little... snort and go on... vary the pressure... let a little out of your nose and the thing just sticks there... It's not the most pleasant but it stays... AND yeah, a little trickles out of my nose too... The kind of a point is that I don't really NEED a strap at all... AND the mask stays put... Even the ancient old round ones that you see in movies about pearl divers... SO most people have their masks on "too tight"... ;o)

[@saga2964]

Woody, you seem like such a kind, compassionate instructor--but you don't seem like someone who would take b.s. either! I'm terrified of diving, but I think are someone I could actually learn from w/o fear bc u really do seem to understand where the student is coming from. Respect!

[@JamesWilliams-cc1ow]

Diver's react, no divers reacted, you two did, mostly the guy on the left. Achim is a breath of fresh air compared to the guy on the left. Why is it that scuba is taught like elementary school and I always feel like being talked to like one might a small child. Achim suffers no fools, if you want to learn, take a spoon of concrete and harden the --------- up. And the fellow Achim related in his story was not a paying student in a class, just a person who asked for some help and then refused to listen to one of the most knowledgeable divers on the planet. So Achim went on about his day. Take a spoon of concrete and harden up, love it.

[@benjaminhawkins1129]

"the marine corps is gonna disagree with that..." Hahaha. As a prior Marine I feel that. The dialogue you guys have about patience with others is awesome. However... This fella in the video went on a buddy dive, not a training dive. Sure. He was in a mentorship position the moment he opened his mouth to criticize the other guy. That was his mistake. Lol. On another note... I love practicing. Every dive I do I treat as a training dive. And to your points... Training should be fun, but should also produce results. And that's pretty much how I live my life. Thanks again for putting out tons of amazing knowledge filled content. It's priceless.

[@20sshilk]

All respect woody and gus, I thought diving was boring and waste of time, you guys made it sound amazing, cant wait to start my diving journey . Once I make some money lol, one day sooner than later I hope

[@eliz_scubavn]

Certainly for the instructors I’ve had, they’ve always been observant of trim and where I’ve been over/underweighted or generally just not in that horizontal position, they’ve then come in, corrected the problem and then explained to me why they did it, or highlighted the things i got right (also super helpful). I’m still not getting it 100% right but it’s one of the things I’m continuously working on, and the feedback is always something I appreciate.

[@SeattleRingHunter]

Absolute gratitude to all three of you. As I have gained so much knowledge from all three of you over the past few years as I continue my recreational diving and venturing on towards tech. This was especially an enjoyable conversation to watch. Again thank you to all three of you for your continuing efforts in sharing your knowledge as we all unravel the mysteries before us. Cheers, #SeattleRingHunter

[@Mikey.M.V.P.1]

I'm so looking forward to this 🤘

[@LadyAstolat]

I would love to learn to dive from Woody and Gus. I fully agree with the statement that learning anything should be fun. I personally will shut down and give up if someone talks down to me and makes me feel like an idiot. I'll quit a leisure activity the moment it begins to feel like work. I already have a job for that 😅

[@taj3546]

I learned to dive in 1982 when I was 14. Over the years I have been chastised for frog kicking ! so funny that it's not such a bad habit. it just seemed more comfortable and efficient. and I felt more at one with the fish and marine world! Thanks Dive Talk.

[@williamsweet7511]

I was fortunate to have a swimming pool. I would put my gopro on the bottom of the pool with some soft scuba weights holding it in place. I would dive in it for hours practicing my trim and buoyancy. My wife and kids would make fun of me for going diving in our pool cause it isn't very deep, nothing to see etc.... Anyways, that helped me more than anything with those two skills (also finning). I would do it every weekend year round if I didn't have anything else going on. I would love to hear your take on buoyancy testing. I've watched a lot of youtube videos and they don't all agree on the best way. For me it was experimenting with different gear configuration and weights and keeping a log. Now I can look in my log and see what worked best in my pool and make adjustments (salt/fresh). I remember my first open water dive, my instructor gave me 30pounds and said go to the bottom and kneel in a circle with the other divers, I suspect this goes on every day all over the world. Honestly, I dove that way for years cause that's how I was taught to dive. Achim was the first channel I watched that went into detail on why this is right/wrong. I've learned a lot from him over the years. This is why, this is how way of teaching.

[@codeallnight56514]

I love how woody isn't afraid to speak his mind even when the person in question joined the call.

[@eternialogic]

Every time I ever mentioned about scuba diving, my family always tried to scoot around the topic. I presume they have very negative feelings about it. I've had people tell me to "Get Better"... that line is only there to make you angry as it is actually quite passive aggressive. In English, there is that lovely saying: "Git Good, Scrub!" which I immediately heard in my head when they told me that.

[@lynnparker4382]

I have been binge watching your channel for about a month now. I am a rescue diver with about 250 dives. I am convinced to learn cave diving. I live in Asia so I will start with Tech diving and then move on to a cave diving course in South Australia. I hope to meet you guys in Florida or in Asia if you’re here. By the way, we still have some spots on our Raja Ampat Xmas live abroad! Want to join my group? I feel like I know you two so well by watching all your videos. Cheers. Lynn

[@FoundInTheRiverAndCaves]

I can see Woodys points in the early part of the video, I just try to keep in mind, this was NOT the guys student. It was a fan who asked for a quick assessment, then he started wasting this guys time. I’ve learned over the years that I have to keep myself at arms length form anyone who takes up my time, asking for advice, then refuses to take it. I think this guy was just at the point of “Don’t ask me if you’re not going to accept my answer”.

[@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98]

Wow. Yeah totally agree. My lityle girl just started her first course and imagine what the instructor did in her first 45 minutes. Nothing (except usual questions solving from the surface and clearing things for her) plus mask and regulator off but at the end of the dive. She was as perfect as a student in his first lesson can be.No issues with mask off or reg off. All went naturraly. Remembering my first class and comparing...I can see a lot of bad stuff I did and guess what I am struggling to correct now: TRIM .When: at the most complicated part of my diving way, the Tec zone.

[@jtcustomknives]

I want to move down there just to have woodie as my instructor.

[@jaketschida7016]

Great episode! So glad I went back to watch to first 8min that I missed!

[@LightRogue100]

There is a backpacking term that also applies here. "Embrace the suck." Parts of learning suck. Everywhere. Accept those moments, but get the skills done; get them done WELL. It will be worth it in the end.

[@DIVETALK]

Totally...if you can't "embrace the suck" then you won't be a good tec diver.

[@alexchern75]

Old Marine here... pain is weakness leaving the body... and that's fun. Lol

[@ThomasGabrielsen]

I'm one of those who have asked why it matters if a diver isn't in horizontal position, and now I got a more extensive answer than I could hoped for. I would love to have Woody as an instructor when I'm going for my open water diving certificate, but it's a little bit too far away because I'm living in Norway.

[@silentdarkness6260]

I looked it up Woody here's what I found. Having fun and being excited about learning increases brain-activity of neurons that use Oxytocin (pleasure hormone), Dopamine (reward, motivation, learning, senses, thinking hormone), and Norepinephrine (energizing, attention hormone) which improve learning and memory.

[@williamwatry9637]

You guys are great! Such a relaxing tone easy to follow along and great stories and reactions! I always appreciate you guys can have a discussion even wen you guys disagree! Most mornings I'll play one of your videos on my way to work! Keep up the great work guys!

[@ryanbeck8004]

I agree with woody. These guys got me into diving watching them. I haven’t stopped laughing every time I’m in the water. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had, and I’m just soaking every lesson in I’m taught

[@charlesadams41]

15:50 - 16:50...fantastic advice applicable to any endeavor

[@gavinsmith28]

@woody I so love your approach- I literally feeze up when instructors beat me up, and I’ve been diving since 1990 and have had to relearn so much

[@anaionescu4119]

I am actually amazed how much discomfort and pain tolerance I have when diving, and that’s because I want to learn, get better, and enjoy at maximum the next dives. Plus, just being underwater, that state of calmness, the filtered sounds are so rewarding to me that frankly, I don’t even care if I have a cramp by the end or I get blisters while preparing my equipment. I would love to have the same attitude with other things in my life 😂

[@stiv_mcgivers]

I think it's great to have more experienced divers debrief less experienced divers post dive. I think even more useful, however, is to be able to review video of those dives: "Oh, that's what I felt like what I was doing----now, I can actually SEE it!"

[@aigarsekers4529]

I wish you could comment on Achim’s book “Der Tod taucht mit” (something like “the death dives with you”). I guess it hasn’t been translated into English though. Imagine someone diving the channel from UK to France. Or someone diving in liquid concrete and getting bent after that dive. Insane. And fascinating.

[@wojciech-kulik]

I totally agree with you guys. I've been diving for just over a year,, but I've already seen plenty of issues with teaching. Not to mention safety issues. I think that part of instructor certification should be also a personality check. An instructor needs to keep his/her ego aside. But I guess it would be hard to measure reliably. Every time I watch you guys I wish I could find similar instructors somewhere close. Soon I'm going to do dry-suit training and nitrox, I hope my new instructor will be alike :)! Good job guys! I love the last Achim's argument. It is so true!

[@alexandrahuff2303]

Congratulations on hitting 200k followers!!! This was a great reaction video and I appreciate woody sticking up for students who are mistaught.

[@stenandersson7859]

I'm a Swedish master in cycling and it was pain to come to this level. But it was fun. So even if it hurt it can be fun.

[@missyabado]

i completely agree!!! my OW class goes into the first 10 min or so are getting them breathing comfortably without a mask. then i have them take the gear off and weight them without gear first. then gear back on with no fins ... lets hover! and then we go on with the rest of the class ans skills. i also do hundreds of try scuba in panama city beach and i get them to "snorkel" with the gear first and lay on their belly. slowly but surely they are neutral buoyant!! its great!

[@brendanwood1540]

I totally agree with Woody about attitude and patience. However, my idea of fun is actually something challenging that causes me to push myself and get some adrenaline pumping. For example, I enjoy shoveling snow by hand and also walking through snow carrying a sleigh to get to a fishing spot. It's not the clean driveway or the fishing spot, it's the challenge of getting there and being fit enough to still enjoy it. Because when you get fit enough to enjoy what used to be painful that is a lot of fun.

[@thadscalf5350]

22:50 I've said many times to my kids when they were practicing swimming, "If anything goes wrong, just stand up." I totally agree with Woody here. Keep it fun, keep it safe, and when practicing a new skill if anything goes wrong, be in a place you can just stand up.

[@stevedenruyter4902]

It wasn’t a student just somebody who wanted to dive like him, so I do get him loosing it, he was on a personal fun dive. I’m sure if he was teaching he probably wouldn’t have lost it. Oh I’m thinking Woody had an awesome time with Patrick

[@stevedenruyter4902]

Commented to soon, loooooooooooove it that you get Achiem with you 🤯🤯🤤🤤🤤🥰

[@DoAqua]

I always forced myself to frogkick since my OW class. Because I know that one day I want to go tec and get cave certified. It isnt always easy to maintain against current but I try to punch through. Its easier now and I get complimented by other divers and instructors but I still need to practice and improve. Don't give up, strive for better and have fun while doing it.

[@xristinas2767]

15:30 i actually agree with woody on that. I am a mathematician and i teach. There are so many teachers who say "if you don't stress and try painfully hard you don't learn". But the research says otherwise. People learn better when the have fun indeed. When they feel secure and have someone who can help them without stress or fear. Because you can learn something the hard way, you dont have to do it that way.

[@sandpiperr]

Thank God math teachers like you exist! Stress math is the worst, all the knowledge just leaves my head. That's why, up until college, I thought I was just plain bad at math! Spoiler alert...I'm now a computational biologist.

[@xristinas2767]

@@sandpiperr congratulations!! So nice to hear!

[@Carrik-y4m]

This video makes me glad that my instructor did focus so much on buoyancy and trim. I’m nowhere near perfect, but I can confidently say I’m not a seahorse.

[@sillygoose210_6]

Great video guys; hit so many good points.

[@DIVETALK]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@griffincontracting]

I love videos that havn't posted yet...

[@griffincontracting]

@@DIVETALK How can you enjoy it, when it's not posted yet???

[@DIVETALK]

@@griffincontracting but this has been posted for members for several days. So his feedback is valid.

[@snirge]

I don’t think I have learnt anything from anyone who got angry - totally with woody on this.

[@PoetOnTheRun]

I'm very newly open water certified. Like everything else in life, I suspect diving is a confidence game and I'm no stranger to pain. Bring it on. I want to be a quality diver. Great stuff here. Thanks guys.

[@michaelmccoll6807]

I just got back into diving after a 10 year break. As a more mature diver I've really enjoyed studying and diving back in (pun intended). I've learned so much from your channel in the past year of following you guys. Just want to say thank you for taking the time to make these great videos. I've learned so much from you guys.

[@DarkKoffee]

Thank you very much Woody 🙂

[@travispawliuk5568]

My son just got certified. I couldn’t be there for his pool and classroom. I told him to tell the instructor that the primary thing he needed was buoyancy and trim more than any skill. Having that allows for the comfortability in the water that makes doing any of the ‘standard’ skills so much easier. I also told him to try remain off the bottom of the pool when he was doing skills. I harped on him the most important thing was to be comfortable and relaxed in the water. When I got him to the PNW to do his open water, the instructor after each dive was telling him and me how amazing it was how great he was doing. Followed by us driving back to the hotel and me explaining to think about his trim and arm waving and at the hotel showing him video I took so he could see what I was talking about. I’m not perfect but I do consciencely think about it every dive and tell him that’s all I ask of him. Hand waving went away (for the most part) after a couple more dives and what I find helps reinforce trim is when shore diving is at the end don’t pop to the surface and swim in, try hover or move around or do a skill or two in less than 5 feet of water. I can’t see my body position but I can feel if I contact the bottom or a fin breaks the surface. Of course this only works in calm waters lol.

[@rotongu]

U. L

[@NBSV1]

It’s interesting how much the diving and training relates to motorcycles and rider training. For instance many people don’t think it’s important to have good balance and the ability to not drag your feet at low speed. But, when you don’t have good balance and control at low speed you’re more prone to fall over, hurt yourself, and hurt the bike. There’s also some people who just shouldn’t be riding a motorcycle. Whether l they lack the understanding, or coordination, or whatever. Riding also becomes much more enjoyable as you improve and are able to relax and enjoy your surroundings.

[@folkblues4u]

I feel like he was also referring to a psychological pain. Like a prideful person may be really upset trying to learn a new skill, because they're going to fail at it when starting out. I've seen people in my work-life who were so easily defeated when trying to learn a new skill. As a crane operator it takes time to learn and feel the nuance of the machine. How certain loads behave in specific scenarios. I had several operators in training set down the remote in frustration because they couldn't master something immediately. You tell them "take it easy, you'll get it, try again", but for certain minded folks (especially younger ones) they just aren't as resilient to failure - which is another subject entirely. But, in this age of ease, where SO much of our tasks are accomplished with the push of a button, it seems harder and harder to build confidence.

[@kimsonjoseph1784]

Balance is the key young grasshoppers 🙏

[@griftingnightmares]

I agree with Woody, it's much easier to learn when you're having fun. People become Rocket Scientists with entertainment

[@clivegamlin2627]

You have to remember this was not a lesson, Achim was going for a dive and this guy tagged along - perhaps Achim should just have said piss off from the start?

[@prestonkey9005]

Looking forward to watching it like all your videos keep up the great work Gus and Woody

[@cliffmillerslandlockedexpl5421]

This was an awesome video! I am a NAUI diver for 3 years and have been certified 3rd degree black sash in kung fu and have practiced for a little over 20 years. One thing, you get better if you don't practice!

[@Mouthymensch]

The dive center I went to taught us to clear masks vertically and water would get up my nose when I did it, freaked me out. When I would practice on my own in trim no problem at all, I wish they would have taught us like that! Save me so much anxiety surrounding mask clearing