PSAI Training Philosophy

PSAI Training Philosophy

Technical diving always was, and still is, all about wanting to push that bit further. We recognise that technical training is very much like walking up a set of stairs. Take too many steps at one time and you could fall. In some sports people want to run before they can walk, so we build the divers experience at the right rate.

This means that if you have successfully completed a trimix course, where the qualification card you carry has a 330 foot depth rating, then your skills set will match what that card says. A 330 foot trimix qualification must mean just that. It should be performance based, with you working safely within 10 feet of the requirement on the card, with your instructor right there, by your side. It means you are capable of getting involved in cutting edge diving and high level explorer focused expeditions…are you really?

PSAI courses are not for those desiring instant gratification and big numbers on the qualification card. Performance based training is for divers wanting and demanding a degree of personal integrity and accomplishment. Otherwise you might as well have cut your card off the back of a cornflake box. PSAI is a training agency that can hold its head up and guarantee that the performance of its students and professionals match, and in some cases exceeds the words on the cards they carry. This starts with the instructor and the instructor trainer.

What do we expect from our instructors?

Firstly we recognise that is it not necessarily the flag that the instructor waves (in fact the better ones will always be multi-agency), but the quality of the instruction given. How they teach, the knowledge and skill set that they command, and that they actively do what they teach. They possess the complete teaching tool kit!

A vital component within the process of qualification is always going to be your instructor, they make the difference between a so-so course and a great course. Before a PSA instructor works with you, they will have demonstrated their ability both as a diver and an instructor at all previous technical levels whenever they take their next qualification level. We also recognise that technical trainers will sometimes need to slow people down to instill a better appreciation of their own diving limits. It is very scary hearing a student thinking they know it all, because they have read a few books and have taken part in some internet discussion groups. The reality is experience of the real thing will never be able to be replaced by any other form of activity.

A PSAI Instructor will be working within a registered facility, and our desire is to see across the board, facility based instructors as the norm. We know that facilities must have the knowledge and understanding of national regulations as well as the traceability and insurance cover required to act professionally for you.

The PSAI approach to training is not about "lets be the biggest" and pushing numbers through, but on maintaining high quality instruction and real world diving that takes forward the Golden Triangle ethos of Knowledge, Integrity and Safety.

Regional Scuba, Inc. - 154 North Plank Road, Suite #2 - Newburgh, NY - US - 12550

Dive Center Phone Number 845.562.6377 - Fax Number 978.560.6377