Teaching Open Water Students: Common Challenges and How to Solve Them

Open Water courses are where most instructors spend the bulk of their teaching time, and a handful of challenges come up again and again regardless of location or student age. Recognising them early makes them far easier to manage. Mask-clearing anxiety is one of the most common - some students genuinely struggle with water on their face, and rushing this skill almost always backfires. Slowing down, building it up in small steps, and normalising a second or third attempt usually resolves it far faster than pushing through. Buoyancy overcorrection, where students swing between sinking and shooting upward, is best handled by focusing on breath control before fin kicks, since breathing is usually the root cause. Group pacing is another recurring issue: a mixed-ability group needs a plan that keeps stronger students engaged without leaving anyone behind, which often means having an extra skill or observation task ready for early finishers. The common thread across all of these is patience paired with a clear plan. Students rarely struggle because they lack ability - they struggle because a skill has not yet been broken down into small enough steps for them.