Introducing DWF Labs Evil Instructor Mode: Bad Advice. Better Divers.
Going over dive scenarios is important. It can also be boring. We can sit around and discuss what a diver should do when visibility disappears, the current picks up, gas gets low, or equipment acts up. That discussion has value, but there is a better way to do it: let the Evil Instructor make the bad decisions.
Evil Instructor Mode turns scenario practice into a game. You get dropped into realistic situations and have to decide what you would actually do next.
Some answers are solid. Some are defensible. Some are questionable. And some are exactly the kind of terrible advice the Evil Instructor wants you to follow.
The goal isn’t to memorize perfect answers; it’s to think through problems before you face them underwater.
We do not want the first time we seriously consider a problem to be the day we are dealing with it for real.
If you have already evaluated a situation, considered your options, and decided where a dive should stop, your brain has a head start when things go sideways.
Think Through the Dive
You might get a straightforward scenario, a gray area where multiple choices work, or a situation where a rushed reaction makes things worse. And sometimes the correct response is simply: call the dive.
Any diver can end a dive at any time for any reason. That is not failure. Good judgment sometimes means solving a problem and continuing, and sometimes it means recognizing that the dive is over right now.
Meet the Evil Instructor
The Evil Instructor has one job: give you just enough questionable advice to see if you are paying attention.
Real incidents rarely start with one massive mistake. They start small.
- A minor issue gets ignored.
- An environmental factor changes.
- The team keeps pushing forward anyway.
- Another small problem stacks on top.
That is how an incident chain forms. One of the most critical skills a diver can develop is recognizing when that chain is building and snapping it early.
Quick Hits, Challenges, and Dives From Hell
You can run a single quick scenario, tackle a five-round judgment challenge, or climb aboard one of the Evil Instructor’s Dives From Hell, where an ordinary dive continuously collects problems.
The point isn’t to see how much punishment you can survive. It’s to see how early you can recognize the pattern, break the chain, and ensure nothing terrible happens.
Compete Against Yourself (or Your Buddy)
Evil Instructor Mode isn’t built around a public leaderboard. You compete mostly against the diver you were the last time you played:
- See new scenarios and improve your scores.
- Earn achievements and track your personal bests.
- See how much of the Evil Instructor’s bag of tricks you can survive.
Want some friendly friction? Challenge a buddy to the exact same set of scenarios. Same problems, their decisions, their score. Whether you get bragging rights or end up debating a gray area, you’re building better dive judgment together.
Serious Lessons, Zero PowerPoint
There is real education built into the game, but it’s designed to be fun. Training shouldn’t feel like a lecture slides presentation. We can laugh at terrible advice, debate the edge cases, and quietly sharpen our decision-making skills in the process.
Go make some decisions and see how badly you can disappoint the Evil Instructor.
Bad advice is waiting. 😈
