Certification Question

[captNcrunch]

Since there are several Certification programs available, (PADI, SSI, NAUI here in Massachusetts), could all you experienced divers please provide your individual recomendations and any reasons why you would select one over the other. I appreciate your help ..... Thanks.

[bruce-r]

They are all similar. A C-card from any of the three you list should be recognized worldwide. The individual instructor is much more important than which certification agency (s)he is associated with, IMO. Select a knowledgeable instructor that you are comfortable and confident with.

[KaC-Cruiser]

I agree totally ... when I was certified a few years back, it was more imortant that I was comfortable with, and trusted the instructor. It didn't really matter to me which program they were training under.

[captNcrunch]

Select a knowledgeable instructor that you are comfortable and confident with.

 

As I see it these are the major problems everyone faces when selecting a program. Its really hard to determine ones knowledge when you know nothing :D . If you have any selection tips you care to share I would appreciate hearing them. Thanks

[bruce-r]

As I see it these are the major problems everyone faces when selecting a program. Its really hard to determine ones knowledge when you know nothing :D . If you have any selection tips you care to share I would appreciate hearing them. Thanks

A personal visit with a potential instructor is important. Recommendations from divers in your area are good. Perhaps do a Discover Scuba dive in the pool with a potential instructor to see what (s)he is like with a group of potential students.

 

You might also be able to get a recommendation from someone on your regional area on scuba board.

[NM_Eman]

I'm a PADI instructor and I second what's been said above. The instructor is more important than the agency. Talk to the instructors. See what thier attitudes are like. Do they "guarantee"you will get certified. If they do they are willing to bend the agency's rules. Will they take extra time if you're having trouble with a skill or a concept? Will they charge extra for it? Talk to them about the science parts of the classroom work. Do they brush it off as though its not important. Are they condescending about things you might not get easily. Lots of college educated folks seem to have problems with pressure calculations and such. How hard are they pushing you to buy equipment. Remember that equipment sales are where the shop makes money not the instruction. Look at the quality of their rental gear does it appear well maintained, no frayed straps, seem clean, is the storage area well ordered or chaotic. Use your common sense and have fun.

[Mur-cruiser]

 

. Wrong Thread

[captNcrunch]

I'm a PADI instructor and I second what's been said above.

 

Thanks, it would be a whole lot easier if there weren't so many choices :D

 

We were trying to take the classes localy and do the open water dives by referal which does not seem to be a problem. The PADI class schedules seem very intense, 3 days 8 hours a day, while the SSI class is a lot more flexible. I guess there is always the private route :D

[scubaran]

Thanks, it would be a whole lot easier if there weren't so many choices :D

 

We were trying to take the classes localy and do the open water dives by referal which does not seem to be a problem. The PADI class schedules seem very intense, 3 days 8 hours a day, while the SSI class is a lot more flexible. I guess there is always the private route :D

 

Hi,

 

Having just finished my Rescue Diver certification this weekend, I can recommend a few more things... I've learned to ask to see the instructor's dive log (something everyone should keep up with). If they're excited you asked, you probably have a good instructor, if they say, "awww, who needs them after 100 dives" might consider backing away. I have a great instructor who just logged his 7,035th dive with me this weekend and every detail is still filled in. If they don't care about their details, how well will they care about yours? Also, local is better as, if you're really interested in the sport, you'll want to add additional certifications and specialties as you advance. Finally, you'll want to ask for references or talk to other people (privately) that you run into in the dive shop. Ask how the classes go, do they work with the students a lot, what is the normal instructor/student ratio (more that 4:1 can get you lost in a crowd), where they do their open water dives and is there a normal group who dive locally and when/where do they meet (don't want to go long without keeping up the bubble blowing)?

 

Also as far as which certification group, pick one, the big joke is the only real difference when you go somewhere to dive is not what certification organization gave you your c-card (certification card) but what credit card company's c-card (credit card) do you have. :)

 

Randall

[Hilary]

I would have to respectfully disagree that a good instructor "should" have a current dive log. We feel we got first class instruction when we got certified, and the instructor who certified us works on a busy dive boat in Maui, HI. He does anywhere from 14-20 dives a week, with a lot of repetition. He feels that there is simply no point in continuing to log the same dives over and over again, and only actually "logs" when he goes somewhere new to dive. He keeps a running total of his dives, but doesn't consider that "logging" since he doesn't write location, etc.

 

I do agree 100% that the instructor is the MOST important thing, not the agency. Our instructor was both PADI and NAUI and asked which one we wanted. We only chose PADI because we had gotten our materials for free by borrowing from a friend, and they were PADI ones. We did our AOW as PADI because the shop dropped their NAUI affiliation, and are doing our Rescue as PADI for the same reason.

[Middleager]

Between two instructors who both claim thousands of dives, I'd pick the one who would show you the log book and is excited to talk about the dives, over the one that says s/he doesn't keep logs anymore because they are the same dives over and over. I'd go with someone who feels excited about diving and is enthusiastic about teaching, rather than someone who feels "these are the same old repetitve dives".

[wvjohn]

I went through the same process - first went to scubaboard.com and read a lot of threads and got a list of questions for the dive shop - then went to the two local diveshops and interviewed them - as it turned out one was much more appealing to me because the chief instructor was older (50s like me) and really enthused about diving....he was showing me his pics after 20 mins. I will be getting a YMCA card but from what I have read, assuming all are technically qualified, it's how comfortable you feel with the instructors that you should look at . I won't start for another month, but looking forward to it!

[Woodsmaster]

I was first certified through NAUI in 1973. It was a large class and the instructor spent adequate time covering the material. He was one of two instructors where I lived and happened to be the one who had a class starting at the time I was interested in certifying.

 

Things have changed.

 

There are a number of instructors and their methods and techniques do vary. My law partner is a PADI instructor. Being that he was handy, it was easy to gravitate to him for advanced diver, Nitrox, and Rescue.

 

However it was made a lot easier in that he has a love of the sport and he is willing to bend over backwards to work with divers. I have seen him basically get converted into "private lessons" (and not collect the additional funds) because of his students "sudden" change of schedules. He is thourough with his classroom work and is able to convey the information to the youngest divers and to the oldest without making them feel ill-at-ease. He still logs his dives. Every one of them. Even in the open water lake the "Vidor Caribbean" where every dive is a night dive (3-4 feet of visibility on a good day).

 

He does not cut corners. He has refused to certify people who were on their way to a week long vacation to dive the next week because they had not satisfactorily shown the skills knowledge that is required. I am aware of a couple of potential divers he would not certify who went down the street and were "certified" by another instructor with just a "verbal quiz" over what they had been doing already.

 

Your life may well depend on what your instructor teaches or does not teach you. I concur with the above. The instructor is the most important. Next, if you intend to advance to higher levels of certification, then the certifying organization matters.

 

You willneed to check out their various advancement requirements and what the trail to divemaster or instructor may entail. Some require various intermediate "certifications' that another may not to get to the same level. Each certification level costs you money.

 

Go, have fun and enjoy.

[captNcrunch]

for all your input. I think I finally found a shop that is more interested in training than $$$$$. It's SSI and they have a flex plan that allows you to go at your own pace and take as much time as needed with out extra charges. This is exactly what my wife needed :D So we'll see how it goes and who knows maybe someday we will be diving together in the caribbean :cool:

[KaC-Cruiser]

for all your input. I think I finally found a shop that is more interested in training than $$$$$. It's SSI and they have a flex plan that allows you to go at your own pace and take as much time as needed with out extra charges. This is exactly what my wife needed :D So we'll see how it goes and who knows maybe someday we will be diving together in the caribbean :cool:

Sounds like you found a perfect fit!! Have a great time getting certified, and look forward to an update on how it goes!!

[carson cruiser]

I agree with everyone else here---the instructor is key to your learning process and how you will react in a dive emergency.

 

I talked some friends into learning scuba a few years ago. When we went to the local pool to try it out before enrolling in classes, I freaked out and started hyperventilating. The other four newbies had no problems and got to swim all over the pool and sit on the bottom, etc. Our instructor's husband was along with us. He sat with me in the shallow end of the pool and I just sat on bottom (3') and tried to calm down my breathing. I was so disappointed that I couldn't go with the others.

 

The instructor took me to the pool a few days later--just the two of us and everything went just fine. I had no problems with my breathing. So all five of us completed all the courses and received our certification.

 

About emergencies---this is a critical part of the learning experience. We went to Bonaire for 10 days of diving abour 4 years ago. We went on a wreck dive and we all just headed for the bottom to regroup before exploring. When we were ready, my BC did not inflate. It had worked great on several previous dives. I just stood there and waved at them. I remained calm and I owe that to my instructor. One of the other divers took my hand and off we went on the dive. After a few minutes the BC did inflate and the rest of the dive went off without a problem.

 

In Cabo San Lucas two years ago, another incident. Got to the bottom and waiting for group to arrive. Noticed a leak at the valve (bubbles) and waved to the divemaster. I stayed calm (again) and used my buddy's octo while they disconnected valve and reonnected it. It still leaked a tiny bit but not enough to drain my air too fast. Rest of dive was great. Saw a solid wall of fish above and below and side to side as far as you could see. I'm sure glad I didn't miss that.

 

I know you probably think I need better equipment but in both instances it was rental gear. I now have my own gear and hope these incidents are in the past.

 

But the whole issue for me was that I remained calm while the problems were fixed. I totally believe this is because our instructor was the best.

 

Hope all divers have great learning experiences and remember not to panic. Most problems can be fixed without aborting the dive.

[Woodsmaster]

Carson Cruiser:

 

I have seen divers who have paniced as well. Not a pretty site.

 

I would note that you mentioned tow problems that you encountered. Just a bit of an observation and a few words of wisdom for what they are worth....

 

you stated... "We went on a wreck dive and we all just headed for the bottom to regroup before exploring. When we were ready, my BC did not inflate. It had worked great on several previous dives. I just stood there and waved at them. I remained calm and I owe that to my instructor. One of the other divers took my hand and off we went on the dive. After a few minutes the BC did inflate and the rest of the dive went off without a problem."

 

When you think about your equipment as life saving equipment or your lifeline to safety, you would not make a dive with a malfunctioning BC. If you were having problems with the power inflator not working right, you should not rely on that BC's inflator. You stated that after a while the BC did inflate... What would you have done if it did not stop inflating because of a malfunctioning valve or grit stuck in the seat that kept the valve cracked open? Why didn't it work right? What if your buddy who took your hand had his/her BC malfunction and yours was not working???

 

Diving is for fun... don't take chances and risk your life on malfunctioning equipment. I learned to dive without a BC. We had horsecollar emergency vests with "CO2" inflators. Yes, you can blow the vest up manually to assist, but don't take chances with one that may run away with you and leave you rushing to the surface.

 

You also stated "Noticed a leak at the valve (bubbles) and waved to the divemaster. I stayed calm (again) and used my buddy's octo while they disconnected valve and reonnected it."

 

I cannot even imagine a diver of any skill level willing to ruin his regulator by disconnecting the first stage from the bottle and then reconnecting it. It allows water into the first stage and can very easily cause a malfunction. If the leak is not too bad, just keep on diving and fix it on your return to the surface. Salt water intrusion into your first stage can corrode the internal parts. In any event, if it is rental gear and they are willing to do this, I wouldn't rent from them again.

 

Again, you are flirting with your life line to your air bottle.

 

I am not being critical, just giving you some food for thought.

[carson cruiser]

Excellent advice. Thank you. The buddy who took my hand when the BC failed to inflate is a certified divemaster. As you said though it could have been a disaster in the making. As for the divemaster who fixed the valve, I would have to say the choice was his as was the gear. If he had signaled me to go back to the boat I would have done so. As he was the divemaster and signaled me to continue on the dive that is what I did.

 

I guess I should say a prayer that both emergencies turned out okay. What I really wanted to stress though was the importance of staying calm in an emergency. I have heard of too many divers who have shot to the surface for a number of reasons and at least one diver in my local town died as a result of that. I do not know where she received her training or the actual reason, but from what we were told she panicked.

 

Thanks again for your comments. Although I have been diving for several years, I still have a lot to learn. Live and learn. Never to old to learn.

[DiveCruiser]

I find NAUI to be the easiest as far as getting cert. PADI you learn alot more of the basics. But as said before get a good instructor.

 

Bob