Get Scuba Certified for $199 1 time only deal

[24940]

We don't blow off the pool sessions at all. All five pool dives are done on Friday. Come on guys why do you need 5 short pool dives. There's no need to have this certification take 6 months for everyone. (well, maybe, if you are Canadian)

The pool dive is a half a day
It is called a Confined Water Dive, so yes myself and Padi call it a dive.

You can't even go diving 4 times for this price.
Class is instructed by certified instructors and administered by a dive operation that's been in business for over 40 years. The course is a total of 24 hours, just done over 3 days instead of spread out. You learn everything you would if the course took those 24 hours and spread them out over weeks or months.

I've held this class many times before and never had a complaint. I don't make a cent off this, I try to be nice and offer to introduce people to the underwater world and people ridicule me and my group for no good reason. That's bs. Some seriously insecure people out there.

Heya Tony,

No intent of ridicule on my part. I was interested in course content and found the course rather inadequate, based on your description of the content. While I have no doubt that your students meet some definition of the standards, they wouldn't meet mine. The biggest issue I personally have with this type of course is the false impression students get about their abilities and qualifications as a diver once certified.
I appreciate your noble intent, but I've seen the issues people going through such courses have. Saving $100 on initial OW training might seem like a good deal to the potential student, but from my observation, cost should be the last consideration when contemplating dive instruction.

Fast Training, Cheap Training, Quality Training..... Pick two, but you can't have all three. In the end, quality training needs to be the priority.

 

[Flaviss]

Fast Training, Cheap Training, Quality Training..... Pick two, but you can't have all three.

So your telling me you can have quality training that is fast, just so long as you pay for it?

So the discount prevents it from being quality?

I am not saying that the students wouldn't be better prepared in a longer or more drawn out class but a weekend class is enough to get divers who pay attention, are intelligent, and care about getting things right adequately prepared for the parameters of OW certification. If they don't have those three qualities it doesn't matter how long you take for their safety. Also of huge impact is the standards of the instructor. If they just check off minimum specs rather than being exacting in their criticism of techniques, once again - does not matter how long the class is paced over. And lastly the size of the class matters more than the pace of class. I would learn a hell of a lot more with a student/instructor ratio of say 4-5:1 in 3 days than I would learn with the same instructor if he/she had a 8-10:1 student ratio over an extended course.

The problem with students from any open water class is that they think they are qualified to scuba dive - period. If they read the certification they are only qualified to dive in conditions similar to the ones they are tested in - 60 foot or less of water with a divemaster or better close by to keep an eye on them. If they get more experience before trying to go beyond their certification they are mostly fine.

 

[deepstops]

Fast Training, Cheap Training, Quality Training..... Pick two, but you can't have all three. In the end, quality training needs to be the priority.

So your telling me you can have quality training that is fast, just so long as you pay for it?

So the discount prevents it from being quality?

Flaviss,

You've selectively quoted someone and cut off his important last sentence.

Also, I've sent you a couple of PMs regarding the spots you booked for the manatee snorkel trip we did last weekend. Are you going to give me the courtesy of a reply??

 

[24940]

So your telling me you can have quality training that is fast, just so long as you pay for it?

Yes, that is what I am telling you. A persons ability to absorb and take advantage of that training will vary, but that does not necessarily reflect on the quality of training. Later in your post you cite instructor to student ratios as being a factor in time and quality of instruction. I agree, but lower instructor to student ratios come at a price.

So the discount prevents it from being quality?

Quality instruction is expensive and time consuming compared to that of a Certification Mill type course. I'm not aware of any OW instructors getting rich or even making a good living from instructing OW classes at $175 per student(which is a pretty high fee for instructor costs). Discounting seems to go hand in hand with compromised or reduced standards in my opinion. Most OWI will draw the line at losing money for their efforts.

You can get cheap, quality instruction, but it will take you much longer than expensive, quality instruction. That path is using a mentor who may be very good at diving, but not so hot at teaching what they know. That mentor may be reluctant to give up info that was attained through no small effort of their own. They may not recognize that what works for them might not work for you. It can take time.

I am not saying that the students wouldn't be better prepared in a longer or more drawn out class but a weekend class is enough to get divers who pay attention, are intelligent, and care about getting things right adequately prepared for the parameters of OW certification.

That's probably true, but what do you do with the other 95% of people wanting to certify?

The problem with students from any open water class is that they think they are qualified to scuba dive - period. If they read the certification they are only qualified to dive in conditions similar to the ones they are tested in - 60 foot or less of water with a divemaster or better close by to keep an eye on them. If they get more experience before trying to go beyond their certification they are mostly fine.

yep, that's what you get when you do cheap and fast: Divers who are not qualified to do the dives safely without a baby sitter. They require further training to become self sufficient, so how great a deal is the $199/2 day special? It's a tandem jump. I've done a tandem jump, but I'm certainly not a skydiver.

The biggest issue I personally have with this type of course is the false impression students get about their abilities and qualifications as a diver once certified.

 

[Flaviss]

Deepstops,

I did reply to your message, just replied to the first one you sent. I guess it didn't make it back to you since it wasn't your actual account. I have copy pasted my messages and sent them as a reply to the second message you sent.

Flaviss

 

[eandiver]

I'm interested to know if everyone who signed up for this class passed and if at the end felt comfortable with the training and their abilities.

 

[24940]

What difference would it make? Talk to any of my students and they will tell you I am the best scuba instructor they ever had. Of course, I'm the only instructor they've had, so their feedback is pretty much worthless.

 

[deepstops]

Deepstops,

I did reply to your message, just replied to the first one you sent. I guess it didn't make it back to you since it wasn't your actual account. I have copy pasted my messages and sent them as a reply to the second message you sent.

Flaviss

Flaviss,

I still haven't rcv'd any PMs from you but I just sent you another.

 

[mike_s]

I'm interested to know if everyone who signed up for this class passed and if at the end felt comfortable with the training and their abilities.

If they are new students, what would they have to compare it with?

 

[eandiver]

There is no comparing at that stage obviously. It's how confident the person feels after the class and I'm not talking about the "damn I'm good, let's hit eagles nest" person but rather the one who understood what was taught, understands the limitations on their level of training and feels comfortable doing that level of diving.