3-Day Open Water Certification?

[enohla]

Hi there,
I'm brand new to diving and signed up for a PADI Open Water Certification course a few days ago.
The itinerary was given to me recently and is as follows:

Day 1: 1 introductory confined water dive
Day 2: Open water dives 1 and 2
Day 3: Open water dives 3 and 4

So, my question is, is it normal to do two dives in a day? Is it acceptable to do this certification in 3 days?
I'm fine with 3-days, but I just want to make sure that this sounds alright to do.

I'm a newbie, so sorry for my ignorance.:blush:
Any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Scott]

This really should be in the Basic forum and not site support.
I'll see if a Mod can move it.

As for the course, yes it can be done by PADI standards with a lot of "ifs"

 

[enohla]

This really should be in the Basic forum and not site support.
I'll see if a Mod can move it.

D: sorry!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Are you serious about this? While it might meet standards in some way I do hope you are part fish. Have you looked into exactly what risks there are in diving? While this is a fun, educational, relaxing, and if done properly safe activity, it can also kill you in a heartbeat. In some very nasty and creative ways.

While it is normal to do 2 dives a day, even more for trained and experienced divers, there is a lot of material to cover and skills to master before you should even get in to open water. Go to amazon and get the kindle version of my book - SCUBA: A Practical Guide for the New Diver.

I don't know where you are from but there are supposed to be five distinct parts in confined water you have to do. Each has skills specific to the section that are supposed to be mastered. Not just parroted back once. But actually done smoothly and comfortably. Some people can get it the first time. Many can't. Some of those that can't are still passed only to find out they really don't know what they are doing and end up never diving again.

What you have signed up for is going to cram a great deal of material into a very short time. The OW class I teach is six to eight weeks long. Twice a week, 2 hours in the classroom and 2 -3 hours in the pool. I will not put people in the water for more than 2 hours at stretch. They start to get cold, tired, and informational overload comes into play. When that happens the learning stops. And what a student might miss from being so overloaded is the thing that could hurt them or worse down the road.

How much are you paying for this? I hope it's not much because I seriously worry that there will be a great deal of information, skills, and practice time that you will not get.

Ya know what? I am so upset about this that if you will PM me your email address or email me at jimlap212@comcast.net I will send you the Pdf of the first version of my book for free. Then if you want you can buy the second version in print from amazon.

Now before anyone gets jerked about my offer I am only doing it because I don't know if he has a kindle and time is short if he wanted the print version. Otherwise I would not offer it for free. But this kind of course is one of the major problems with the industry today and why we can't keep divers.

 

[enohla]

Wow... Well ... I'm normally not one to get scammed, and now I just feel like a fool. haha
Thank you so much for the information, Jim! I'm from FL and am very aware of how dangerous diving is, which is why I was a bit worried. I have paid for the course already and cannot get my money back- so I guess I'll see what it's all about. Then, I don't know...

I just found this on the PADI website:
"How long does it take to get certified? It’s possible to complete your confined and open water dives in three or four days by completing the knowledge development portion online via PADI eLearning, or other home study options offered by your local dive shop or resort."
I do have a course book that I picked up from them yesterday, and I've spent some time on it, but am not even half way through. The confined ocean dive begins tomorrow. Very frustrating.

 

[Roman_66]

I heard Open Water 5 days with 6 dives, later saw 5 dives, but never 4.
May they missed in agenda pool dive in first day ?
But still 3 days sounds very short, but may be according to PADI standards.

 

[Tony387]

My OW course with NAUI was given over a six or seven week period of time. Lots of classroom, three or four pool sessions and the the open water work. I know its done, but it seems impossible to get any type of quality training in such a short period of time. I would try to get my money back, or take dive gear in lieu of a refund, and look for a more in depth program.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[tkdgodess]

I did a 3 day course, 21 years ago. It was a private course me and my dad. We were already strong swimmers and skin divers, it was fun and easy. It was all day long for 3 days on a 21 day vacation. Instructor was outstanding and i used thing i learned from him to this day. Your results may vary.

 

[AdivingBel]

Enohla, don't freak out. A three day open water is pretty standard in South Fl. If you're comfy in the water and all goes as planned, you'll be fine for nice tidy bowl dives (warm and blue) when you're done. Once completed go out with a reputable (there are lots of them) dive charter. Tell them your situation, that you're new, so they can keep an eye on you, and don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. If you have probs in the pool with skills or on any of the open water dives , just say so, don't rush, and the instructor should work with you. If you need extra time take it. If you're comfy with your instructor, it might take more time and cost a bit more, but it's money well spent at this time. Literally thousands of divers have done the three-day course and been fine rec diving. Just keep in mind it is the beginning of your dive experience. There is much more to learn, but take your card and go dive. All that said, Jim, I don't mean to undermine your comments. You're obviously a very experienced instructor and offer a highly respected and educational experience, but compared to the standard "tropical training" it is above the norm. Enhola, if what Jim is offering you sounds good, go for it. You are getting in on the ground floor of dive training that most of us don't get.

 

[DogDiver]

Wow... Well ... I'm normally not one to get scammed, and now I just feel like a fool. haha
Thank you so much for the information, Jim! I'm from FL and am very aware of how dangerous diving is, which is why I was a bit worried. I have paid for the course already and cannot get my money back- so I guess I'll see what it's all about. Then, I don't know...

I just found this on the PADI website:
"How long does it take to get certified? It’s possible to complete your confined and open water dives in three or four days by completing the knowledge development portion online via PADI eLearning, or other home study options offered by your local dive shop or resort."
I do have a course book that I picked up from them yesterday, and I've spent some time on it, but am not even half way through. The confined ocean dive begins tomorrow. Very frustrating.

When you finish your course, come up to North Florida and I will , for no charge, complete by NAUI standards everything your PADI zero to hero course has left out.