BAMA6977
Contributor
Any recommendations for GOOD instructor for the course. On the web site just says click to find SDI dive shop. Not looking for easy course just good instructor. Florida or Alabama. Thanks
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Personally I would just buy the manual for the course, read it through, and become comfortable with everything in the book. There really isn't A LOT to the course but what there is you should know well. Once you are comfortable with everything you can just get then find your instructor. It's another course where the instructor can make or break the course depending on if they make you do everything but most of the things you need to be able to do are pretty straight forward as far as if you know how to do them or not.
The class will basically make sure you have a redundant air source, have and are always ready to deploy an SMB, and make sure you know how to plan a dive given the gas you have in a conservative way. It will also teach you how to know if you don't have enough gas for what you want to do. Basically the class will teach you to think a little more about diving solo and ensuring you actually plan your dive and dive your plan.
... Not looking for easy course just good instructor. ...
Ironically around here I found that it took quite a while for the few places that offer the card to warm up to you and actually dive with you a few times so they know how you dive. With all the requirements met most places around here seem to act like they might offer the class at some later time but in reality they don't want to be the one to give you the card and then have something happen to you. There seems to be quite a bit of responsibility felt by the instructor. They really don't seem to offer the card up as a class very often if at all. Most of the time the classes are given they are behind the scenes and only to people the instructors have dove with it seems..
If you just want the card, there are plenty of instructors who are basically pay. do some dives. get card. bye..
The class will basically make sure you have a redundant air source, have and are always ready to deploy an SMB, and make sure you know how to plan a dive given the gas you have in a conservative way. It will also teach you how to know if you don't have enough gas for what you want to do. Basically the class will teach you to think a little more about diving solo and ensuring you actually plan your dive and dive your plan.