Best value location for PADI Certification

[zich6]

Hi @zich6

I'm with Marie, I would look into Key Largo. In a week, you could do OW and AOW and still have time for some experience dives.

Any dive shop recommendations? Thanks.

 

[scubadada]

Any dive shop recommendations? Thanks.

I have not done any training for quite a while and did none of my training in Key Largo. @The Chairman or [USER=67808]@mselenaous have extensive experience in Key Largo and could probably advise you. There are many experienced members on SB that can also give you their recommendations for training in Key Largo.

Best of luck, Craig[/USER]

 

[dmaziuk]

Thanks, but since Idaho is land locked and I'm retired, I'll be diving all over the world, so I don't have a region. I'm a former Airborne Ranger, so temperature and equipment variations won't bother me.

There is more to it that that. I certified locally and almost always dive in the tropics. First time I went for a local dive a couple of years later, I couldn't go down until my buddy said pull the neck seal to let the air bubble out, then I of course depth-charged into the muck raising the clouds of silt... just as well most others weren't doing much better and the vis was already down to a yard in clear patches.

Plus there's what they call "learning to swim in the deep end of the pool" where I'm from: if you learn to dive in 7 mm suit in 20 feet of muck, you won't have a problem "all over the world". Learn in speedos in 60' and unlimited visibility, OTOH...

 

[Snoweman]

There is more to it that that. I certified locally and almost always dive in the tropics. First time I went for a local dive a couple of years later, I couldn't go down until my buddy said pull the neck seal to let the air bubble out, then I of course depth-charged into the muck raising the clouds of silt... just as well most others weren't doing much better and the vis was already down to a yard in clear patches.

Plus there's what they call "learning to swim in the deep end of the pool" where I'm from: if you learn to dive in 7 mm suit in 20 feet of muck, you won't have a problem "all over the world". Learn in speedos in 60' and unlimited visibility, OTOH...

I get it. Growing up in the northeast, we would say that if you can (snow) ski in the east, you can ski anywhere. But a powder skier...

Having skied in light, fluffy powder, I say, "Why do I want to ski in the east??".

I'm a warm water diver. I like 100'+ of viz. Why would I want to dive in cold water muck??

 

[scubadada]

There is more to it that that. I certified locally and almost always dive in the tropics. First time I went for a local dive a couple of years later, I couldn't go down until my buddy said pull the neck seal to let the air bubble out, then I of course depth-charged into the muck raising the clouds of silt... just as well most others weren't doing much better and the vis was already down to a yard in clear patches.

Plus there's what they call "learning to swim in the deep end of the pool" where I'm from: if you learn to dive in 7 mm suit in 20 feet of muck, you won't have a problem "all over the world". Learn in speedos in 60' and unlimited visibility, OTOH...

There's much more to it than that. I certified in SoCal, difficult beach entries, cold water, variable visibility. That taught me quite a bit, including navigation, but did not teach me swift currents, drift diving, wrecks... There's something to be said about diving in all kinds of environments. I'll continue to pass on the quarries .

 

[scubadada]

I get it. Growing up in the northeast, we would say that if you can (snow) ski in the east, you can ski anywhere. But a powder skier...

Having skied in light, fluffy powder, I say, "Why do I want to ski in the east??".

I'm a warm water diver. I like 100'+ of viz. Why would I want to dive in cold water muck??

I've dived in SE Florida in very poor visibility and had a great time, if I wasn't already familiar with the conditions, I would probably have a tough time or abort. It's good to be flexible.

 

[Marie13]

There's much more to it than that. I certified in SoCal, difficult beach entries, cold water, variable visibility. That taught me quite a bit, including navigation, but did not teach me swift currents, drift diving, wrecks... There's something to be said about diving in all kinds of environments. I'll continue to pass on the quarries .

You get the cold water and really crappy viz at the quarries without the difficult entry (depending on quarry!) or current! I had 30ft viz in a quarry last Saturday and I was in heaven! But then our gear froze between dives (25F air temp, probably 5F wind chill, 52F water temp)!

 

[scubadada]

You get the cold water and really crappy viz at the quarries without the difficult entry (depending on quarry!) or current! I had 30ft viz in a quarry last Saturday and I was in heaven! But then our gear froze between dives (25F air temp, probably 5F wind chill, 52F water temp)!

I wouldn't argue, you do what you have. I'm lucky, get in a couple hundred dives per year in reasonable conditions. That counts spending all my energy trying to not fall down on the boats in SE Florida during the winter .

 

[Snoweman]

I've dived in SE Florida in very poor visibility and had a great time, if I wasn't already familiar with the conditions, I would probably have a tough time or abort. It's good to be flexible.

I dove in Key West in very poor viz (5' or less) as part of my AOW cert and thought it was horrible. My dive buddy needed to abort the dive due to ear trouble. He wanted to continue, but I was more than happy to get out of that water.

I can understand needing the experience if it's your job or wanting to be tech, but I will stick to being recreational.

 

[Schwob]

So, 7 pages in and two specific recommendations (one for a shop in Vancouver and one for @The Chairman ) if my count is right?
And I cannot do better either, as value really does depend on which instructor you get at a shop and aditionally maybe on how small your group happens to be.

So, I'd say you either find who someone tells you is a stellar instructor that teaches OW and not just advanced stuff (and you do have two leads there)...

or (because you were a ranger and have no fear that you can't overcome (you do have fear, I know 'cause you are alive))
you just travel to a land based diving destination where you want to travel to anyway that offers diving and take whatever class with whomever, because it is a bit of a crap shoot anyway and if you spend your class and practise time paying attention, and spenjd your preparation time by reading a good (critical thinking kind) instructional book (in addition to the branded manual) ahead of time and ask what questions you may have during the class... you may learn more then if you spend all that time looking for that great instuctor...
... unless you find him / her...
But as a former ranger ... don't overthink it, just focus on getting buoancy figured out real well... whatever the instrucot does with it... (or despite it...) And then, certified go diving and get good at it...

Two words of caution: Weather and the length of the trip:

1. Taking a class far away sucks if the weather is such (or your progress) that you cannot complete the class because you do not have enough bad weather (blown out days) make-up dives left in the trip - or worse, the shops resources are all committed and they give you a run-around...

2. If you book with a single instructor a long way away and he /she happens to fall sick while you're about boarding the plane or after you arrive... you may have booked the better instructor that you don't get and possibly you may not have a substitute or one you definitely would not have travelled that far for... So, As much as I dislike the instructor quality variance associated with shops.... "back-up capability" might be a good thing... --- As other's said, there are advantages to doing a class near home, even if the diving is just in a practise hole...

I've seen both directly although I was not in the class.