North Alabama shop/instructor recommendation

[Horgh]

Hey all, new guy here,

I'm in the Huntsville/Decatur area, looking to take my OW class. I found two shops nearby, namely Southeastern Divers (PADI) and North Alabama Dive Center (SSI), does anyone have experience or opinion on either?

I've spoken two both, the only negative I see is that North Alabama Dive Center won't let me use my own (brand new) gear for the OW class for liability reasons. That is definitely a negative in my book, but not a deal breaker.

If there are other shops or independent instructors worth considering (ideally within a 2 hour drive), let me know. Thanks!

 

[Sevenrider860]

Is Diveland Park in Glencoe near you? John Valdez is an IDEA instructor. It might be worth speaking with him.

 

[Horgh]

Is Diveland Park in Glencoe near you? John Valdez is an IDEA instructor. It might be worth speaking with him.

It's 1.5 hours away, so totally doable. I'll try giving them a call, though I was hoping to go with one of the more well known agencies.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

Blue Water Park/Scuba Ventures.

 

[Horgh]

Blue Water Park/Scuba Ventures.

I've contacted them and I'm waiting on some info. The big issue I'm having right now is that nobody seems to teach neutrally buoyant, and I don't want to take the class on my knees. It kinda blows my mind that this is so difficult.

 

[Boarderguy]

I've contacted them and I'm waiting on some info. The big issue I'm having right now is that nobody seems to teach neutrally buoyant, and I don't want to take the class on my knees. It kinda blows my mind that this is so difficult.

Get your cert and move on. Clear a mask, replace a lost reg, buddy breathe, don't drown. Once you have your card you can rent tanks and dive with groups that follow the mantra you've decided to chant.

 

[Horgh]

Get your cert and move on. Clear a mask, replace a lost reg, buddy breathe, don't drown. Once you have your card you can rent tanks and dive with groups that follow the mantra you've decided to chant.

So you want me to hand over cash to a shop/agency for a substandard education, just so I can get a plastic card, and learn less than I should for the money paid? Yeah, no. That's the problem I'm seeing with this industry already, it's a puppy mill mentality caused by high agency fees and minimum instructor wages. I've spoken to a few highly qualified instructors who unfortunately aren't in my area, but tell me I'm not crazy for wanting quality. Maybe you're ok with it, but I don't kneel.

 

[ozymandium]

Most of the shops up near you will bring their class down to Blue Water Park in Pelham, AL. If you decide you aren't interested in those two, you might also look at any other folks that train at BWP since it will be the same travel either way. You've already got your own gear and clearly know some basic qualifications for a decent instructor, so doing it through a local shop isn't providing the valuable hand holding experience most OW students are looking for. Scuba Ventures (same owner as BWP) has some great instructors.

 

[Boarderguy]

So you want me to hand over cash to a shop/agency for a substandard education, just so I can get a plastic card, and learn less than I should for the money paid? Yeah, no. That's the problem I'm seeing with this industry already, it's a puppy mill mentality caused by high agency fees and minimum instructor wages. I've spoken to a few highly qualified instructors who unfortunately aren't in my area, but tell me I'm not crazy for wanting quality. Maybe you're ok with it, but I don't kneel.

You're not wrong for wanting that type of training but this is your second thread on the same topic. Not all instructors that are worth a damn are going to teach basic open water. You've already been advised to get private lessons to be trained the way you want or just suck it up and use the rental gear. The end all is getting under water before getting your panties in a bunch over something you have zero experience with yet. Go get wet and blow some bubbles. You'll enjoy it once the classes are over and you can spend your 45 minutes looking at fish instead of flooding your mask and sweeping your reg.

 

[Horgh]

You're not wrong for wanting that type of training but this is your second thread on the same topic. Not all instructors that are worth a damn are going to teach basic open water. You've already been advised to get private lessons to be trained the way you want or just suck it up and use the rental gear. The end all is getting under water before getting your panties in a bunch over something you have zero experience with yet. Go get wet and blow some bubbles. You'll enjoy it once the classes are over and you can spend your 45 minutes looking at fish instead of flooding your mask and sweeping your reg.

First of all, who do you think you're talking to? Maybe you can take that tone with people you know, but not with me.

Second of all, this is a thread about LOCAL shops/instructors who I can then talk to in more detail, it is not "a second thread on the same topic". I don't want or need the pompous opinion of someone from the West coast who knows nothing about my diving area.