Need refferal for insturctor near Salt Lake

[divecouple]

HI!
We finished our classroom and confined water dives in Feb and need to do our open water dives. We would like to do it near salt lake (homestead crater?) because it is fairly close to home (Wyoming). Our instructor wont be doing any open water dives until June and we want to get it done before that.

Can anyone reccomend a dive instructor in that area. We have taken PADI calsses and I guess it would be best to finish with PADI? I have called several places and not been too impressed. Can anyone give a glowing reccomendation for someone in that area?

 

[holdingmybreath]

HI!
We finished our classroom and confined water dives in Feb and need to do our open water dives. We would like to do it near salt lake (homestead crater?) because it is fairly close to home (Wyoming). Our instructor wont be doing any open water dives until June and we want to get it done before that.

Can anyone reccomend a dive instructor in that area. We have taken PADI calsses and I guess it would be best to finish with PADI? I have called several places and not been too impressed. Can anyone give a glowing reccomendation for someone in that area?

I went freediving in the crater last spring (yup, to the bottom) and I believe there was a dive shop right there that would give instruction..maybe tied in with the resort I'm not sure and I'm sorry I can't say yea or nay about them.... but maybe you could check with them right on site at the Homestead Crater.

 

[divecouple]

I actually did check with them and they are SSI. We just had a very brief conversation with them but they did seem nice. However I understand there are some drawbacks to finishing with another agency vs sticking with what you started with??

 

[nauifins73]

I'm not sure what the draw backs would be - maybe a skill that you didn't do in class that the OW Instructor would have you do, but it shouldn't be anything you can't do. We did a "tired diver tow" in my checkout that we didn't do in class. I did a PADI class/pool and did my OW checkout dives with a NAUI Instr - hence I got a NAUI OW card and have since gone to all SSI specialities.

Becky

 

[divecouple]

I'm not sure what the draw backs would be - maybe a skill that you didn't do in class that the OW Instructor would have you do, but it shouldn't be anything you can't do. We did a "tired diver tow" in my checkout that we didn't do in class. I did a PADI class/pool and did my OW checkout dives with a NAUI Instr - hence I got a NAUI OW card and have since gone to all SSI specialities.

Becky

What is the deal with "universal" cards and having to go back to your original instructor to sign off etc? Would the SSI instructor give us an SSI card then? Or would we have to go back to the PADI instructor we started with? Sorry I am ignorant about this!

 

[Frogman48]

Check out Neptune Divers in Salt Lake City. Although they are an SSI facility, they do a lot of OW dives at Bonneville Sea Base - about 45 minutes west of SLC on I-80. You can get a nice Salt Water experience there - and they even have a couple of nurse sharks to swim around with. A bit longer drive than the "hot pot," but also a larger facility to dive in and more things to see. The salinity is only slightly greater than the ocean.

 

[SaltyKSue]

I live here in Salt Lake and did my PADI certification here. I did my open water in Wendover Nevada, at Blue Lake.
Two of the dive shops that do PADI certification are Scuba Utah (thats who I went through) and Dive Utah.
I've also been diving at the crater. It is very boring. Just a big - but warm (and actually not even that big) hole. Nothing in there except a platform they put in at 20 ft. and some PVC pipe made into squares to swim through.
Another dive shop too is Dive Addicts but I think they are SSI too.
The dive instructor I had was fabulous, but she has since moved to the Keys, where she can actually go diving once in a while.
If you would like me to look up address and phone # for these places for you let me know,Send me a PM. and I'd be happy to do that for you.
_____________
Karen

 

[nauifins73]

What is the deal with "universal" cards and having to go back to your original instructor to sign off etc? Would the SSI instructor give us an SSI card then? Or would we have to go back to the PADI instructor we started with? Sorry I am ignorant about this!

Don't worry about being confused - been there too, as we all have. I'm not sure about a "universal" card. The way I understand it; the agency the Instructor is certified with will be the agency you get your OW card from. Yes you would get an SSI card - which when it comes to diving after your class; is as viable as any card you can have.

Becky

 

[MLNJM3]

We recently finished our OW dives at the Crater. Very pleasant place! Nice environment to do and practice your skills. Water World out of Orem has the lease on the Crater although a lot of shops dive there. We did ours with them through SSI but they also offer PADI. So give them a call, ask for Jim or Craig. We just got back from our first ocean dive trip and were very comfortable with the training we received. Now if I could just keep from emptying a tank every 20 minutes ). Good luck.

 

[divecouple]

Thanks everyone for the info! We are set up to dive at the crater with a PADI instructor. So that problem is solved. Now if I can just survive removing and replacing my mask! Uugg