Putting Another Dollar In - taking more classes

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It would cost less than the sum of all of the Specialities individually.

Realistically, the only extra cost would be the manuals/certifications from the agency concerned. Having extra manuals never hurt anyone... and you'd be getting more for your money in that respect. There'd be no need for the extra cert cards though... if, for instance, you could go directly to an AOW+EANx card upon certification.

For commercial reasons, none of the main agencies would be likely to do this however.

Over the past few years, it appears that some Shops/Instructors are doing a lesser form of this on their own, as I've met some recently-certified divers who accepted a "Package Deal" of OW+AOW+Nitrox in one combined training class.

Shops will quite often provide these courses (with some discount) when asked. The lack of demand for them tends to mean that they aren't highly marketed though. That, in itself, tends to illustrate that the average person considering dive training prefers a shorter entry-level cost...and prefers to keep their initial expenditure down. Which is why the market has evolved the way it did....

. not only did they not have Buddy Breathing

Removed because it is an utterly surplus skill. People use AAS now. It's an industry standard. Teaching buddy breathing in a scuba class would be akin to teaching motorists how to use hand signals for turning/stopping etc. It's a dead skill for non-professional/non-technical divers.

....or Emergency Ascents,

Not sure where you got this from. PADI teach 2 emergency ascents - Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent and Air-Sharing Ascent. They also teach (but don't practice) the Buoyant Ascent. SSI teach and practice all 3.

Other than a Buddy Breathing ascent, exactly what other types of emergency ascent were you imagining to be neglected?

...they also didn't get tables-based staged decompression homework,

Instruction with dive computers is becoming more main-stream. The pros and cons to that are debatable. It is certainly more relevant to what divers actually do post-qualification. The drawback is that it arguably provides less theoretical understanding of the physiological impacts on the body. Then again, given that most divers never touch a set of tables again after certification, what difference does it really make?

PADI do require tables based homework at an entry level. They have to plan dives and complete reviews and quizzes using that knowledge. Most courses still use 'plastic' tables. Some of the courses use electronic tables (i.e. the PADI eRDP). The eRDP is still tables. :wink:

or pool work that included bailouts

Not sure what you mean by 'bailouts'. I've only heard this term in respect to technical/CCR diving.

....and a harassment session (both of which are fundamentally confidence builders).

Not sure how 'harassment' builds confidence?

These were removed for a number of reasons;

Firstly, because it stopped instructors running military-style 'boot camp' training. It's an ego check for some very irresponsible instructors who day-dream that they could have been Nacvy SEALS in another life...

Secondly, because it prevented traumatized students running to the nearest lawyer with tales of bullying, assault and a dozen other civil or criminal accusations.


The biggest reason why the "Put Another Dollar In" slang exists is because there's a lot of classes that are a poor value because they really don't teach you all that much for what you're paying for.

How so? Most courses clearly state the 'training outcomes', course aims and goals. Just because some people imagine that they will be the equivalent of a Navy SEAL at the end of their OW course... doesn't make that a reality.... and certainly doesn't make that a failing of the course.
 
It's only an emergency if you have nothing to breathe. Anything else is just an inconvenience. :wink:

This statement is the essence of what newbs need to understand and what is, at least in my limited experience, often lacking in training. We, as OW students are taught all this stuff about what to do and what not to do but very rarely, it seems, does this message get through. Training for "emergency management" of our own emotions is the hardest thing to express and teach and the absolutely most crucial skill we can have, not just in diving. All too often I've seen "professionals" freeze up and amateurs save the day. It's a mental thing, and it's very hard to train but not impossible.

To Karen, if you need more classes to get that comfort level and "level-headed" feeling then you need more classes. If not, just get out and dive. As for the feeling weird about diving with a group of strangers, I'll say this: They're only strangers the first time you meet them. After that, they are a group of like-minded (at least with regards to a desire to dive) individuals that you can now go out with every weekend and dive. All my buddies have been insta-buddies, and while talkative after meeting someone, I'm never the person who initiates any conversation with a new person face to face. Hang out in your LDS for a bit, get to know one of the shop people and have them introduce you to some other divers, experienced or not, who are looking for buddies. They are always out there and they are asking the LDS about buddies too. And if you still want classes take those too. The two concepts don't have to be mutually exclusive.
 
DevonDiver and TS&M pretty much told it all. As DevonD said, there could just be a very comprehensive OW course (like there used to be?- so I've read). How much would this cost, as opposed to taking all these specialties?

Well I should think it would cost alot, but that is only part of the price. The card you get would still say OW on it, and thus operators and dive shops would not give it anymore respect than they give any other OW course, so you still wind up needing other cards to just get onto some boats anyway. Unless they issued other cards along with that certification to satisfy those needs.

I thinkt he comprehensive course is the way to go, I think it should be the only way to go. I understand alot of people in todays courses would not be taking them, but then again how many of those people are gonna be diving next year anyway? Those that really want it, really want it, and those who are just a little interested would find something else to do, thus freeing good instructors up to spend more time one on one with interested students.

OP- take the courses you think you will get some value out of. Some, like AOW and Nitrox or almost required by default just to make your life easier when booking a dive op. Rescue is a course any serious diver needs to take.

The other "fluff" classes have a ton of value in them, but like art the value is up to the end-user. I won't take night, boat, drift or photo myself, but who am I to say these classes won't add value to your diving? Don't let us talk you out of any class, but do research the course and instructor if possible to pick the ones that are right for you.

And FWIW a deep diver course taken in your local cold dark mudhole will give you more of a challenge and as a result more value than the course in 80 degree water with 150 feet of vis. Im just saying...
 
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