Cheapest OW Certs Possible, FL, Kids, Ideas?

[yle]

I remember being taught that in my IDC and thinking it sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.

While I'm not advocating for the "OW cert in a weekend", I do think it works fine for some students. If students are, prior to their OW class, already comfortable in the water, can learn and complete the skills with few or no problems, there is no reason that the confined and open water requirements cannot be completed in two days.

When I've seen the class done this way (never taught this way myself...) an instructor would typically have just two students, which also helps quite a bit with getting the necessary work done. I've also seen that if everything runs smooth, the students get their certification; if there are any hiccups, they're given a raincheck and have to come back another weekend to finish the work. So the "OW cert in a weekend" is not a guarantee; students still have to meet standards.

And as we all know, the quality of the instructor is arguably the most important factor in the competence of the new diver. A student spending a weekend with a good instructor will be a much better new diver than one that spends a month with a not-so-good instructor.

 

[yle]

My CD said the purpose was so resorts could take you on a discover scuba and then sell you the rest of the course, giving you the ability to upsell it as soon as you hit the surface.

I've never seen the "weekend OW course" marketed as a "post DSD" thing. I've only seen it as a "come to the Keys for the weekend, get certified". Friday evening, all day Saturday, all day Sunday... all OW class. No time for a DSD in there.

But I suppose every CD has their interpretation of the scuba world.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I don't know what DSD or CD stand for?

 

[yle]

I don't know what DSD or CD stand for?

Sorry... we tend to start throwing around acronyms a little too readily when talking scuba. The list is endless.

DSD: discover scuba diving. It's PADI's "try scuba" program, and divers that do it are typically encouraged to then get certified.

CD: course director. Again, PADI. A CD teaches and certifies PADI instructors. So everyone that is a PADI instructor had a CD for their course.

 

[BRT]

The word cheap is, well, it just implies frick it.. People here are passionate about diving safely. I think if you switched out and used the words "cost effective" it wouldn't sound so harsh.

I get what you're doing and I'm positive you aren't the first person that did shallow try dives with uncertified folks...... You gotta understand why a bunch of instructors wouldn't like that, and the better instructors aren't thinking that because of money, they don't want to see people get hurt.

Surely not! Shirley???

 

[divezonescuba]

Sorry... we tend to start throwing around acronyms a little too readily when talking scuba. The list is endless.

DSD: discover scuba diving. It's PADI's "try scuba" program, and divers that do it are typically encouraged to then get certified.

CD: course director. Again, PADI. A CD teaches and certifies PADI instructors. So everyone that is a PADI instructor had a CD for their course.

Course directors do not certify PADI instructors, the PADI instructor examiner does.

 

[hroark2112]

I guess if you don't really like your kids, go ahead and do it as cheaply as possible.

 

[scubadada]

I guess if you don't really like your kids, go ahead and do it as cheaply as possible.

That's pretty mean, wanting to get his 4 kids certified on a limited budget may actually be nice, caring...

 

[Rob9876]

@rob.mwpropane I may have missed what part of Florida you are going to, but Rainbow Reef in Key Largo advertises $465 all-included whether you do classroom or in-person: PADI Open Water Diving Course | Rainbow Reef Dive Center | Key Largo, Florida Keys

Perhaps you could talk them into a bulk discount. They also have discount bundles if you buy equipment from them (and also have some good discounts on local hotels).

 

[VikingDives]

And that is a major reason they are less expensive....less contact time with the shop/instructor.
So to be fair you have to add the expensive (PADI) eLearning price to the "cheap" certification price.

I wholeheartedly agree. I started another thread in the instructors area because I'm so frustrated by PADI's pay to play mentality that I'm considering switching to NASE.