Question Agency vs instructor selection (Netherlands)
- Thread starter Cheizz
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Still, the agency creates the instructor.
Btw, I know that you love to argue just for the sake of arguing.
it gives the instructor initial pro status.
But my real growth came from other agencies. So while I did start with one agency, that agency did so little to the improvement I made in myself as an instructor. Fortunately, I had mentors with DIR backgrounds (where the best instructors tend to come from). Its just a matter of fact. Same applies to other instructors I know. Their original agency did nothing for their growth. Training with other agencies did. It isn't uncommon, but people who are stuck inside the same agency may not realize that. That isn't uncommon either.
Nah, I just sometimes engage when people say something really incorrect.
OP
Cheizz
Contributor
Both very good suggestions, thanks. There are a few experienced sidemount divers in the Benelux, I'm sure (with a lot of practical experience in caves, not just with training programs and agencies). But they are not yet in my network. The Facebook community suggestions comes in handy there. Thanks.
What exactly are you looking to learn, the people who sell sidemount systems give detailed instructions how to set them up and adjust to suit individual divers. After that it’s just practice and more practice till your happy, do you dive with a buddy on the same system,
Blackcrusader
Contributor
I'm going to guess that there are some PADI technical instructors who know what they're doing. But yes, of course you're right. GUE Fundimentals has a deservedly great reputation as being in a way higher standard than any other (mainstream) agency.
OK Just saw this thread as I am talking with my friend who will also be my TDI Advanced Nitrox and Deco course. He also teaches the PADI tech 40 Tech 50 courses. I can decide on sidemount or backmount twins. I also redid my PADI rescue course with him several years ago, yes I redid a rescue course because I wanted to. I think some people should redo rescue courses because it's easy to forget what you learned a long time ago.
He has also done some of the GUE courses and I asked him should I do one. His reply was that for the diving I do not really necessary.
We have done many recreational dives together to 40m but no deco dives together. So I think that is a plus that I have done a course with him already and also that we have diving experience together already. atm the dive center he manages was destroyed by a typhoon and won't be rebuilt till the end of the year so courses are taught through another dive center atm. For me it is the instructor first not the dive center or agency.
Blackcrusader
Contributor
I've been buddied up with divers on recreational dives who use sidemount. I just find it strange they want to use sidemount on NDL dives but it's not my place to judge that. On one of my dives I was taking a photo and got smacked in the head by a tank from by my sidemount dive buddy who decided he wanted to see what I was taking pictures of.
Sidemount is really stable and comfortable in the water. Resilience is always a good thing.
That’s not good. Someone not aware of their surroundings.
Was at a diving lake the other day with a couple of friends, hovering beside a platform as one of us was running through some skills. We were literally bombarded by a bunch of divers who knocked us out of the way as they proceeded to destroy the visibility and kneel on the platform. Seemed they were fighting each other during some rescue course given the amount of bubbles ascending from them.
OP
Cheizz
Contributor
That's a good point. I have seen too many times though (in other sports) that people teach themselves things that they, later on, need to 'unlearn' because of little flaws in their execution of procedures, etc. I guess that diving regularly with someone who can 'correct' you (and video-assisted feedback) would be very beneficial. I just don't want to learn things 'the wrong way' in the first place. That's why I am looking into this.
Similar threads
