America's Oldest Agency Calling it QUITS..

[Jim Lapenta]

Unfortunately many local Y's have fiscal responsibiliities that seem to override alot of the old programs. Even some swimming classes which is one of the things the Y is famous for take a back seat to programs like water aerobics and other things. Some of the senior programs get alot of advertising and promotion but scuba does not. And don't get in the way of a water aerobics instructor. They can be viscious! I know my sister is one.

And I don't know about other areas but SWPa just brought three new Y instructors into the fold. I'm one of them and another instructor at our shop is one of the others along with a very nice lady from the Philadelphia area. There may not be alot of us be we have no intention of allowing all our hard work go for nothing.

There are also still people out there who recognize the value of a program like ours as opposed to a quickie get em in and get em out course. It's amazing the number of parents who were trained by other agencies and bring their kids to us for training. And since parents are required to be at all pool and classroom sessions the number who say we never went over this or that in my OW class or had to do those skills is another indicator as to the quality of the program. Some of em even take the course along with their kids (even if it's unofficially).

 

[EastcoastdiverLLC]

The YMCA SCUBA Program is not going away. As a Y Instructor, my take is that the program is simply being re-organized and made a much larger part of the YMCA of the USA and less of an independant program.

Trace, you are absolutely correct on Y's allowing just about anyone to teach in their pools and not giving preference to the YMCA programs. That may be another big change on the horizon, but we'll see.

The bottom line, Y SCUBA isn't going anywhere, we just may wind up a little less independant and will be working more closely with our local YMCA's, which my company already does.

Gary

With or without the YMCA affiliation, the program will live on with the same high standards and curriculum. We'll still remain the oldest certifying agency with some of the highest standards in the business today!

Gary

 

[Ltstanfo]

Farewell YMCA SCUBA. You introduced me to the underwater world in 1982 (OW2) and I've been hooked ever since.

Thanks for all the good memories.

Ltstanfo

 

[wb4tjh]

I got my scuba certification from the YMCA program in Memphis, Tn., in April, 1961. I had the honor of having for instructor a retired U.S. Navy Master Diver, Russ Browning. The things he drilled into my head when I was 14 years old have never left me. It was a long time ago, but it seems like only yesterday. That YMCA program opened up an incredible world to me that has fascinated me ever since.