I always wonder how a person who wants to do an OW can actually tell the difference between agencies, and whether instructor A is a "great one" and to avoid instructor B? Or, what to ask the instructor in n order to "customize training"? What does that even mean and how can someone who never dived even know what to ask?
Even if someone choses a specific school, regardless of agency, and they have several instructors, how can they know that the instructor assigned to them is a great one or mediocre? The school charges extra because they are assigning him "their best instructor" or a discount because they have a less experienced one available? In my country I am not even sure that the price always reflects better, as there are huge differences between cities in prices of rent (especially near the shore), cost of living, salaries for the same job and so on, the price mostly reflects this, not quality (which a person new to OW course cannot tell anyway).
Sure, guys who are diving for years and perhaps did several certifications can tell, but that is not the case being asked here.
Personally, when friends ask me where to learn and that they heard that "Agency X is better and is it worththe pain of extra driving time to a distant location" just because of that, I usually tell them to chose based on comfort, and if they are hooked by diving then it is more important to get certified and get experienced, whatever agency, they all teach to dive for a week or so, then most of the experience comes when one dives more.
Someone asking about DM recommendations, or want to chose with whom to do assistant/instructor? That's a different story and also then the answer is not always simple.
