Before you take your open water course

[askdjasd]

Dear new divers,

please dont even check your PADI course books, just ask these guys... it appears suggestions are better than manuals!

happy diving!

 

[NudeDiver]

ok.. well, come diving here some time.. let's see a master work!

It will cost you $500/day plus expenses for you to watch me work.

 

[Slonda828]

ok.. well, come diving here some time.. let's see a master work!

Dude, if you call being able to swim 500 meters, tow a tired diver 50 meters, tread water for 30 minutes, and swim 25 meters underwater being a "master", then Michael Phelps must be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

[NudeDiver]

Dude, if you call being able to swim 500 meters, tow a tired diver 50 meters, tread water for 30 minutes, and swim 25 meters underwater being a "master", then Michael Phelps must be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

More like The Shark, The Seal and The Holy Current

 

[askdjasd]

And please note, I am not bagging you out for posting your opinion either. I'm merely disagreeing with it.

No dude.. you were bagging me out, esp with that last reply.

I dont really care...
I'm doing my training either way....

I just hope he's not using it as standard guidelines to follow with every passing customer in his shop.
please tell me you can see where people would get turned off by that.. which is very unfair.


Obviously we need examples:

Customer - Hi i'm looking to start diving.
dude: ok we'll sign you up
dude: you should check out this website before signing up
customer: *goes to check site* ok well i dont really have any of the skills or preparation.. should I continue to dive?

dude will either say: yes.. or no..
Yes = I wasted time creating a website
No = I created this website, my professionalism isnt very valid and i just lost someone more importantly, money for the shop.

 

[Sas]

Well, for starters.. i dont come off sounding pretentious in anyway.

I don't recall anybody said you were pretentious?

Ok seriously, you know this guy is telling EVERYONE to go check out his site before prepping for diving.

Everyone??? In the entire world? Wow, Slonda I am impressed you've managed to inform the entire world of your website and it has only been a few days. If teaching English doesn't work out for you, perhaps you could give advertising a go.

Dont you think he might be turning off some people from enjoying a wonderful hobbie? A hobbie that honestly (depending on where you go) all you really need to do is use a 1/2 of your brain to do to pass perfectly?

How exactly is he turning people off from diving?

Diving isnt hard and following some guidelines that are not coming from an expirienced diver with proper credentials is pretty retarded.

Actually diving can be hard. I found it really hard in the beginning and often have difficult dives. Currents/bad viz/bad buddies/etc/etc all create challenges.

Diving requires attention and has no room for super heros.

And do you think bettering your swimming skills will some how make one a super hero/and or contribute to a lack of attention?

I pass good points on to new divers just like anyone else here.. but i dont make a freakin website about it! it's a forum!

Whether you tell new divers pointers verbally, via email, via a letter, via a website, via big sky letters in an aeroplane, etc, it is all communciation. You seem to have a problem with using a website to communicate what you do in other ways. Why is this?

I have no credentials.. or at least any valid ones, and I wouldnt praise my own skill by creating site that has "perfect" tips for pre diving.

Please quote Slonda's website where he a. praises his own skill or b. says his tips are 'perfect'.

I'm sure his opinions are valued and welcomed, but i would much rather have them read off by someone in the position to do it.

So if an instructor wrote a website that matched Slonda's exactly, you would listen to that? But not Slonda as he is not an instructor? Interesting...

"oi, i cant swim 25m.. i'm not going to dive.. THANK YOU SIR!" That's pure stupid.

Again, please point out where Slonda said if one cannot swim 25m they should not dive?

 

[NudeDiver]

Hey Slonda - I think it would be cool if you could put up a website stating everything you are accused of saying, and then point people to that and ask for feedback

 

[Slonda828]

No dude.. you were bagging me out, esp with that last reply.

I dont really care...
I'm doing my training either way....

I just hope he's not using it as standard guidelines to follow with every passing customer in his shop.
please tell me you can see where people would get turned off by that.. which is very unfair.


Obviously we need examples:

Customer - Hi i'm looking to start diving.
dude: ok we'll sign you up
dude: you should check out this website before signing up
customer: *goes to check site* ok well i dont really have any of the skills or preparation.. should I continue to dive?

dude will either say: yes.. or no..
Yes = I wasted time creating a website
No = I created this website, my professionalism isnt very valid and i just lost someone more importantly, money for the shop.

Now, since you have posted a real comment, I will post a real response. I am a divemaster in training. I do it for free, I don't take tips, and the shop I work at I work at for free. I just do it because I love to help out, and for no other reason. The shop likes me because I love diving, I have going on 7 years of experience, and because I would never turn someone away from the sport of diving. The shop passes everyone who meets the standards, as any shop should. If you meet the standards, you get the card. That pretty much holds true in college, the military, medical training, etc. I am not saying people should not get certified to dive if they meet the standards of any recreational scuba course.

The site isn't meant to hold you to some standard. It is there if you want to maybe get a little better at swimming, or maybe learn a little more about snorkeling. I don't even have any advice posted on the actual techniques of SCUBA diving at this time. If you like it, read it. If you do not, then go surf somewhere else.

You act like I am forcing this on people. Don't you think I would get fired if I told people at a dive shop that I am employed at that they should not dive when they can meet all the entrance requirements? You better not tell that 12 year old boy we showed how to dive a few weeks ago that I let him slide without swimming 500 meters....

 

[askdjasd]

holy jeez, are you guys even reading the entire responses or just quickly summarizing?

i'll put it out in engrish

He works at a dive shop

new divers walk into the shop

he gives them website

he's not in any position to instruct divers on being able to prepare yourself for diving

customer takes it the other way

customer doesnt take course

dive shop loses money

I dont care if you put this stuff up on a website... I just hope you're not sending potential customers to the site as A: it's not a PADI guideline B: you're not an instructor

 

[Slonda828]

holy jeez, are you guys even reading the entire responses or just quickly summarizing?

i'll put it out in engrish

He works at a dive shop

new divers walk into the shop

he gives them website

he's not in any position to instruct divers on being able to prepare yourself for diving

customer takes it the other way

customer doesnt take course

dive shop loses money

I dont care if you put this stuff up on a website... I just hope you're not sending potential customers to the site as A: it's not a PADI guideline B: you're not an instructor

Ok seriously. Read my post above yours. I follow the rules of the shop. You are lucky that I don't make you follow the rules of the English language, you definitely would not pass that course.