Best Place To Get Certified.

[TerryTat]

I've Been Certified For Over Two Years And Have Over A 100 Logged Dives. I'm Thrilled That My Oldest Daughter Who Is 15 Wants To Get Certified And Become My Dive Buddy. I Was Certified Through Sports Chalet.. Open Water, And Advanced. They Did A Decent Job. I Have A Feeling That There Are Better Places To Go Though For My Daughter. I Would Appreciate Any Input You All May Have. I Expect Many Different Viewpoints... Thanks In Advance For Your Input... Sincerely, An Eager Dad

 

[paolov]

philippines , warm water diving

3 days training for cert.

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[sasscuba]

Anywhere where the checkout dives are in warm water.....if you have to do lake or quarry wait until the end of summer............

 

[Bowmouth]

Warm, clear water with lots of fishies. She'll LOVE it and a happy student diver is a diver that will dive for the rest of his/her life.

 

[victor]

In this case it is the instructor that is the most important part of the equation.
You need an instructor who is good with teenage girls, probably female would be better.
Ask for references of students of a similar age and check them out.
Small class size is also very important, both in and out of the pool.
Yes warm water with no current for the dives is preferable, but summer in southern california should be Ok? Never dived there so don't know.

Another question is should you attend the pool sessions / open water dives? I would say yes, but not in the water. Agree this with your daughter and the instructor.

 

[RJP]

You should probably post this on one of the California boards if you're looking for a local recommendation.

That said, a few considerations...

Where/what kind of diving will she mostly do once certified?

If you're gonna do kelp diving in a drysuit most of the time, don't get certified in 82 degree water in Cozumel in a shortie. An instructor with "local knowledge" will be able to put the proper spin on the academic and in-water sessions. I trained in NJ, because I planned to dive in NJ. Some of the most important things I learned in the class were preceeded by the statement "Well, the book says THIS, which we'll go over. But for NJ wreck diving, you need to know THIS AS WELL..."


Who has the higher motivation to ensure your daughter becomes a safe, skilled, comfortable diver?

The local LDS who wants a long-term customer or the "PADI Resort" who will likely never see you again? The resort wants you to get certified, your LDS wants you to become a diver.


If you want to do resort location, consider doing the academics locally and then checkout dives at the resort.

Academics is where the resort locations typically short-change you. My PADI OW class had three two-hour classroom sessions, plus knowledge reviews, quizzes, and exam. Total time spent with the instructor in the "classroom setting" was closer to ten hours vs the minimum six. Doesn't sound like much, but it's actually 66% more time. Beyond the amount of the insruction, there's also the opportunity cost - do you want to spend 6 hours in "the classroom" if you're in Maui?

Congrats on gaining a dive buddy!

 

[minnesota01r6]

I was certified in St. Thomas USVI when I was 15. I would have to say that I was a VERY DANGEROUS diver until I got some more training and discovered scubaboard. I was never taught anything practical while actually diving. My spg & octo looked something like wrecking balls dragging along the reef, my bouyancy was all over the place, I blew a dive profile by about 20 feet, and I was still certified. Oh, and even after I was certified I still really had no clue how to use the tables.

I will not make the mistake of saying that ALL resort locations are terrible at teaching you how to dive, but I think you should be very careful in choosing one that will give careful, proper instruction. My fiance did the academics locally and did OW dives in Belize. I knew enough then to research on scubaboard to find an instructor in Belize that was highly recommended for personal attention and safety consciousness.

 

[halocline]

There are a lot of very experienced dive instructors in Cozumel; all the agencies (PADI, SSI, etc) have multiple shops so you'd have a quite a range to choose from. If that interests you, you could post somethng on the Cozumel forum and you'd get inundated with recommendations for particular instructors.

 

[xSandman3]

Location has little to do with it, she just needs an instructor who is good with kids. I teach for Sport Chalet, and have seen instructors who have no clue how to deal with kids, and some (like me) who work with them on a daily basis and know which strategies work best. Find the right instructor, regardless where they are teaching.

 

[ScubaKimmie]

Since you live in Southern California I'd have her certified there. She will be a better diver by getting certifed there than in warm waters. You can always go to warm water later where she'll be even more comfortable and probably fall in love with it.

If you liked your previous instructor don't you think he'd do a great job with her too?