This is a long post, and the extenuating circumstances documented here are not in my opinion problems specific to Ocean Divers. In the high turnover world of dive instruction and the high pressure atmosphere of an
Instructor Factory, these issues are just an example of some of the possible glitches one can run into when taking
the fast track. Considering what happened during my stay I consider myself lucky to have had the positive experiences that I did.
I went to Ocean Divers spring of '01; did AOW - Rescue - DM - IDC - IE (Key West Community College) - Dive Center Operations (MSDT Prep plus), in ~9 weeks. The downstairs neighbor is Dick Rutkowski, founder of IANTD and very probably the man most responsible for recreational nitrox diving (
Hyperbarics International, Inc.). After completing my courses with OD I took IANTD Gas Blender and Draeger Dolphin Rebreather from Dick's partner Larry Heiskell, who now runs their Costa Rica location, and did my IANTD Advanced Nitrox Instructor crossover with Dick himself.
I mention them because for the most part, they are the reason I am glad I went to OD.
When I was making my calls to Hall's, Pro Dive (Ft. Lauderdale - no longer in existence) and OD, the head CD, Frasier, "sold" me on Ocean Divers by pretty much guaranteeing he could certify me as PADI Rebreather Specialty Instructor by the end of my 2 months in Key Largo. The other "sales" points were the Dive Center Operations course including a Resort Photo Pro course with Stephen Frink and Frasier's extensive marine photo/video resume. Although Stephen Frink was not involved in the Stephen Frink co-op, that was a highlight, and Frasier's
resume ended up a problem of sorts. Looking at there web site today, either they have broken it up a bit or my memory is not perfect.
Luckily, I got nearly all of the many promises in writing before making any payments.
By the time I arrived, the second CD had left, so for the first month Frasier was the only CD. As I understand it an Instructor Development Center is supposed to have two Course Directors on staff, and all the OD literature I received made that claim. Eventually, Simon, a recently certified CD joined the staff, but almost immediately Frasier was offered a videographer position for a big Discovery or National Geo Humpback shoot, and he left just as my group was starting the Instructor Development Course.
As it turned out, the fact that Frasier could not have certified me as PADI Dolphin/Atlantis Specialty Instructor even if he had stayed and left around the end of DM worked to my advantage in the long run. Among other things, my letter from him promised 2 months of unlimited diving from the Ocean Diver's boats, and after my Rebreather course with Larry, I negotiated 8 complimentary trips on the OD boats with the Dolphin Larry rented me for just $150/day. Captain Billy wanted that tech rig off the boat as soon as we tied up and allowed me to go solo, except for the day I chose to buddy with a cute Sacramento DM.
Simon was thrust into the drivers seat in only his second week at OD and things were not as professionally done as any of my classmates or I were led to expect. Luckily the Master, Staff and Staff in training instructors worked well with Captain Billy to make it work for us. The next couple groups did not fare as well from what I understand. Captain Joe (the owner) was even more crotchety than his reputation, especially when a couple of us also demanded partial housing refunds due the less than promised accommodations.
One thing I can say about the experience is the fact that OD is a very popular 2 cattle boat operation servicing the Duane, Bibb and now the Spiegel Grove gives the instructor candidates a crash course in some serious charter and instructional situations. After those 2 months (200 dives) in Key Largo I have always felt I was at least as prepared, if not more so, than any new instructor I've seen from Pro Dive, Hall's or long term internships with a Hawaii program.
It is not easy on the body or the mind to do a program like this. There is very little time for social activities, much less for partying. A couple of the impressive things about the program were the fact that they were not about to give it away; in my group, one DMC was asked to go dive some more before trying again and one Instructor Candidate was not passed to the IE. Once we got to the IE, we all had no problem, while the KWCC group that trained for a semester lost half their class to the open book Standards Exam!?!
Looking at their web site, Joe Angelo is listed as the CD since '87, but he was definitely not there at all during my stay. I think that probably means the program should be better than the one I did, but it is also indicative of a certain lack of full disclosure consistent with my experience. At least Dick Rutkowski hasn't moved out! What I can say is no matter where you go, get all the promises in writing and if you don't take it lightly you can be successful, IF you have the necessary water skills, stamina and drive. This type of program is definitely not for everyone!
