Certification Agency Poll

[Rockhound]

I was certified NASDS in 1976. I guess that means I'm now SSI, but I still carry NASDS cards.

 

[capnvik]

DON'T FORGET LA COUNTY............ ONE OF THE OLDEST AGENCIES IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=-)

 

[stieffel]

I guess I cheated. I voted PADI but I don't have my certification yet. I went through their basic OW course but my instructor and I didn't feel I was comfortable enough swimming to complete the open water dives. We had a class of 16 people with an instructor, an assistant instructor and 8 divemaster volunteers (one for each buddy team).

Oddly, even though I did not get my C-Card. The instructor told me to come back and take the course again until we felt comfortable. He was sure to mention that there would be no charge. And yes... it worked. I bought all my dive gear and my wife's through his store and signed my wife up to take the OW with me. She was going with YMCA but this one instructor changed her mind.

So, wish me luck. I go back next month with an increased comfort level to swim my 200 yards.

 

[SCUBAKristey]

I agree with what a lot of other people have been saying, it's ALL about the instructor. I just finished my o.w. this weekend. Am I a great diver? Time has yet to tell, as I now only have one o.w. dive under my belt. What I do feel good about is this- my instructor WANTED to take me out to to get another dive under my belt. (He too had over 2000 lbs left in his tank.) The other three in my class did well and passed, but they all had other things to go do today, so I was left just chomping at the bit to get in my first non-class dive. All I can say is boy did these people miss out! My instructor taught me a couple things I'll learn when I go to take a bouyancy dive for my A.O.W. cert. I am fully confident that I will not hurt myself or anyone else while out diving. I payed staunch attention to everything that was gone over in class, both in the pool and OUT. I listened to what he said, and had hovering down before we even had to perform the skill. Fin pivots, nothing- easy. Honestly, what I can say is that anyone with any common sense can learn this in two weekends. Three days? Nope- I wouldn't feel comfortable with that, even with the great instructor I had. There are too many things that I, as a brand new newbie to diving, feel require more than a quick answer on a test page. I made my instructor take a good hour with me on the RDP alone, just to make sure I DID have that down- as it directly relates to my safety in a BIG way. (And I came to class prepared.)

Also, I believe the student also plays a key role. I was quite shocked, and a bit offended, when two of my other classmates showed up to the classroom session totally unprepared. Nothing in the text book had been completed. All they managed to do was watch the video. To my instructor's credit, he sent them home with instructions to come back the following weekend prepared. (Which also meant I was the only one in the pool that weekend! WOOHOO!) I also believe that schools shouldn't try to pump out 16 divers per class. There may be plenty of other help, but I've been told this is not always the case. (Which is a reason why I ended up with my dive shop. They keep it small.)

In closing, I feel my PADI certification I earned was good enough to allow me to be a safe diver, and also whetted my appetite to go further with my dive education, in hopes of being a truly good diver and a good person to buddy up with.

Happy, safe diving!!!!

Kristey
(The Desert Rat!)

 

[KZMAN]

...... has only been with PADI, and one shop, although I've had two different instuctors, with the same shop. One was completely AWESOME!, and I can't immagine a better one. But unfortunatly, the second one completely S***ED!, and signed off on a couple of students, that had no business in the water,(at least,at this point, for their lack of skills and instuction)

So I concur, with the majority of the board, that it comes down to the instructor!

 

[scubatomwetzel]

I noted you have not mentioned
Los Angeles County Instructor Association as a certifing agency.
The program started in 1954. Our instructors started some of the agencies in the poll.
I happen to belong as an instuctor in
Los Angeles County Underwater Instructor Association
NAUI, PADI and YMCA.

 

[Marlinspike]

I started out with Padi and was very lucky to get some great instructors through my LDS. However, I am getting sick of Padi and how ANYBODY can be a PADI DM just as long as you are willing to pay.

~Marlinspike

 

[dgrosvold]

I received my OW via PADI - my LDS had just started up and had several indepentend PADI Instructors on Contract. They're now an SSI shop, and my wife and I are in the middle of our AOW through SSI.

Brief comment - I don't believe the agency has as much to do with the quality of our instruction nearly as much as the instructor - our OW class had 6 students, 1 instructor, 2 divemasters, and 4th rescue diver in the water - we had almost one-on-one instruction. I don't think I would have even considered finishing a class with a single instructor and 12 - 15 students.

Diving can be a safe activity - IF you know what you're doing. With 12-15 newbie divers, no bouyancy control, improper weighting, and flailing arms and legs (bad finning techinques, dog paddling at 25 ft.) it would be impossible to maintain any adequate safety at all.

Anyway - I'm sure there are those who will say these agencies are crap, but they just make the materials, and set some minimum standards - it's up to the instructors and the LDS to make the classes good or bad.

- DG

 

[Ranz]

My fiancee is PADI from three years ago, so she took me to the LDS that she attended, they changed over to SSI, so I got my OW from them. I bought all my gear from another LDS down the street that is PADI because of the dis-satisfaction I had with the SSI LDS, and I plan to do my future classes thru the PADI shop.
Ranz

 

[MissAmberDiva]

PADI all the way baby! I wouldn't have gotten certified with anyone else!