Originally posted by WetDane
Well - I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks this - or maybe it is just not a popular opinion - but then I have had my share of those in my day -
has it ocurred to anyone that OW class is like bending over and begging to get screwed - they teach the student precisely enough to make them purchase equipment and nothing more -
Get your OW anywhere - agency smagency - standards - whatever - the standards all these places run are a joke.
When you have OW, go get a fundamentals class - then you will actually learn to dive... Btw - if you locate the place that offers a fundamentals class ahead of time - you are likely to get a more solid OW training.
Big T
That's my opinion
Dane,
Frankly, your opinion IMHO, is wrong-headed AND insulting! There are instructors, like me, who think they do a pretty good job teaching folks to dive. Beginning classes are just that. The DIR fundamentals course is still an add-on course, which requires that you are already certified and have 25 dives. And don't you have to own your own gear, too?
The standards are not a joke, they are a basis for a complete overview of skills needed. Here it is in bold letters for you: EVERY SKILL TAUGHT IN A DIRF CLASS IS TAUGHT IN MY CLASSES, EXCEPT AT A BEGINNERS' LEVEL. Equipment standardization, buoyancy control, buddy procedures, safety drills, dive planning. Okay, no lift bag deployment, sue me. The problem is this: instructors are not taught as well as they used to be. It is IMO, too easy to become one. There is nothing wrong with the standards of most agencies; it's the implementation of them that stinks to a large degree. You can be sure that once GUE has enough instructors out there, you'll hear reports of some not strictly adhering to standards.
Your assertion that shops only teach to sell gear may be true here and there, but on the whole I believe shop owners and instructors enjoy the teaching too. The shop exists to make money, why should they be apologetic about wanting to sell stuff. What are YOU giving away this week?
No, it has never ocurred to me that an OW class is like bending over and begging to get screwed. My first class was wonderful. The classes I teach are mostly fun for me, and the students have a great time, with few exceptions. I don't sell gear to my students, but I advise them on what to buy, based on my experience. That's my job. That happens in a DIRF class, too, doesn't it?
And that's MY opinion. Pbbthhh!
Neil
PS Yes, Dane, you're the ONLY one who thinks that!