Cheapest certificates in the world?

[bwerb]

DivingJimi once bubbled...
Ok. I didnt understand that this was a forum with people that are up on high horses and like flaming newcomers.

I doubt that you will learn less if you pay less.. If you think that you must be a pretty stupid diver or someone who likes to show off with his money.

The rest of you: if you dont have anything sensible to say dont say anything at all.

I have found a divecenter in thailand that certifies you up to instructor including lodging, full gear and over 100 dives during 6 months.. That for 5000$ if you dont have any certificates.
That is not cheap...

This board is nice. Too bad the people don´t seem to be that too..
/Dissappointed fellow diver

O.K....I'll take your initial question and response here at face value. First off...Here's the deal on the "rough welcome...we have been run rampant on this board over the last while with people who want nothing more than to start an arguement...they sign-up, throw a few punches and leave...they never actually put any information about themselves in their profiles (hmmm...what are you hiding) and make sure their very first post or posts are completely argumentative. They then get caught either through pulling of IP addresses by the Moderators or through their own blatent lies in the fourms. Your first post fit all the signs hence the "welcome".

O.K....I'll now assume that you are serious in your query.

Yes...you get what you pay for...anyone who thinks that cheaping out on dive training is the smartest path to becoming an instructor is walking a dangerous path in which they are taking both their own lives and the lives of their clients/students along with them.

$5000 is "DIRT CHEAP" for gear, instruction and 6 months food/lodging. It sounds like you are a university aged student. If this is a true goal for you...treat it like university education. In some places you will be able to even get student loans and educational write-offs for persuing diving as a vocational study. In this type of program you will also likely be able to apprentice with either a shop or a dive boat. Take you training over a couple years and apprentice. This is not a race, if it is truly what you want to do, then consider the money you spend as an investment...I'd be willing to spend whatever it takes to make sure I was fully competent.

Let us know what path you decide to take.

Brian

 

[Dectek]

Why do you want to be an instructor.
I put that question out to everyone. I hear from everyone that is an instructor that they do not get paid back for their time....it is a major hassle.
The main two reasons I could see being one is #1 if you own or work for a dive shop(building a client base) and #2 if you live in an area where diving is a big industry and a living can be made by it.
Hell ....go out, dive and have fun...who needs a stinking cert to have fun.

Let me climb on this box here.......... If it is the pure joy that you are looking for that comes with the spreading of knowledge and helping others out. There are many churches that could use your help with Sunday school, After school programs for the under privileged, and The BOYS and GIRLS clubs of America that need Volunteers along with the Big Brother and Big Sister Programs.

There are too many poeple out there that are certified as instructors that should not be. If all the local instructors have to slash prices to get students then there is a saturated market and TOO many instructors.
Find a way to spread knowledge in another part of life that you enjoy.
Let me get down now.

Just get wet and have fun.

 

[drbill]

DivingJimi

Although many are replying with red-hot pokers, they are correct in being concerned about your desire to earn certifications for the cheapest cost. The chance that you will acquire a poorer level of skills and techniques by doing so should be a concern of serious divers.

Personally I am concerned about the level of instruction I see all too commonly in PADI training. From a distance, it does appear to be more of a money machine.

My certification with Los Angeles County (LAC) in the 1960's was very rigorous (as one would expect with an instrictor like Ron Merker). I value that training since I believe it has kept me safe. Of course the funny thing is most younger DI's and DM's aren't even aware of LAC certification, and it was the first agency which created many of the standards used by later agencues like PADI (which didn't exist until nearly 15 years after LAC programs began).

It is important for you, and for the divers you may instruct, to ensure you receive good training. This is dependent on the instructors you choose more trhan the agency itself. I finally received a PADI certification in Australia since many in the international dive industry did not understand my LAC card. My PADI instructor was top notch (and the actual class was relatively inexpensive since it was done on the liveaboard I planned to dive on anyway).

My experience with some operators in Thailand is that I would not hire DM's or DI's trained there without fully checking the shop and instructor they chose. This is not to say there aren't good DI's and shops there (and the diving was great), one just needs to be careful.

Dr. Bill

 

[primitivepete]

primitivepete once bubbled...


So are you saying that a person cant be a GOOD diver without spending alot of money?
So any moron that spends lots of money. Can/Should be an instructor?

So its all about what you spend?
Like the rest of the world, Its all about money?
I have read what some of you are saying.
Yes it takes time to be good at anything.
Does spending tons of money mean you are guarenteed the BEST?
Why not start the Padi, Naui , Ssi debate?
Let me tell you what I have done so far.
I got my open water in June of last year.
I received private instruction for nothing(no money).
Why? Because I gave up a weekend and worked for the local dive shop at a yearly tent sale they have.
I did the advanced and rescue diver classes and got certs.
How? By working and helping out weekends at the dive store.
I just took a Nitrox class, Again no cost.
And I am currently half way through my Dive Master program.
Again not paying anything. Just helping and voluntering where I can. I should have the DM cert. by the end of May.
Whoops , Let me back up. I have bought books and payed for the cards.
Would I REALLY like to go on to instructor. YES
I know it will take time and lots more experiance.
Does what I am doing make me any less a diver? I dont believe so.
I have over 150 dives. I have many dive partners. (Its a trust thing).
We dive in Puget sound, (Not one of the easiest of Dive locations).
I believe its about the person , their attitude, their skills , their knowledge.
I experianced several different things, Long surface swims, bad currents, an out of air incident, getting seperated from a dive partner, bad visability, attacks from sea-life,failed lights on night dives, so on and so on.
It still FUN to me and every dive is something new.
Some of you are making it seem like its a perfect world and everyone makes $100,000 a year.
I think some of you are being a little judgemental.

 

[MikeFerrara]

It's too bad your feelings were hurt. As a instructor and dive shop owner who tries to put on the best classes I am overrun by folks wanting it cheaper. Yet, when in the water I can't see because nobody can stay out of the bottom. I have had to perform too many rescues including rescuing the students of other instructors during their class. Heck the instructors can't dive any better than the students.

There are many places to become an instructor over night at low prices. What is hard to find is someone who will tell you the truth and the rest of the story. That's what we have done, sorry you don't like it. Once you get your cheap instructor cert I can point you to shops where you can work where they provide just the right kind of classes for you to teach. They are cheap also.

Good luck

 

[jonnythan]

DivingJimi once bubbled...
Ok. I didnt understand that this was a forum with people that are up on high horses and like flaming newcomers.

No, this is a forum with people who care about divers and the sport of diving.

It's always kind of sad to see the system allowing someone to go right ahead and place other people in danger.

 

[primitivepete]

jonnythan once bubbled...


No, this is a forum with people who care about divers and the sport of diving.

It's always kind of sad to see the system allowing someone to go right ahead and place other people in danger.

Wow, This debate could go on for ever.
Kind of like anyone can get a liecense to drive a car.
Though so many have no clue...
Also can some one define- CHEAP?

 

[King Kong Matt]

primitivepete once bubbled...
Some of you are making it seem like its a perfect world and everyone makes $100,000 a year.
I think some of you are being a little judgemental.

No one spoke a word aboput salary or dollar costs until you brought it up...we simply said that "you get what you pay for" and don't try and take the easy route.

But, if after all six of your posts here on ScubaBoard, you know us well enough to JUDGE us and call us judgmental, well then...

Remind us next time to give us the answer that people want to hear as opposed to the right answer...

 

[raviepoo]

It's a little bit of both. There are some people here on high horses. There are also a lot of rational, friendly people who want to talk about diving.

There has been a lot of constructive, rational discourse in the latter part of this thread. The beginning of this thread, however, was not constructive. It was rude, and it didn't have any influence on the person who started the thread. It won't make him a safer diver or (eventually) a bettor instructor. It just made him feel unwelcome.

jonnythan once bubbled...


No, this is a forum with people who care about divers and the sport of diving.

It's always kind of sad to see the system allowing someone to go right ahead and place other people in danger.

 

[pt40fathoms]

primitivepete once bubbled...

Wow, This debate could go on for ever.
Kind of like anyone can get a liecense to drive a car.
Though so many have no clue...
Also can some one define- CHEAP?

First off let me say that I commend you on your efforts to date. Many people would not be willing to "work" for their rewards as you are. To that end let me answer your last question. "CHEAP" is entirely the opposite of what you are doing.

Let me clarify;

Many people want instant gratification. They want a fast track with rewards at the end of minimal effort or cost. For you the cost has been in time and effort. Had you been paid for your efforts outright, then paid for the courses at full retail, I'm certain that the "cost" would be nearly equal. "CHEAP" is when you expect to get full value, training and loads of experience, up to the level of instructor, for the price and time of a weekend picnic. Anyone who manages to achieve this has without a doubt received far less than the person who looks for "value" rather than "cheap". If they make it to the instructor level, they will no doubt be featured here on this board as another example of a bad experience with (insert agency name here). Where in the thread will once again move to point out that it is the instructor not the agency, blah, blah, blah.

Never confuse "value" for "cheap", the two are completely different concepts. What you are getting by working for your certifications is value, valuable, and very smart.