Efka76
Contributor
I started to dive in November 2017 and wanted to share with you my training path. Maybe it will be interesting to other recreational divers.
I got PADI OW certificate in Boracay, Philippines. Me and my wife are very grateful to our instructor who paid a lot of attention during our courses, run many drills in order to teach us basic diving skills. Our OW course took us 5 days, we had sufficient time to read the book, watch all videos, to go through theory section with instructor, do confined water dives and mandatory dives. I can not imagine how some dive shops run OW course during 2 days in a big group. After OW certification me and wife were really hooked on diving and went to Koh Tao, Thailand, for additional courses.
In Thailand me and wife got PADI AOW and 5 certifications each: wreck, deep, nitrox, night, underwater naturalist. From practical terms "Advanced" certification name is a marketing gimmick as after 5 additional dives with instructor you do not be really advanced diver. You just get a grasp of different dives. Similar things are with specialties....after getting specialty you do not become a real specialist in that area... you just get the basic idea of the main principles. Experience is the most important. Anyway, time in Koh Tao was really bussy, we learned quite a bit, had a lot of fun.
In June me and my wife went to liveaboard in Red Sea. There were no courses, just diving. However, I felt that I gained a very valuable experience in Red Sea as sea was rough, it was much deeper than in Koh Tao (when you dive and know that depth is 150 m instead of 20-30 m you have a completely different feeling). Also, in Red Sea I learned negative entry, experienced strong currents, saw hammerhead and oceanic white tip sharks. Also, had some small accident like loosening of my tank underwater, had opportunity to deploy DSMB. In liveaboard I started really to learn, every dive was adding additional experience and it was a very different from super safe dives with instructor in shallow, calm waters.
Just recently I had a business trip to Manila and decided to use that trip as opportunity to dive more and get more experience. So, I went to Puerto Gallera, Philippines and took PADI Drift, Search and Recovery, EFR and Rescue diver courses. I read in many threads that Rescue diver course is very challenging, however, personally I did not feel that. Maybe towing tired diver for long distance was a bit harder. Also, I think it really depends on the rescue and person to be rescued. I am pretty sure that it was not easy for my instructor (weight around 60 kg) to demonstrate "bringing to the shore unresponsive diver" skill on me as my weight is 115 kg
However, for me it was really easy to bring him to the shore Rescue diver and EFR courses were really interesting and now I have a felling that these skills are really very valuable. I do not agree with people that you have to do Rescue diver course when you have few hundred dives under your belt. In my opinion you have to do it as soon as possible as rescue skills are very important to every diver.
Search and recovery specialty was the most interesting from all specialties that I was engaged. Also, I had a feeling that I actually had to "earn" it. I learned completely new skills which I was unfamiliar such as tying knots, doing different search patterns, using compass. It was really fun to search for various objects underwater, to lift them by using lift bag. Definitely recommend this specialty to everyone.
Drift diving - here experience is the most important thing. We did a lot of drift dives, which were really interesting. I was very happy that I had opportunity to try myself in different currents. From practical point of view getting Drift specialty is a waste of money. You just need to learn by diving, diving and diving in order to sharpen your skills.
So, after my vacation in Puerto Gallera I have 60 dives under my belt, PADI OW, AOW, EFR, Rescue certifications and 7 specialties. I also applied for Master Scuba Diver certification, which will symbolize my end of recreational training. Maybe I will get Dry Suit and Ice diver specialties in the future because both of them seem to be quite interesting. Do I feel as MASTER diver...... of course no, this title is absolutely misleading. I still have a feeling that I am beginner diver and need to improve on many things. Mastery in my opinion, comes maybe after 500 dives in different environments where you can try yourself in many zero visibility, cold water, rough sea, strong currents environments.
What is next.... I have to admit that I like to learn and collect cards as well Divemaster's path is not for me as I do not have intention of becoming instructor in the future. Also, DM increases your costs (there is annual membership fee, diving insurance is more expensive). By looking at various organisations I decided that I am goping to take TDI technical path. My first courses will be TDI Sidemount and Intro to tech as I am very interested in diving with sidemount and double tanks. Also, want to improve my diving skills. Then obviously will take Advanced nitrox, Deco procedures courses. When I have 100 dives under belt will try Extended range and Trimix courses and maybe TDI Cavern as well. After these courses also intend to take Gue Fundies in order to polish my basic diving skills.
I hope that my story will be interesting to beginner recreational divers who might take similar path like me.
I got PADI OW certificate in Boracay, Philippines. Me and my wife are very grateful to our instructor who paid a lot of attention during our courses, run many drills in order to teach us basic diving skills. Our OW course took us 5 days, we had sufficient time to read the book, watch all videos, to go through theory section with instructor, do confined water dives and mandatory dives. I can not imagine how some dive shops run OW course during 2 days in a big group. After OW certification me and wife were really hooked on diving and went to Koh Tao, Thailand, for additional courses.
In Thailand me and wife got PADI AOW and 5 certifications each: wreck, deep, nitrox, night, underwater naturalist. From practical terms "Advanced" certification name is a marketing gimmick as after 5 additional dives with instructor you do not be really advanced diver. You just get a grasp of different dives. Similar things are with specialties....after getting specialty you do not become a real specialist in that area... you just get the basic idea of the main principles. Experience is the most important. Anyway, time in Koh Tao was really bussy, we learned quite a bit, had a lot of fun.
In June me and my wife went to liveaboard in Red Sea. There were no courses, just diving. However, I felt that I gained a very valuable experience in Red Sea as sea was rough, it was much deeper than in Koh Tao (when you dive and know that depth is 150 m instead of 20-30 m you have a completely different feeling). Also, in Red Sea I learned negative entry, experienced strong currents, saw hammerhead and oceanic white tip sharks. Also, had some small accident like loosening of my tank underwater, had opportunity to deploy DSMB. In liveaboard I started really to learn, every dive was adding additional experience and it was a very different from super safe dives with instructor in shallow, calm waters.
Just recently I had a business trip to Manila and decided to use that trip as opportunity to dive more and get more experience. So, I went to Puerto Gallera, Philippines and took PADI Drift, Search and Recovery, EFR and Rescue diver courses. I read in many threads that Rescue diver course is very challenging, however, personally I did not feel that. Maybe towing tired diver for long distance was a bit harder. Also, I think it really depends on the rescue and person to be rescued. I am pretty sure that it was not easy for my instructor (weight around 60 kg) to demonstrate "bringing to the shore unresponsive diver" skill on me as my weight is 115 kg
However, for me it was really easy to bring him to the shore Rescue diver and EFR courses were really interesting and now I have a felling that these skills are really very valuable. I do not agree with people that you have to do Rescue diver course when you have few hundred dives under your belt. In my opinion you have to do it as soon as possible as rescue skills are very important to every diver.Search and recovery specialty was the most interesting from all specialties that I was engaged. Also, I had a feeling that I actually had to "earn" it. I learned completely new skills which I was unfamiliar such as tying knots, doing different search patterns, using compass. It was really fun to search for various objects underwater, to lift them by using lift bag. Definitely recommend this specialty to everyone.
Drift diving - here experience is the most important thing. We did a lot of drift dives, which were really interesting. I was very happy that I had opportunity to try myself in different currents. From practical point of view getting Drift specialty is a waste of money. You just need to learn by diving, diving and diving in order to sharpen your skills.
So, after my vacation in Puerto Gallera I have 60 dives under my belt, PADI OW, AOW, EFR, Rescue certifications and 7 specialties. I also applied for Master Scuba Diver certification, which will symbolize my end of recreational training. Maybe I will get Dry Suit and Ice diver specialties in the future because both of them seem to be quite interesting. Do I feel as MASTER diver...... of course no, this title is absolutely misleading. I still have a feeling that I am beginner diver and need to improve on many things. Mastery in my opinion, comes maybe after 500 dives in different environments where you can try yourself in many zero visibility, cold water, rough sea, strong currents environments.
What is next.... I have to admit that I like to learn and collect cards as well
Divemaster's path is not for me as I do not have intention of becoming instructor in the future. Also, DM increases your costs (there is annual membership fee, diving insurance is more expensive). By looking at various organisations I decided that I am goping to take TDI technical path. My first courses will be TDI Sidemount and Intro to tech as I am very interested in diving with sidemount and double tanks. Also, want to improve my diving skills. Then obviously will take Advanced nitrox, Deco procedures courses. When I have 100 dives under belt will try Extended range and Trimix courses and maybe TDI Cavern as well. After these courses also intend to take Gue Fundies in order to polish my basic diving skills.I hope that my story will be interesting to beginner recreational divers who might take similar path like me.
