Experience with SDI/TDI ?

[timhernandez]

This may get a bit long winded but, please bear with me.

The LDS that I frequent is an SDI/TDI facility. The instructor is top notch, a great guy, and trained my son and I last year.

I occasionally visit other LDS in the area to look at selection, new items, things I may want, etc. On these visits, when the topic of training comes up and I/we tell them we were trained by LDS #1, the other LDS' begin to 'poo poo' LDS #1 with comments about the quality of the training, C-Card acceptance, etc.

At first, I took this as a competition thing, the other shops want the potential training and gear money that so wants to leap from my wallet but, to be safe, and get some impressions from the resident 'Posideons' of this board, I thought I would ask the following question:

How does SDI/TDI compare to the other agencies once past your Open Water Training ?

I am interested in your responses, thanks for reading those 2 major run on sentences !!

-Tim

 

[TwoBitTxn]

As has been stated many times, its not the agency, but the instructor.

SDI/TDI has a few different methods. I don't agree with all of them, but my favorite instructor teaches some SDI/TDI classes and I am always willing to attend a class that he teaches.

TwoBit

 

[GDI]

SDI/TDi are very comparable to the best as far as agencies go. The instructor makes the difference. The SDI/TDI programs have come a long way in the last two years. You should have no problem showing their cards and getting accepted.

 

[dc4bs]

SDI/TDI used to be just TDI (Technical Diving International) and only offered higher level courses.

In the last few years, they added SDI (SCUBA Diving International) which is the "rec" side of the organization to start competing with PADI, etc for the 'new' diver market...

On the flip side, PADI has recently added their own brand of 'tech' courses in order to begin to compete with TDI for the 'tech' diver market.

The major difference I see between them is that PADI is more ridged about what can/can't be taught and when it can be taught within a given course and they require their study materials to be used.

TDI/SDI tends to be more flexable about what materials are used for training and the instructor has more latitude to present the course materials in whatever order makes the most sense for the local conditions/resources. As long as everything is coverd and the student has learned it, all is well.

PADI has slicker marketing, books and videos where TDI/SDI has cheaper looking "small print run" materials they claim is so that changes, corrections and new info get into the manuals sooner.

As a DM for both PADI and SDI/TDI, I find SDI/TDI courses to be easier to work around students with dificult schedules as we can do different skills/classtimes when convenient to all rather than have to do things in PADIs specific sequence/order.

I don't think either one is bad, just different philosophies behind their training. Again, in general, you want to look for the best instructor you can find and that you are comfortable with, not just any yahoo simply because he teaches for a particular agency.

 

[ChikkenNoodul]

I took an SDI course for my OW certification, and the instructor used the PADI book and materials for the class.

 

[dc4bs]

Yes,

The instructor I mostly work with will 'dual' cert students in some courses for PADI & SDI/TDI if requested.

We'll do the PADI cert using PADI materials/methods and then go over any differences there may be between the 2 cert materials and then have them take the final test for SDI/TDI for the 2nd cert.

It doesn't usualy come up although there are a few students who do go for this option. I think they just get the cert fee charge from the 2nd agency added on to the bill is all we charge extra but I'm not 100% sure on that. I'd have to check with the shop owner. We strongly reccomend they buy both agencies manuals but don't absolutely require the SDI/TDI ones for a dual cert student since SDI does allow for "outside" materials to be used for training.

 

[narwhal]

I am a PADI/NAUI/SDI/TDI instructor. Believe it or not I have never seen a "secret" mask clearing technique or a "better" regulator recovery technique developed by any agency!! At the OW level, the basic skill set we teach is the same and conforms to RSTC standards. I have also never seen an OW card from any agency being rejected by anyone. The skill of the instructor is still paramount. If that instructor can teach you in a way that causes you to learn and gives you confidence in your abilities, then it doesn't matter which agency's name is on the card.
From the instructor's standpoint, there are circumstances which make it more appropriate to teach one agency's program than another. I teach a college program and it is very difficult if not impossible to make PADI's rigid modularized program conform to the schools standards and the state requirements for minimum number of contact hours. PADI does not allow teaching beyond their program, and unless I want to tap dance for six weeks, I need to teach appropriate materials outside PADI. At college I teach NAUI. I recently had a non-certified diver (who in reality had been diving for several years in some very advanced areas) come to me for certification so she could qualify to take some TDI courses. I certified her SDI. Why should I make her pay the price for PADI or NAUI course materials or dive tables when she already knows Navy tables and dive computers. On the other hand, I have certified over 180 PADI divers in various areas. My loyalty is (and will remain) to the student and whatever is most appropriate for them.

 

[IndigoBlue]

Tim,

If the other store(s) you are talking about that are slandering TDI-SDI is a PADI store, tell them that the meer fact that no one has ever rejected a PADI card is proof that no C-card on this earth is ever likely to be rejected. You may also want to compare the PADI comic books with the TDI-SDI dive manuals.

If the other store is an SSI store, remind them that SSI is neither the best nor the worst agency in scuba, the same as is true for TDI-SDI. True, SSI makes some of the best teaching materials, probably more current and modern than TDI-SDI, and at a higher reading comprehension level (probably high school or undergrad college) compared with PADI (probably elementary school).

If the other store is a NAUI store, just call NAUI H/Q and tell them, and NAUI will repremand them for criticizing another agency, which is in violation of NAUI standards. NAUI claims to be the best, overall, although not the largest anymore. However that does not give them license to criticize TDI-SDI, and NAUI H/Q will simply not permit it.

If the other store is an ANDI store, remind them that no one else has ever heard of ANDI either.

I think that about covers 90%. Point is that it all depends on the instructor.

 

[Diver0001]

This may get a bit long winded but, please bear with me.

The LDS that I frequent is an SDI/TDI facility. The instructor is top notch, a great guy, and trained my son and I last year.

I occasionally visit other LDS in the area to look at selection, new items, things I may want, etc. On these visits, when the topic of training comes up and I/we tell them we were trained by LDS #1, the other LDS' begin to 'poo poo' LDS #1 with comments about the quality of the training, C-Card acceptance, etc.

At first, I took this as a competition thing, the other shops want the potential training and gear money that so wants to leap from my wallet but, to be safe, and get some impressions from the resident 'Posideons' of this board, I thought I would ask the following question:

How does SDI/TDI compare to the other agencies once past your Open Water Training ?

I am interested in your responses, thanks for reading those 2 major run on sentences !!

-Tim

Well, on the surface it's all pretty run-of-the-mill mainstream stuff but I can't help associating SDI/TDI with Bret Gilliam (who I call Dread Gilligan).

If his own personal views on diving filter down into these organisations then you should run away. If ever there were a diver whose name should be mentioned in the definition of the word "str0ke".....

For example.

- drink beer before diving; nice and relaxed
- go solo. your buddy is a liability
- 120ft/min+ ascents....do it all the time and *i've* never been bent
- giant stride with empty BCD; ensure that you start sinking right away
- breathe that tank empty; reserve is for sissys...afterall, you paid for that gas...

I could go on but I think you get the picture.

R..