Fin Advice

[LoCz]

Going from non-diver to instructor in 15 months....probably yes. You can even do it in 6 months nps if you go on a live aboard first and get around 40 dives before you start on your advanced OW course. The courses now go from advanced OW to staff instructor in 4 months or less. But this is studying fulltime. And to be perfectly honest if candidates where not goodenough then they wouldnt get a pass. To me diving is very straight forward ...its not rocket science. But if you think they or i will be less of an instructor for it..then please post some more on this subject warhammer

 

[Warhammer]

cause none is meant, not that you were. Just because it's possible doesn't mean it's practible. If you plan on pursueing scuba instruction as a full-time career or just simply have alot of time on your hands, then it may be practible for you. But as a student, I for one would shy away from a newly certified instructor who had only been diving for 15 months total, no matter how many dives he had in those 15 months. That doesn't mean he's a bad instructor, just means that I wouldn't be comfortable with him, so he's not the instructor for me. I'm sure it's done alot and you wouldn't be the first to do it. But my idea of an instructor for me is someone with years of diving experience under his/her belt. Doesn't really matter if he/she just resently became an instructor, what matters is experience. Experience is the biggest thing I look at, not certs. For instance, I'd pick a guy that has no instructor cert but has 1000's of logged dives in the type diving I seeking training for and is an active diver, over a newly certified instructor that has 100 dives total. Would I get a cert card? No, but you can bet I'd be a well trained diver nonetheless. But everyone has to start somewhere and like I said, if you plan on actively presueing it as a career, then go for it. If not, then why not just take it slower and master everything every step of the way? No, it's not rocket science, but it is a serious sport that demands the best training available.

 

[Mario S Caner]

Warhammer, that sure did make me laugh! 'The Mario rating' huh? LOL! Hey if it helps my fellow buddies get more gear, and make better informed decisions when that time comes, I have no problems with my name being used as the excuse!

Mario

 

[Warhammer]

I'll try it and if it works, who knows, you may can even market it. Seriously, though, it's the opinions of divers that have and use said equipment that help make us make better informed decisions and I for one appreciated everyone. And it's a real bonus to find someone like you that has an addition built on back full of scuba gear.

 

[Tom]

I wasn't here quick enough so this post fits in better a little earlier in the thread.

The shop we used for our classes required that we buy fins, mask, snorkel etc. They supplied BCs and regs. Most I've seen are the same. But during the class and the Utah trip for the cert dives we could try other models and see what we liked. My wife switched to the split fins during the class. We had to pay the difference but no penalties. Two weeks later we went to Cozumel the first time and I took 3 masks. (had a leak problem with the one I bought at the start of the class). Just returned two of them after I made my choice. Another point for buying from your local shop.
Try that from a discounter. I think it was well worth the few extra bucks.

The point of all this is if you find the right place to deal with, they will help you with your choices. If you pay a deposit against your future purchases, they may let you try a few different styles from thier rental stock before you have to make a final choice.

Tom

 

[LoCz]

Warhammer heh noo you didnt cause offense at all i was just intrested in your opinion and i undertand what you mean
But at the end of the day safety is a very important factor. I mean you dont exactly get alot of chances to try out your first aid training..first aid isnt exactly something you can really gain experience in unless you are v unlucky. Or unless your a paramedic. So warhammer could you try to explain for me a little more on WHY you would go with experience...for example would it be the stories you thought maybe an experienced diver could tell. Is it a safety thing , do you think a more experienced diver would be more likely to be a safer diver?

 

[Mario S Caner]

Tom,
I wonder if that would work with my five year old car? LOL, I could just walk in and say, Uh I'd rather have the vette! Hey you just never know until you try right?

A closed mouth never get's fed.
Mario

 

[Warhammer]

I wasn't talking about first aid, first aid never even crossed my mind. I was refering to experience in general. Experience being years of diving experience, in the type diving I'm seaking training for and being able to use that experience to teach scuba to me. A certification doesn't make a teacher a good teacher, experience, patience, understanding, and firmness does. Not everyone with experience makes a good teacher. For example, my OW instructor grew up diving, his dad was an instructor and he has owned a shop and been an instructor himself for more than 15 years. He does all the Rescue training, including CPR/First Aid, for the surrounding counties dive teams and so forth, and he's serious about that type training. He also a friend of mine, but I won't take another class from him. Why? Because he isn't a good teacher. He is too easy for me. He is the type that as long as you pay his fee, you'll get certified, if you complete the required skills. He told me that the vast majority of his OW students will only be vacation divers and will most likely never dive without someone like a DM in the water with them. So he doesn't charge enough, nor take the time required to teach anything beyond what PADI mandates in the basic scuba course. I look for other qualities in an instructor. I'm not pursueing the training in order to obtain a certification. I persue the training to learn more about scuba and to make myself a better diver. So I look for an instructor that demands perfection, uses redundancy as a teaching tool, the drill sargent type. But I also want an instructor that is willing to put forth extra effort in the aeras that I may need extra training in. One that has patience and one that has alot of experience.

 

[mattiedread]

I agree, with the passion to teach post. I was a ski instructor, and, for the most part hated it. I don't have the patience, and large classes were something I just wanted to finish, consequently I didn't give the individual attention in most cases. There is a visible difference between teaching correctly and incorrectly, espcially in skiing where 90+% of ski instructors are not very good skiers themselves.

When I taught my wife, I took the time and had the patience. When she started we lived in Steamboat and skiied every day. In the beginning the other 'never evers' were racing down the mountain and raving about how much fun it was. My wife was working hard on basic skills two hours every morning, and far from racing down the hill. In a very short time it paid off. She has proper form, and of that group of never evers, the only one that didn't have a serious injury (which, I warned them of).

I think SCUBA is similar, since it too involves a very dynamic environment. To be a good instructor, you probably need to have 1000+ dives in varied locations, and, the other attributes necessary to teach.

 

[LoCz]

1000+ dives? lol. For a start it depends what your teaching. If your only teaching open water then why would you need to dive in every possible environment. TEACHING quality should be the most important factor. Ill be doing it fulltime and i can assure you i will be putting my heart and soul into it No offence intended whatsoever, but saying that someone should have over 1000 dives to be a good instructor is sheer ignorance, correct me if im wrong. Diving isnt hard so. At the end of the day people are very different as individuals so try broadening your mind.