Finding a dive shop to certify with...

[triton94949]

...I have noticed that there really is no consistency in pricing - some include the gear rental in the cost others don't, some include the course materials in the cost others don't, some want you to buy more personal gear than others, and some include up to 8 certification dives. ...QUOTE]

If you take the price for the certification course and divide it by the number of open water (ocean) dives, that would give you a better idea of the value that you are receiving. Some shops give you 4 open water dives only. Others will give you 5 to 8.

Some stores will rent everything to you except a swimsuit, others will require you to buy certain things yourself.

Some stores give you credit for your rental payments towards subsequent equipment purchases.

All stores will want you to buy equipment from them eventually. You can defend yourself against this pressure by saying "but I don't know what I want yet." They will counter with some type of discount offer to tempt you more. That should not change your answer however. It will take time before you have any idea what you really want and need. Renting as much as possible for the longest time will give you the best experience in making up your mind about what you really like and want.

Have fun shopping around!

 

[ChrisA]

All the advice is good but many (most) times it would be hard to talk with the instructor when you are still inthe "shopping around" stage. A lot of shops use part time instructors that have real day jobs and come in to teach nights and weekends. Nothing at all wrong with this as these instructors clearly are not in it for the money and they are good enough to get asked back to do the next class. So if you walk into the shop you will not find the people who'd be teaching asthey are off being advertizing execx, engineers or whatever 8 to 5. But once you narroe it down and it comes to choosing exactly which class to take then ask about who is teaching which class. Realisticaly you can't walk into a dive shop and ask to interview all 12 part time instructors that might work there on a given weekend.

The best dive shops are plces where you can hang out for a while and talk to the staff and other customers and you can see that they all know each other. Of course being new you will not know anyone but you can tell if it's that kind of place by watching. Every time I go in to get some tanks filled (It takes up to 15 minutes) I see someone I know

Hi All -

I am new to this board so I'd thought I'd say hello and ask a couple questions at the same time.

After years of snorkeling and always wanting to learn to dive, I am finally going to do it this year! My question is; What is the best way to find a shop to get certified with? I have stopped by a couple local shops and gotten some info., but what other specific questions I should be asking other than whether they do PADI or NAUI and the student to instructor ratio?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[triton94949]

... A lot of shops use part time instructors that have real day jobs and come in to teach nights and weekends. Nothing at all wrong with this as these instructors clearly are not in it for the money and they are good enough to get asked back to do the next class. So if you walk into the shop you will not find the people who'd be teaching asthey are off being advertizing execx, engineers or whatever 8 to 5. ...

That's true too. A well organized shop will also have already assigned instructors to their upcoming classes. You can get the instuctors' phone numbers and give them a call. Even on the phone you can detect their patience, and their excitement about teaching scuba, and how things will be done in the class, and flexibility, and general gear issues. Ask them each the same questions, and see what they say.

You can also ask when the instructor will be in the shop next time, and plan to meet them then.

There is no substitute for personally interviewing the instructors teaching the class.

If you do not, then you are just rolling the dice.

 

[kidspot]

One thing I found I liked was having the class stretched over several weeks, instead of in 3 days as some shops do (Mine took 6 sessions over 3 weeks) - You might also want to look into a private instructor and getting a group together of 2-4 students that you will be diving with in the future... Just some suggestions that I was given and worth considering whatever you end up doing. Hope you find a great instructor and have a wonderful time!

Aloha, Tim

 

[orangelion03]

I might have missed it, but no one has previously suggested visiting a local dive club and asking them for a recommendation.

Check out the list below for starters:

http://www.scubayellowpages.com/divers/diveclubs/california.htm

 

[ChrisA]

I might have missed it, but no one has previously suggested visiting a local dive club and asking them for a recommendation.

Check out the list below for starters:

http://www.scubayellowpages.com/divers/diveclubs/california.htm

Most clubs are associated with some dive shop. You will get very biased replies if you ask about shops at a typical dive club. Some try to look independent but then you read the listing and the email address is someguy@diveshopname.com or they list benifits as discounts or free air at a specific shop. Not saying there is anything wrong with this. No, it's a Good Thing but it would be like going to an Apple Uer's Group meetinf and asking about what kind of computer to buy.

It really is hard to find people who can make informmed comparisons of dive shops because there are so many of them and any one diver only knows a few of them. Same with barber shops. Everyone has thier hair cut now and then but how many ofs us could make a list of the top 25 barbear shops?

But you know what the bottom line is? If everyone seems to recommend "thier place" and there is little advice that says "don't go to xxx" it means they are all mostly good. If you just pick one you will most likey become one of us who says "my place is good."

 

[lorien]

I have to agree that the right instructor is key. It can make all the difference as to what you will learn, how well you will learn it and how comfortable you will be in the water. I would talk to the instructors available and you can get a very good idea of how they are going to teach and how well you will interact. Nothing is 100% but you will have a pretty good idea. A good instructor makes all the difference in the world. I also agree, if you can talk to othhr divers but be aware that you may get a lot of differing opinions But, I have found that a really good instructor usually has a pretty good reputaion with most everyone.

 

[Bibendum]

Hi All -

Thanks for all the advice on finding a shop to certify with. After checking out local dive shops, asking lots of questions, doing a Discvover SCUBA class and meeting some intructors we settled on a LDS and signed up for our OW class today. Now we just need to pick a date and go!

Thanks again!
Kharon

 

[kidspot]

Hope you have an incredible class - and be sure to let us know how it goes.

Aloha, Tim

 

[LuvDaOcean]

Kharon - What dive shop did you pick? And when are you starting your course? I'm curious because I only live about 5 miles from you (castro valley). Feel free to send a PM if you want.

Have a blast!

Toni