Getting PADI open water certified

[SDAnderson]

MichiganMadDog once bubbled...
For this area (Great Lakes) which certification is better and what is the difference, there are a few to choose from?
And yes, going to T.C. is no problem for me. Would appreciate any help in the matter!
Thanks again!

The agency matters less than the instructor. All of the major agencies, PADI, NAUI, SSI, YMCA (who'd I forget) offer similar programs. There are nuances that differentiate them, leaving the quality of the instructor to be the biggest wild card.

Visit the shops and talk to the instructors, if you can. Find one that you are comfortable with and make certain that they actually dive for fun - not JUST for work.

Then do your homework and show up for class prepared to work hard. Ultimately, how much you get out of the program will be determined more by you than any other factor.

Welcome (soon) to the rest of the world!

Steven

 

[Lawman]

Dog I did my PADI OW in Mt Pleasant at Penninsula
Divers. I did SSI AOW in Midland. Thats too far for you
but Cadillac has PADI training. I think gedunk teaches
there part time as well as TC.

I suggest you pick a place that has an active dive
program after certification. Trips, training, etc. This
will give you a ready made group to go on trips with
on weekends.

 

[TCDiver1]

MichiganMadDog once bubbled...
For this area (Great Lakes) which certification is better and what is the difference, there are a few to choose from?
And yes, going to T.C. is no problem for me. Would appreciate any help in the matter!
Thanks again!

You will get many different opinions on comparing training agencies but most would agree, quality of training is largely attributable to quality of the instructor. There are other factors but i think that is the single biggest one.

I haven't got an answer back yet from Scuba North (Naui) but Great Lakes Scuba (Padi) has a class starting in TC this weekend. Nick, the instructor for this class, does a nice job IMO but you should talk to him one on one to decide that for yourself. They charge $200 for the academic and confined water portions of the OW class. Just so you know, they charge $100 for the OW check out dives portion of class, which would have to wait till spring for you to complete in TC. That's where the referral to Florida comes in. They could refer you to a dive operator in Fla. to complete your OW check out dives if you so desire. Great Lakes Scuba's number is 231-943-3483, ask for Jack, i told him you may be calling with questions.

I mainly teach private classes of two or three and would be happy to accommodate you if we can work out scheduling and pool time. I don't have anything planned until Jan/Feb time frame for OW training. I charge $400 for one student classes and $350 each for classes of two to three. The only additional cost is pool time if needed (which with me it will be needed until some time in May). I split the cost of the pool with the students that i have. I don't break it down by CW & OW since i prefer to teach students the whole way through OW training to certification.

Your other Padi option would be in Cadillac at Divers Central like Lawman said. You want Morris to teach you from there. He is an excellent instructor and may be more flexible at working with your schedule than the two LDS's in TC. His number is 231-876-3483.

Feel free to Pm me if questions because i may miss your posts to this thread.

 

[Dectek]

My hat is off to Gedunk. It amazes me as to how far folks go on this board to help. You did everything except take to course for him. (Read this as a good thing)
After seeing a post like this....anyone in your area should feel lucky to get you for training. All I could think about was the words " Above and Beyond". Ok....that Progressive Insurance commercial too. "Here is my quote and quotes from two of my compeditors also"

 

[MichiganMadDog]

Yes, gedunk really went the extra mile for me and I would like to thank everyone who has helped in this matter!
This is a very nice message board with great people!

 

[Wreck/Tec]

Mad dog
Speedster has some good points. Don't do an at home class. You'll find that you will loose the essence of the class experience. There are a lot of techniques that have to be discussed and practiced. I garentee that you won't have all the answers at home. Most dive shops have packages with respect to different levels of certification. These packages have books and vidios to give you the most help outside of classes. As for the different agencys teaching classes, I found PADI too commercial. I do like SSI. That isn't as important in my book as the instructors teaching. Find some who will give you the most instruction and attention. Class size is important as well, getting back to the attention thing. And don't be in a hurry to buy gear ASAP! Think about what's out there first. Talk to others before you buy all this stuff you won't use next year......

 

[TCDiver1]

Wreck/Tec once bubbled...
Mad dog
Speedster has some good points. Don't do an at home class. You'll find that you will loose the essence of the class experience. There are a lot of techniques that have to be discussed and practiced. I garentee that you won't have all the answers at home. Most dive shops have packages with respect to different levels of certification. These packages have books and vidios to give you the most help outside of classes. As for the different agencys teaching classes, I found PADI too commercial. I do like SSI. That isn't as important in my book as the instructors teaching. Find some who will give you the most instruction and attention. Class size is important as well, getting back to the attention thing. And don't be in a hurry to buy gear ASAP! Think about what's out there first. Talk to others before you buy all this stuff you won't use next year......

Self paced, multimedia products can be a great learning aid if used properly Wreck/Tec. We use them in conjunction with classroom exposure to teach a very thorough class. If motivated, a student may actually spend more time learning about diving than if they were exposed to a classroom only class.

IMO, these materials free up more class time to discuss and learn the topics that most students have trouble with such as tables.

It doesn't have to be one or the other, it can be both.

 

[Wreck/Tec]

Gedunk
You have a good point, I may have erred!

 

[jamiei]

You'll hear a lot of people say bad things about Padi on this board, but you should make your own decisions and realize there is a lot of bias sometimes. kids do get envious of the rich kid on the block sometimes. All agencies have their advantages and faults. I agree with the majority here that the agency should not be your primary concern, but instead choose your agency based on the the instructor. All agencies have instructors that would be better suited to work at the 7-11 that teach us to dive.

 

[DiverBuoy]

To a large extent you won't have as much variance with the PADI system especially where you can do self study - you can drill your instructor with questions you have from your studies. This gives you far more control over your own learning experience. PADI calls it prescriptive teaching, and frankly the translation for students means - getting in the water quicker. Let's face it that's what students want, it's why they signed up - to GO DIVING.

Other organizations really are geared toward allowing instructors to create their own curriculum this can and in fact often does allow for a greater variance in classes, instruction, and student product. PADI allows for inclusion of local diving environment training and instructor personalities - but it's the system of diver education that is at the heart of the program - time tested and proven. PADI is clearly the biggest organization but IMO they haven't become lazy - rather they continually adopt change and improve their programs and methods. They train more than a million divers a year - more than all other organizations combined, and they work hard for feedback and take feedback of students and instructors very seriously incorporating it into their changes.

Personally I recommend a PADI program which is available in your area.