Giving Away Dive Instructor Certifications.

[Kriterian]

This topic is another reason why you should look at the instructor first and foremost. It's not the country, certifying agency, or even the dive shop where they work...it's the person that's going to be teaching you. Look up Walters "questions to ask your instructor", and after asking those you'll be able to discover the phonies.

 

[Heffey]

I feel OW instructors can get certified in the carribean or parts where there is clear water for visual reasons but I believe they must ALSO BE CERTIFIED FOR THE STATE THEY ARE TRAINING OTHERS.

Certainly diving in New Jersey or New York is significantly different from diving in tropical waters that is like a swimming pool. It disturbes me to hear the guy has been diving for a short time and runs down to florida and is now an instructor when diving conditions are significantly different. How are you prepared for the areas when all you dive is a swimming pool environment.

I am too new to scuba to really be able to comment on the experience needed for someone to become an instructor. However, I certified with NAUI and PADI and both organizations made it quite clear to me that the certification shows that I am qualified to dive in conditions similar to those in which I was trained.
I see your point if you are talking about instructors being trained in the tropics and then teaching in places like Canada. Maybe instructors should have the same limitations as an OW certification. You can only teach in a similar environment in which you were taught.
I think experience in quite important in an instructor.
Unfortunately, you can’t teach experience and experience doesn’t always go hand in hand with common sense.
I’m not sure if it is better to have an experienced instructor who is certain that s/he knows everything or a less experienced instructor who is I bit more cautious because they know for sure that they still have room to grow.
Jeffrey

 

[scottyroz]

Scubaboard is a much better place without this kind of BS!

Funny you should say that....i didnt even notice that post

 

[gjmmotors]

Welcome to PADI.

And NAUI and SDI/TDI and a host of other agencies, actually almost all of them.
As a brand new instructor through many of the agencies, one could cross over to most other agencies with no major work, just a class and some fees.
-gm

 

[Wildcard]

Some people can teach some can't! A Phd in whatever has nothing to do with a persons ability to pass it along to others. Same thing with diving. 30 years and 10,000 dives dosen't mean this person can teach a class. Someone with a couple hundred dives that has that ability would serve you much better....This field is one notable exception to the old saying, "those who can do, those who can't teach"...If you don't have the passion for being underwater, ya aint gonna work for $10/hr......That being said, I start IDC on tuesday. Am I ready to teach???? Well,,, Ya, I think so. AM I perfect? Not by a long shot but I don't have to be as long as I can teach someone to dive safely and enjoy it....Never stop learning...I was told by a great teacher once that if you realy want to learn something, teach it.

 

[Bill51]

Flight instructors are often low time pilots who are trying to build up time.

But I’ve also seen the students turned out by an instrument flight instructor that has never flown in actual instrument conditions.

 

[lord1234]

Those who can't.....teach...and those who can't teach...teach gym....and those who can't teach gym, own LDS's

 

[Tom Smedley]

I searched all the combinations and couldn't find this. Could you give us a reference??

Thanks

Look up Walters "questions to ask your instructor", and after asking those you'll be able to discover the phonies.

 

[Kriterian]

I searched all the combinations and couldn't find this. Could you give us a reference??

Thanks

Sorry, I think I had the thread title wrong. Here is a thread where he reposted it. It's reply #5.

 

[matt_unique]

... 30 years and 10,000 dives dosen't mean this person can teach a class. Someone with a couple hundred dives that has that ability would serve you much better....

I agree with this for an OW course but not for technical courses. I realize the conversation is not specifically about tech courses. Most of my PADI courses were done by instructors with less than 1000 dives. I specifically looked for the most experienced instructor for technical courses (>5000 dives) and a practicing tech diver. I wanted to learn from wisdom and significant experience at this level whereas for OW I think less experienced instructors can be just as good.

--Matt