HELP Please-Cheap Dive Spot-Training questions

[tndash]

Hello, everyone, I am new to this forum and am looking for some advice. I apologize if I havent posted this in the correct category. Over my life I have found that information that could have been had at the beginning of a project WOULD have been much more helpful than when I actually gained the knowledge (at the end of the project). So, I am now looking for some insight before I go further.
I am interested in becoming a dive instructor. I was wondering if all of you can give a newbie some advice. Here's a little background. I am NOT certified. Long story short, I have gone through PADI open water training a decade ago, but am NOT certified. I have about 50 dives. Please dont ask how-lived in the Carib for awhile. None of which are logged. I suppose I can go back, look at the various videos and date some of them and try to remember where I was(but there would be no instructor signature). However, I dont even know if this would be beneficial.
I am looking to go from beginner through whatever would qualify me to teach at a resort/dive shop. I believe that is the PADI OWSI. I have seemed to gather that PADI qualifies me in more places than others(as opposed to NAUI,SSI,etc), so I believe I will attempt that.
First off, where should I go through all this training? In other words the cheapest dive spots on the planet. It used to be Honduras, but it looks like there prices now are higher than Thailand and the Philippines. Any thoughts-please somewhere warm- I hate the full body suits and cant imagine taking them off and on ALL the time for 3-6 months. Additionally, I believe that one prerequisite for the OWSI is that you have been certified diver fro 6 months and 100 dives (maybe 150-I get confused). Would it be advisable that I get the open water diver cert NOW and at a later date go hardcore and dive everyday for 3 months so I can meet the 6 month requirement before I go abroad?
Would it be cheaper for me to get a NAUI Divemaster or something similar and than convert it to a PADI course?
Any info would help this potential diver-Thanks all in advance.

To recap:
Would my former non-logged, non instructed dives count if I get a logbook and record them now?
Where is the cheapest place to Dive?
Do I need to meet a 6 month requirement?(and therefore get certified now?)
Is it cheaper to get NAUI or something similar and then convert to PADI?

 

[Diver0001]

Would my former non-logged, non instructed dives count if I get a logbook and record them now?

You might get different answers to that but I wouldn't personally accept them unless they were signed off by a certified pro. Your problem is you're not certified and I don't think PADI would want an instructor to accept the experience you do have as prerequisites for courses.

Where is the cheapest place to Dive?

Generally the cheapest place to dive is locally.

Do I need to meet a 6 month requirement?(and therefore get certified now?)

Any way you look at it there's only one way to become an instructor and that's to take the courses. You'll also need 120 dives before you can become an instructor so the best thing you can do now is take the OW course and start diving locally and logging every dive.

Is it cheaper to get NAUI or something similar and then convert to PADI?

I can't help you with this. My impression is that you'll probably find the Naui route no less involved than the PADI route. I dont' know about the costs.

And now a question for you. Why do you want to do this?

R..

 

[bharucha]

hey not to sound rude....but what you will have to do to become a padi instructor is have a 100 logged dives signed by an instructor and be a DIVE MASTER first.....dont look for the cheapest place to do the course cause sometimes u pay more for a better dive ed.. what you could do is (if u are serious bout bein a OWSI) work in a dive shop for 6 months for free and get all your courses upto DM for half price(lots of lookin but possible...ive done it). Its better do do all padi courses because you need knowledge about the courses you will be one day teachin.

But most important according to me is dont plan to become an instructor...just take it one step at a time....then when you are a dive master....decide.

would also like to know why you would want to become a OWSI.

hope ive helped

 

[tndash]

OK- thanks for the info. I will try to answer your questions and explain a bit. To answer your questions, I ÁÎ going through a mid-life crisis and am planning on living abroad for the next few years (again). I always loved diving and always loved the tropics. Life in the states currently is not feasible for me due to the economy and my profession. I will need to earn a living other or maybe even in addition to my current profession while Im abroad. Taking in Visa considerations and a few different countries I looked into, I would need a job that: 1) I would enjoy doing, 2) is fairly transient (as long as Im qualified) and 3) would prefer it be in areas of the world I am interested in exploring. I have looked into working at a dive shop for 6 months as I get certified and that is a reason I am posting this-I figured a few of you may know some specific places and even some places that can offer good deals. As for cheapest, it seems the overall theory is cost doesnÃÕ change much, but I have travelled a bit and found that it actually does. When I used to live in the Caribbean divers wanting to go through the program went to Honduras- I was wondering if that has changed. As for gathering knowledge, I have instructor certificates in a few other fields, (the most difficult being a flight and ground instructor-CFI, CFII, MEI, AGI, IGI) so I am not new to instructing, but most times the school/shop does play a role in what is taught, but it overwhelmingly comes down to the individual instructor and how much effort that person puts into learning and therefore teaching. For those who may question the concept of getting all my qualifications in a short time, my plan IS TO rush through it. Whether or not the experience is had and reinforced in a small period of time as compared to a longer period is arguably more efficient and better for the student (recency of experience & primacy of learning). Diver0001- thanks for the info. What is the overall question about the validity of the previous logged dives? Do they actually need an instructor signature? Even if one is not certified? I was thinking they may count towards the overall number of dives. If it is a validity question, couldnÃÕ that be solved with the numerous hours of video I have of my dives?-thanks
Diver0001- the point is NOT to dive locally- it IS TOO expensive especially considering what I am trying to accomplish.
As for the comparison with NAUI, SSI, PADI or whomever, is solely for cost and not which is less or more ÅÊnvolved? but thanks anyway for that. Personally, I would prefer PADI.

 

[Diver0001]

Diver0001- thanks for the info. What is the overall question about the validity of the previous logged dives? Do they actually need an instructor signature? Even if one is not certified? I was thinking they may count towards the overall number of dives.

The problem wouldn't be so much an issue of whether or not you made the dives. I don't have any reason to be believe you didn't make them. The issue for an instructor giving you a continuing ed course is that when setting the experience pre-req the training agency *assumes* a certain level of previous knowledge and/or experience.

So I would conclude that as an instructor I would only be allowed by my agency to count dives you made *after* you were certified. The reason I said before that I think you'd need an instructor's signature for your dives is that the agency would expect you to claim credit for dives you're qualified to do. In your case, the agency would expect those dives to be done under supervision.

Having said that, in extenuating circumstances like yours (you have a lot of experience for someone who is not certified) you could, and probably should, contact the agency directly (or via your instructor) to get their ruling on what can be counted and what can't. They may give you partial, or full credit for your dives.

Diver0001- the point is NOT to dive locally- it IS TOO expensive especially considering what I am trying to accomplish.

Yeah I understand. You might want to look into some kind of package deal that accelerates you through the system. I know there was an instructor on Scubaboard offering a package like that and given that you already have a fair amount of experience you might be a good candidate for something like that. These programs are often refered to as "zero to hero" so you might want to try searching on that. From what I've seen online a lot of people seem to be going to Thailand these days for such programs, but I'm not the best person to ask about specific deals in Central America or Asia. .

R..

 

[tndash]

Diver0001- Thanks alot- I let out a huge"OOOHHHHH" after reading your rational behind the previously unlogged dives. I will take all advice and contact both my (when I find one) instructor and the agency people when I start the process. Thanks aslo for the zero to hero info- I will search that as well.

If theres anyone else out there that can add their $.02-it would be appreciated.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Be prepared to spend alot of money on any of these courses by the time you figure in airfare, housing, food, etc and get little in return initially. You will work like a dog and unless you show some real experience after getting all this in not be worth much. Doing lots of dives to pad your dive count and get the number of dives required is foolhardy. It'd be like you jumping in a plane and doing 10 takeoffs and landings a day with 10 minute flight times. You'd be good at that but not worth much as far as actual air time goes. If this is really about a midlife crisis a good shrink would most likely be cheaper and a steady job that pays the bills even if it means a lower standard of living would be a better choice. If you really want to go someplace and just be dive instructor living paycheck to paycheck that's fine. But actual experience in as many different environments as possible increases your worth substantially. I personally would never take classes from or recommend anyone to somebody who has never dove cold water, low vis, or in less than optimal conditions. And speaking of cold water the Instructors in these card factories may in fact be doing 5-6 dives a day and you most likely need to be suited up for that.

 

[tndash]

Hey Jim-thanks for your input. I will pass on the shrink-donÃÕ think I will EVER have enough money nor time to rehash and correct my issues. I have done a bit of research and the range is around 6K-15K for the courses. That a large difference for the same certification-so any input concerning THAT matter is greatly needed. I may not have a lot of experience, but I have dove in various places. Cold water, drift dives, wall; dives, warm water, wrecks, caves, deep (not too-just 128ft) and low vis as well as some other stuff. Various places. Hawaii, Cozumel, Belize, Cabo, Cancun, Caymans, Vieques, Cuelbra, Fajardo, St. Thomas, Antigua, Catalina(brrr-48-52 degrees). Not done a night dive yet:depressed:. As I may not have said- I am NOT figuring any airfare or other things because I WILL be out of the country regardless and it will cost me that whether or not I dive. There are many prepatory courses that teach you the required info for flying as well. Your instructors certificate is a rating to learn. I am going into this knowing that. I do understand getting my OWSI and teaching at 1000 dives is a much more experienced approach than doing it at 200, just like anything else. I believe this is what you are trying to express by it being foolhardy-please correct me if Im wrong. If the foolhardy reason is because of lack of experience in different climates, then I would disagree for those locals who teach and never leave their island, but are quite proficient in THEIR island diving. It doesnt make logical sense for you to be alright with student A who ver the course of say 10 years gets his/hers OWSI and teaches with only 150 dives in that period, as compared to student B: who does the same in a 7 month period, so I wont address that. Once again, if my assumption is incorrect, please let me know. Thanks for the headsup on the 5-6 dives a day and suited-that too sounds cold.

 

[AndyNZ]

Whilst I fundamentally disagree with the whole concept of becoming an instructor as quickly and cheaply as possible, there are a number of dive centres in New Zealand that just focus on that.

They specialise in government sponsored "tertiary education" programmes, but many will also run non-subsidised courses along side. From OW to OWSI can cost as little as NZ$5000 (excluding materials), with the exchange rate that's not very much in US$. Don't forget to factor in PADI costs as well - the exam fee and the first year membership.

On a visitors visa, you won't be able to work in that time - so also add in six months of living expenses.

Also, you'll generally get what you pay for. You want cheap, be prepared to receive cr@p.

 

[tndash]

Thanks Andy- I will look into it