How does one deal with an instructor that makes them uncomfortable?

[jmcdaniel0]

Man, I wouldnt know what to do myself. When I got my Padi several years ago in college, my instructor was this salty old Navy Diver. He was tough and he didnt pull punches. I was in the military at the time, and I didnt pay him any mind, I was used to that style of teaching, but some of the other folks had some issues with him. All in all, I learned more from him, than I have from anyone else.

My wife was certified with an SSI instructor, and he was just this easy going guy. Two very different teaching styles, but both were excellent teachers. If it is as bad as you say, I would cut and run. There is no need to pay to be treated like that. Also, most dive shops are mom and pop places, and can not afford to lose customers, talk to the owner. I would be surprised if he didnt set the record straight for you.

 

[BlueTrin]

@jmcdaniel0
This is really good advice. OP, you can ask to switch instructors if you know that they have other instructors.

You don’t have to go into too much details when telling them unless you are comfortable giving a honest feedback.

If you decide to give them feedback, it is useful to keep it factual and stop the person you talk to if it starts to be personal.

 

[yle]

I think folks underestimate how significant the cost of scuba classes is for some people. In my town, classes from pretty much anywhere are about $350 (plus books cost and requred snorkel gear).

I would have put up with a lot before I decided to walk away from a $350 purchase. Some shops (extreme exposure in high springs comes to mind) charge more than double that.

I totally agree with you, and I wasn't suggesting that a few hundred bucks is insignificant. But simply that ultimately that was what it came down to: the only reason to stay is the money. So deciding whether or not to stay is a matter of deciding how much that money is worth. It's different for everyone.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Post 35 stated that the issue wasn't really money but the time invested to get to that point. Hopefully another instructor will be available, they can do their check out dives someplace tropical, or hire a local private instructor to finish the openwater checkouts. If those options aren't available, then I would still suggest finish the openwater checkouts with the douchebag instructor.

This instructor may have certified thousands of students with a positive success record. It may be a personality conflict. The OP did not state that the instruction was unsafe, just that the student was not comfortable. "Comfort" may or may not come from additional time underwater, but my point was get the card. The time and money invested to get to this point are apparently significant due to travel and scheduling. Those would be compounded by just jumping ship now.

They certainly have the right to cancel any dive anytime and if the open water checkouts turn into a clusterf*ck, cancel them and go another route. We don't know what state they are in, other than the check out dives are cold, but I'm sure the location and conditions for the checkout dives are benign. Once they have the card, hire a private DM, dive with their friend, do whatever ever it take to get time underwater. All the while, find an instructor/shop they like and eventually pursue AOW with them...after a lot of diving in the meantime.

I think that the standards set for open water certification are minimal. The students have met the confined water standards and are apparently ready for open water. A conversation with the instructor, an extra pool session, discussing the concerns before the open water dives, even feeding the Figjams attitude are all cheaper, faster alternatives to getting the C-card. I emphasize that the C card is just the beginning, call it the starting line, for diver education.

Based on the new divers I saw at Blue Hole in Belize...he's got to be better than whoever trained them....that was truly scary...

Just my opinion, yours may vary.

Jay