The dive industry seems to want to get more divers in the pipeline quickly and cheaply.
What suffers is the quality of instruction. A classroom where the "instructor merely reads and answers the review questions, then proctors the test hasn't really taught anything. Likewise, the instructor who never takes the class off the training platform trains a group to do the basic skills, but never learns to "dive."
Well trained students earn an openwater certification and are ready to begin diving within the limits of their experience.
What suffers is the quality of instruction. A classroom where the "instructor merely reads and answers the review questions, then proctors the test hasn't really taught anything. Likewise, the instructor who never takes the class off the training platform trains a group to do the basic skills, but never learns to "dive."
Well trained students earn an openwater certification and are ready to begin diving within the limits of their experience.