Is there a benefit to some PADI Courses?

[DevonDiver]

But my cynicism comes from years of getting hopes up only to find out it's a scam or not legit. You look at courses online for something you are interested in, you think it sounds good but in the end they want your money and they are not qualified.
This is the reason I asked my original question (I didn't word it so well I know), is it a benefit, could it help me move into something that will focus on marine conservation.

There's a bunch of stuff that can help you further that goal. Some of the PADI courses count towards college credits, I think. I'm not to sure of that, because I'm not American - so never paid much attention to those aspects of the course standards.

In addition to PADI courses, there are also various voluntary environmental programs etc that you could research and become involved in. They might provide access to the sort of connections and knowledge that would help you.

If really motivated, you could always start your own endeavor - a study or a conservation program. Find something that interests you and set about to become a subject-matter expert in that field - through self-research and practical application.

An example:

I wouldn't claim to be any sort of expert, but last year we (the dive center I associate with) found a flourishing colony of seahorses. Out of curiosity, I began to research seahorses. It started as a simple task to identify the species we found...and grew. Through that, I became aware of some significant threats to seahorses - specifically the chinese medicine and tourist 'keep-sake' demands for dead dried seahorses (urgh!). I wanted to promote the seahorses as an attraction to divers, but also to keep their location/existence quiet from the local population (here in the Philippines), as they'd be exploited and decimated for sure (pending extensive education and, hopefully, some official protection from the authorities.

Through that research...reading stuff online, writing emails to conservation groups etc... it has turned into a project to survey and track the local seahorse population. A seahorse conservation charity emailed me extensive information about how to do that properly. There'll be educational talks (that I will both research for...and get advice/materials from the groups about) for divers and the local population. A year or two of survey will hopefully lead to some talks with local governance.

No..it's not a marine biology degree... but it is satisfying.... and it would be good on a CV, should I ever choose to head in that direction (I won't because my interest lies in underwater archaeology...and that's what I aim to pursue at post-grad levels in the long term).

You don't need to be 'smart' to get involved.... just passionate, motivated and willing to sacrifice some time and effort.

A PADI 'conservation' themed course may, or may not, help you towards that goal. I suggest that the key factor is the instructor concerned - and how involved they truly are. As a customer, research is your most powerful tool in sorting the wheat from the chaff.

However.. do expect to pay.. we instructors earn little enough as it is - if I got a job flipping burgers at McDonalds I'd earn more than I do as an instructor... but that's a sacrifice I was heppy to make. Memories of sports cars, big-screen tvs and luxury holidays are all I have of my 'old life'. LOL

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

What I tend to see on ScubaBoard is for the most part, but not always, those folks that are instructors/DM's/shop employees will say, "Don't dive deep until you take the deep diver course." Or "You should take the wreck diver course before you start wreck diving". Etc.

I'd say of all the "specialty" courses out there, those are two I most believe people should get proper training for ... because of the potential consequences of doing something out of ignorance. Coincidentally, I'm one of those instructors on ScubaBoard who's not ashamed to say so ... I've seen too many divers going deep or blundering inside of wrecks who clearly have no idea of the risks they're taking ... or what to do if something were to go wrong at a bad moment.

There is certainly nothing wrong with going that route. However, you can also learn to safely dive deep or wreck dive by learning from a more experienced dive buddy or mentor. "Taking the course" is just one way to learn but not the only way and usually learning from a buddy or mentor cost you nothing.

True ... but only if you happen to choose the right kind of buddy or mentor. I'll be working with a fellow tonight who, when we met, told me how many times he and his "experienced" buddy have ended up making direct ascents on deep dives while sharing air. He said it like it's just one of those things that "happens" on a deep dive ... because that's how his experienced friend looks at it. The difference between me and his mentor is that I don't look at running out of air at 90 feet as something that just "happens" ... it's a sign that you haven't yet learned enough to safely go there.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DevonDiver]

I'm not sure I would call some of the courses a scam but I cringe when I hear the local dive shop announce that 4 people just got their "Boat Diver" certification.

I'd go so far as to call them a scam - if they consisted of nothing more than the minimum materials/requirements. Many of the 'minor' courses have very thread-bare syllabus - and some instructor motivation and initiative is necessary to derive some genuine learning benefit for the student.

No doubt there are courses beyond OW and Rescue that can be a benefit to a diver and learning from an instructor may be the way to go. But really, a lot of that stuff you can learn on your own far cheaper than paying for the course.

I won't pay to do a 'course' any more. I haven't for a long time. I will, however, pay for the opportunity to learn from someone credible, who I respect. When I get the opportunity to train with such a person, I take it. It's the instructor...and the unique knowledge and experience they have to share, that I value. To that end, I've even re-taken the same courses with different instructors - where I've felt that new insights, perspectives or approaches will be shared.

After 20 years of diving, and already being a technical diving instructor, I managed to complete 6 courses this year already. Primarily these were an agency cross-over, but what I really valued was exposure to new ways of doing things that I thought I 'already knew about'. None of these 'extended my limits' from a certification point-of-view.... but I've learned a bunch.

There is certainly nothing wrong with going that route. However, you can also learn to safely dive deep or wreck dive by learning from a more experienced dive buddy or mentor. "Taking the course" is just one way to learn but not the only way and usually learning from a buddy or mentor cost you nothing.

IMHO, the difference between a 'course' and 'mentoring' etc is just a case of payment. Nice if you have a friend who can teach you effectively...and for free. For those that don't have that, then you have to 'rent-a-friend' (i.e. take a course). Whether you pay cash or credit card... or some form of payment in kind... training is training is training.

A pre-designated syllabus and/or the award of a certification/card is one type of training. Ad-hoc training - workshops, clinics, mentoring also exists. You can pay for either... or get either free. There's no difference really. As an instructor, I've taught formal courses for free... and yet I've also charged people for mentoring. Relationships decide that... and, as mentioned, so do forms of payment.

 

[boulderjohn]

I started skiing when I was first married, and my wife gave me my first lessons. We then moved to Colorado, where I was first a starving graduate student and later a highly underpaid teacher. I could not afford real ski lessons, so I learned as much as I could for free from more experienced skiers, using them as Mentors. When I finally got to the point of being able to afford real lessons, I discovered that those Mentors had taught me so much that was incorrect and I had so thoroughly ingrained those incorrect skills that it took me forever to overcome that informal training. In fact, I don't think I got more than 80% of those bad habits out of my system, even when I had reached the point of doing citizen racing.

If I had forked over the cash for only a couple of lessons in the beginning, I would have had a good base from which to grow my skills, and I would have had the knowledge to avoid that toxic advice I was getting from my more experienced friends.

 

[BDSC]

Nice if you have a friend who can teach you effectively...and for free. For those that don't have that, then you have to 'rent-a-friend' (i.e. take a course). Whether you pay cash or credit card... or some form of payment in kind... training is training is training.

I was actually fortunate enough in my early years of diving to have such a friend/mentor. He started out like most folks as an open water diver and then became quite an accomplished cave diver and even served on the board of cave divers. (I can't remember what that outfit is called now) He was also my workout buddy in the gym. So early on he was able to take me on some deeper dives, wreck dives. night dives, etc. He tried like hell to get me into cave diving but that's just not my thing. I was tempted but to tell the truth I like all the pretty fishes and colorful reefs so I have stuck to that.

But before the dives we would go over dive planning, the do's and don'ts, etc. So I really learned a lot from him. Eventually he kinda got out of diving and we sort of lost touch but he has now moved back into NC and so I'm trying to get him back into it. Hasn't happened yet but I'm still working on him. I think he'll come around. For me, the mentoring system worked out great but like folks have said, you need the right kind of mentor.