Jim Ernst Avatar...

[pacificgal]

This forum is quiet today, where's everyone been?
I contacted the instructor that did my drysuit cert. to find out what it would take to finish it. I did the class and first checkout dive but felt too seasick to do the second. He told me in order to finish it I would have to spend $100 for the course fee and $75 for the dry suit rental.
I've already paid for the course fee, why should I have to pay it again? I', thinking forget it, but am too nice to complain about it to him. I think at this point, who needs a cert when you have the knowledge, right?

 

[mikeguerrero]

This forum is quiet today, where's everyone been?
I contacted the instructor that did my drysuit cert. to find out what it would take to finish it. I did the class and first checkout dive but felt too seasick to do the second. He told me in order to finish it I would have to spend $100 for the course fee and $75 for the dry suit rental.
I've already paid for the course fee, why should I have to pay it again? I', thinking forget it, but am too nice to complain about it to him. I think at this point, who needs a cert when you have the knowledge, right?

Odd that you talk about your drysuit certification because the same happened to me...

I paid for the course, received the book and did all the homework...

The instructor never took me out to do my dives and didn't even take me to the pool for training...

I went to another diveshop and they let me use the pool for free and watched me from topside, told me what to practice and would check on me from time to time...

After the pool session, I paid for a boat trip and went out with him and the shop, had a blast with two full dives diving dry...

The week before the trip my scubaboard friends took me out at the Break Water to run my practice runs in shallow water...

I went back to the original dive shop where I paid my money, and they told me the instructor no longer works there but I could turn in my answers from my book and give it to them and I'll get my card...

I just haven't done that, but they are not charging me extra, nor do I think they will make me do dives with them, since they know I've been diving dry for about one year now....

MG

 

[pacificgal]

Yeah, I think screw it. I actually prefer diving wet. Being underwater without getting wet is just unnatural
I have a $75 rental coupon from my dive club that I could rent a drysuit one weekend, I may just do that this weekend since I have shore diving on Saturday and a boat dive on Sunday.
Really going to have to rely on my computer this weekend, looks like I'm doing probably 3 dives before noon but the last one will only be to 20 feet.
Wish I remembered more of my dive planning from OW.

 

[Hinalo]

So you paid $100. for the drysuit specialty up front, completed the class and the first of the two OW dives required to get the cert. Now, they are telling you you have to pay for the specialty all over again to do the second OW dive which is all you lack to complete it? I have to say that this sounds wrong (though another day of drysuit rental is legit). They may be thinking that they have to send the instructor out on another day and that costs something.

Two reasons why you should not just forget it: 1) you paid for the cert; 2) if you want to rent a drysuit somewhere on vacation the dive op will very likely require that you have a drysuit cert as a condition of the rental.

I can't imagine the LDS I work for charging you twice for the specialty even though you are doing the two OW dives on different days. They would find a way to fold you into another class. If you paid for this specialty through a shop, then call the owner and tell him what the instructor told you and that you would like to complete the cert without paying the specialty fee twice. Maybe assign you a different instructor. .?

Last minute thought: could the $100 they are asking for be a boat fee? That would be legitimate. But if they want to charge you again for the specialty fee, I think that is not right.

 

[pacificgal]

Thanks, Hinalo, it's a private instructor. He wants to get me back in the pool and the ocean, the pool being at his house. I have no problem paying the suit rental fee and because I'm nice, half the cert fee since it's been a year. I don't want to spend another $175 for missing one OW dive, seems like BS to me, and trust me, if I'm going on a vacation and plan on doing diving (which, why take a vacation if you can't dive?) it would most definitely be in warm water .
It's good to know it could be a problem though, I wasn't aware LDS's check for a dry suit cert prior to rental.

 

[Anti-Hero]

Yeah, I think screw it. I actually prefer diving wet. Being underwater without getting wet is just unnatural

Haha, you say that now. But once you experience a nice, warm, dry dive - the whole game changes.

 

[pacificgal]

Ha, maybe so, but there was nothing more sensual than diving in Jamaica with nothing more than a bathing suit and BCD, warm water caressing my skin, water through my hair...it was awesome. Diving dry is a just a completely different experience, which I've only had once, and it wasn't any warmer, maybe I didn't have adequate thermals, but it wasn't $1000 more comfortable, lol.

 

[Jim Ernst]

Ha, maybe so, but there was nothing more sensual than diving in Jamaica with nothing more than a bathing suit and BCD, warm water caressing my skin, water through my hair...it was awesome. Diving dry is a just a completely different experience, which I've only had once, and it wasn't any warmer, maybe I didn't have adequate thermals, but it wasn't $1000 more comfortable, lol.

What....$100??? Contact me, I will finish it for you!! Sheesh, If I am down there and you are there (I will be there all weekend this Weekend) I will finish it for you Just to help you out with the Prob, NO Charge!

Some Instructors Just Suck, Nothing but the almighty Buck is what rules!!
Scuba is fun, The people and the sport are what is important and the friends we Meet!!

 

[kathydee]

Haha, you say that now. But once you experience a nice, warm, dry dive - the whole game changes.

I totally agree!

 

[Jim Ernst]

I totally agree!

I will 2nd and 3rd that!!