Must gear be purchased from the LDS you are getting Open Water certified at?

[mdb]

Diving is still fun and something most can do all their lives. I've been diving 40+ years and enjoy it now as much as ever.

The nefarious sales techniques being discussed have been around for quite a while. Harder these days since informative boards, such as this,
help the newbies to become a bit informed before getting fleeced and packaged out with gear they will likely replace before long.

What is sad is that the level of instruction is now at such a general low ebb as to produce new divers who are basically unsafe at the very start.

There are, of course, still many dedicated and well meaning instructors, Thank God.

The 10-12 week course with 5+ open water dives, after weeks of pool work, was the norm not all that long ago.

Perhaps it will come full circle and quality instruction will again be the standard. That would,most likely, result in more divers staying active and creating even more divers.
The opposite of what is going on now.

 

[redacted]

What is sad is that the level of instruction is now at such a general low ebb as to produce new divers who are basically unsafe at the very start.

There are, of course, still many dedicated and well meaning instructors, Thank God.

The 10-12 week course with 5+ open water dives, after weeks of pool work, was the norm not all that long ago.

Perhaps it will come full circle and quality instruction will again be the standard. That would,most likely, result in more divers staying active and creating even more divers.
The opposite of what is going on now.

Yet, we still don't kill very many new divers - meaning there is probably more room to dumb it down is bit more. Scary?

 

[cerich]

Perhaps it will come full circle and quality instruction will again be the standard. That would,most likely, result in more divers staying active and creating even more divers.
The opposite of what is going on now.

Exactly! The shops that keep being complete and utter jerks towards their customers are EXACTLY what the problem is. Lies, bitterness and selling FUD (Fear uncertainty and doubt) is what is killing the dive industry, not the INTERNET, not the "discounters", not the new generation, not groupon, not DEMA, not any training agency, not short courses, not long courses, not scubaboard, not any of the crap too many in our industry insist on blaming....

 

[LowDrag]

Well...the "RUN" subject has been well covered so I won't go there again. Having been to an LDS that told me fairy tales about gear and got me to buy expensive stuff that I am in the process of selling to get what I should have bought in the first place, I would say, follow everyone's advice. Call your credit card company if you don't feel like insisting on getting your money back from the LDS. Sometimes it is just easier not to deal with the conflict and take the easier way around the situation. Nothing wrong with that, a lot of people like to avoid conflict. In this day and age it is actually a good practice. You are going to an LDS that is willing to lie to you to get your money and "train" your wife. If it was my wife I would be saying, "Not NO but "F" NO!!!". My wife's life is far more important to me than making a dive shop owner unhappy. Save yourself some potential grief and go somewhere else....PLEASE!!!


Oh and by the way....the LDS I go thru now doesn't hold any grudges if I get my gear somewhere else but they do offer to try to price match for me. I have moved a lot of cash thru there cash register lately and they appreciate my business. The owner and I are even becoming friends.

 

[mdb]

Yet, we still don't kill very many new divers - meaning there is probably more room to dumb it down is bit more. Scary?

Good comment awap-as usual. Yes number of divers deaths are not that high. That is a good thing of course. It may also be related to the fact that the number of active
divers continues to decrease. We are certifying fewer divers and those who are certified are diving less. Not such a good trend.

I do hope we don't dumb down instruction any more than it has been already. I do not see how it could get much lower.

Good training results in good divers. Good divers results in more good divers. I salute all those dedicated and underpaid instructors
who strive to help people really learn to dive, feel confident in open water, and tell family and friends about the experience.

 

[flots am]

Yet, we still don't kill very many new divers - meaning there is probably more room to dumb it down is bit more. Scary?

Given that most new divers only dive maybe once, and then it's with a DM, it could probably be dumbed down a lot more before lots of people start dying.

Not great for the divers or dive shops though.


---------- Post added June 27th, 2013 at 11:12 AM ----------

I do hope we don't dumb down instruction any more than it has been already. I do not see how it could get much lower.

"The little button makes you go up, the big button makes you go down. Don't hold your breath. Follow me"

What do I win?

flots

 

[chrpai]

"The little button makes you go up, the big button makes you go down. Don't hold your breath. Follow me"

Nice, except that it's wrong. The little button decreases your rate of descent and the big button decreases your rate of ascent.

I'll be honest. I heard "The BC isn't an elevator." during O/W training but I didn't truly understand what that meant considering I was wearing swim trunks and had do idea what suit compression felt like.

 

[supergaijin]

He paid $269 for course...

Dang that's cheap- it'd be tough to find that price in SE Asia. Certification fees included? Manual?

Regarding the OP's situation, I'd get the course finished and never use the shop again. Nothing wrong with using a couple of different BCD's- it adds to experience levels.

Personally though I think BCDs are one of the last items to buy. Quality mask, fins, wetsuit/vest (to use under rented wetsuit), reg, computer, and BCD last. They're pigs to travel with.

 

[flots am]

Nice, except that it's wrong.

It was a joke, however, it's not wrong. If you mash the little button enough, you will generally go up.

flots

 

[MrChen]

Where do I get these buttons? Do I have to buy them my LDS?