Newb looking for classes/certs

[laivindil]

I'm considering getting into diving. I'm located in Bothell, WA. Anyone know of any good schools in the area (local or national branches)? I was thinking about doing the YMCA class. What do you all think?

 

[jonnythan]

From the course materials and requirements that I've seen, the YMCA classes are superior to any other agency.... but the instructor is what makes the course.

 

[laivindil]

What does one look for in an instructor?

 

[Fishlips_1]

I would suggest meeting the instructor and seeing if they seem to mesh with your needs. Not sure where Bothell is but T.L.SEA in Seattle has great instructors. You can check them out at www.tlsea.com . Good luck, you'll love it, Great legal addiction!!
Lips

 

[Glaucus]

Stop in or contact Northwest Sports Divers. The store is located in Bothell and all of my experiences with them have been outstanding.

Best of luck,

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm considering getting into diving. I'm located in Bothell, WA. Anyone know of any good schools in the area (local or national branches)? I was thinking about doing the YMCA class. What do you all think?

Someone suggested Northwest Sports Divers ... they are in your area. Go there and talk to Matt, the owner. He has two good instructors that I know ... Brian and Jeanna. You will get an excellent OW class from them. Brian is active on this forum ... his username is wingnut. You could simply send him a PM for more information.

Or, if you want to pursue the YMCA classes, there is a YScuba instructor who works at the Bothell YMCA. His name is Loren Eubank. He was my OW, AOW, and SLAM (Rescue) instructor and he is also an excellent instructor. Send me a PM if you want his contact information.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[laivindil]

What kind of questions should I be asking instructors?

 

[JasonH20]

What kind of questions should I be asking instructors?

Bob is too modest to probably tell you, but he's now an instructor an 5th Dimension. He was my AOW instructor and I don't see how you could go wrong getting him for OW. In fact I'm trying to figure out how to get my wife into his OW course this summer.

As an instructor you can be confident he'll make sure your skills are solid and get you off on the right foot. Not sure how his OW is set up, but for example, in AOW we spent an entire dive navigating around mid water at 20 feet (well OK, I might have deviated from 20ft a bit once or twice :ssst: ). To make matters worse, he wouldn't even let me look at my depth gauge! I had to rely on my buddy to let me know if I was above or below 20ft. Hmm, I guess that's 1 thing a buddy is good for! I'm sure his OW class will have alot of emphasis on buoyancy control, and buddy awareness along with the normal OW drills.

Before I knew Bob, I got my OW with Curtis at Silent world. He is also a very compitent instructor, but at probably half the age of Bob, his class is a bit more light hearted. I'm not saying Bob's class was dry and Curtis's was a party, but just subtle differences in styles I'm trying to express.

For example, if you were really interested in both instructors you should just spend 5 minutes chatting with each and see how their values and styles match up with yours. Then go with the intstructor you feel most comfortable with.

I also deal with Matt at NWSD mentioned above. While I haven't met any of his instructors, Matt's a nice guy and I like his dive shop.

Have fun,
Jason

 

[caseydugan]

Bob is too modest to probably tell you, but he's now an instructor an 5th Dimension. He was my AOW instructor and I don't see how you could go wrong getting him for OW. In fact I'm trying to figure out how to get my wife into his OW course this summer.

As an instructor you can be confident he'll make sure your skills are solid and get you off on the right foot. Not sure how his OW is set up, but for example, in AOW we spent an entire dive navigating around mid water at 20 feet (well OK, I might have deviated from 20ft a bit once or twice :ssst: ). To make matters worse, he wouldn't even let me look at my depth gauge! I had to rely on my buddy to let me know if I was above or below 20ft. Hmm, I guess that's 1 thing a buddy is good for! I'm sure his OW class will have alot of emphasis on buoyancy control, and buddy awareness along with the normal OW drills.

Before I knew Bob, I got my OW with Curtis at Silent world. He is also a very compitent instructor, but at probably half the age of Bob, his class is a bit more light hearted. I'm not saying Bob's class was dry and Curtis's was a party, but just subtle differences in styles I'm trying to express.

For example, if you were really interested in both instructors you should just spend 5 minutes chatting with each and see how their values and styles match up with yours. Then go with the intstructor you feel most comfortable with.

I also deal with Matt at NWSD mentioned above. While I haven't met any of his instructors, Matt's a nice guy and I like his dive shop.

Have fun,
Jason

I have to second Jason's recommendation. I paired up with him for Bob's AOW class and really felt like I had a much firmer grasp of things. Having done the AOW with Bob, my sense is that some of the basics such as buoyancy, trim, and buddy awareness would likely translate well for OW. As Jason pointed out, spend some time talking with Bob and others you're thinking about and see what feels like the best fit.

Enjoy
CD

 

[caseydugan]

I also have to say that diving with Brian and Jeanna in Maui was great and I can't see you could go wrong with them either.
CD