Newbie advice needed re: YMCA vs. IANTD

[tinainfl]

Hi: My friend & I want to get our basic certification. Have heard the YMCA course is great & comprehensive, but w/our jobs we are never able to coordinate the 3 wks of time that it takes to obtain Y certification.

The local YMCA instructor has generously offered to do a private class for us using whatever dates we can all workout. He said we can be certified under YMCA protocol w/classes on 8 evenings & 4 weekend days or we can do IANTD w/classes on 4 evenings & 2 wkd days.

Obviously IANTD w/its fewer class requirements would be easier to coordinate, but we want to learn things the right way & be safe. I tried to find info on the differences between YMCA & IANTD protocol on the Net, but couldn't. Do you guys know if there are any big differences between these two? Would it be best in the long run to just figure things out & spend the greater amt of time in the Y course?

THanks much for any advice! Tina

 

[Firefyter]

I'm just a little bit prejudiced, as I received my original cert from the Y several years ago, and I love their program compared to many others I've seen and read about. I know nothing about IANTD.

With that being said, I'd most definitely go with the Y class. Look at it this way. Even if all the material is equal (and that's a BIG if), more time spent training and learning from the instructor is a good thing. You have more time to absorb the material and ask questions about anything you don't understand, as well as having more time in the water under his watchful eye.

Slow down, take the class, and enjoy it. There are too many things being rushed these days, cert. classes being one of them. If you get in too big a hurry, you may just miss something that could save your life one of these days........

 

[fpsndiver]

there is nothing wrong with IANTD, very decent organization, and their certifications are recognized.

 

[Firefyter]

there is nothing wrong with IANTD, very decent organization, and their certifications are recognized.

Didn't say there was anything wrong with them, I said I didn't know anything about them. The question was, which one to go with. My answer was not to rush, and go with the one that gave you the most time with the instructor. I'm sure they have a decent program, but why take shortcuts if there are alternatives available, especially when your health and/or life could hang in the balance?

 

[abitton]

Have you asked the instructor what he thought?

 

[StSomewhere]

Walter, please pick up the white courtesy phone. Walter...

 

[tinainfl]

Thanks for the info! I'm going to talk w/the scuba instructor this week, but was just trying to get some preliminary info. Again, thanks.

 

[fpsndiver]

I'm sure they have a decent program, but why take shortcuts if there are alternatives available, especially when your health and/or life could hang in the balance?

IANTD is a very reputable sanctioning body. I would rather spend less time with a great, wise, experienced instructor than more time with a rookie instructor. The sanctioning body of the instructor is not as critical as the instructor's experience level.....i.e. how many divers has he certified, declined, how long has he/she been diving, how many ocean dives do they have, how many fresh water dives, what kind of advanced training (physiology/dive medicine) do they have? These are questions I want to know of any instructor before I pay them for any certification. Then I ask for references (past students, not other dive shop employees) including divers who the instructor refused to certify. I then ask around to see if any of my buddies knows them. That is more important than which class do you get to spend more time with the instructor. How much information (that is new) can an instructor pass on to me, am I getting my money's worth here? Remember that some instructors pay $3,000.00 to go to school when they have just met the minimum requirements to be an instructor..........I don't want them teaching me. Having logged more dives than some instructors........classes can be frustrating for me, and some instructors I have taken classes with were a disaster as a diver...wouldn't want to dive with anyone they taught BOW to. My 2 cents.

Tom

 

[tinainfl]

Thanks again to everyone for all of the advice. It's excellent & I really appreciate it. We would have the same instructor for either the YMCA or IANTD protocol, so I was trying to compare the 2, but after googling & searching this forum I couldn't find a comparison of them. It's good to know that both appear to be more than acceptable. Will talk to the instructor this week & see what he recommends.

Again, thanks so much!

 

[Walter]

I don't know anything about IANTD standards, but I do know YMCA standards. Y standards are excellent, not perfect, but excellent. Given a choice of two different classes with the same instructor, I would pick the course that required twice as much time to complete. You'll learn more, you'll be more confident and you'll be a better diver as a result.