spectrum:
2 days from zero to ready for checkouts?
For the exceptional student and exceptional instructor and a very small group and diligent home study it may be enough time to barely prepare you. Some of this stuff takes time and repetition and maybe time to visualize between sessions. In a crash course you are robbed of the time needed to process the experience.
The hitch is that some students hit a road block that they need to work around. It may be mask replacement and clearing or even breathing from a snorkel. If you sign up for the fast track make sure you have the option of falling in with the next class (free) to get more pool time as needed.
If at all possible find a way to be in an extended format program.
Pete
jviehe:
Standards require that students master knowledge by passing the quizzes and the test. They must also pass watermanship tests, and master all the skills through 5 confined water sessions, and 4 open water sessions. An instructor can do all the confined water and 2 OW dives in a single day, and the final dives on the second day. More likely, what I would do is go straight to confined water 1-3 in the morning, 2 OW dives in the afternoon, dinner, then the quizzes and test. Day 2, confined water in the morning, OW dives in the afternoon. Done. This assumes the student has no issues. They can read the book and watch the video at home before showing up. Diving simply isnt rocket science. PADI is also implementing completing the ENTIRE academic portion online.
OK - I'll prepare to be flamed & told how I shouldn't have a C-Card and that we are not real divers - but - here goes -
We did this quickie course - my 12 y/o daughter & I - 2 days with a class size of 8 (one instructor & one assistant instructor who acted only as safety observer)
We received all course materials 2 months before the water portion, watched the video (I wasn't too impressed with that) & actually read the entire book carefully and completed every quiz in the book - (I scored 100 on the final written & My daughter missed one question.)
Then we went to the lake for the weekend - Sat & Sun - pool in the morning & OW dives/checkouts in the afternoon - everything was very fast & intense - the pace was a little rough on my daughter but she hung in there & got it all down
And yes, CESA is done in PADI/OW - we did horizontal the length of the pool and vertical from about 20 ft. in OW
Now - of the 8 in our class:
One fellow had already been diving uncertified with some frieinds for over two years -
A husband/wife also had some previous uncertified diving experience & had few problems
Two guys were young, fit, volunteer firemen and seemed to have zero problems picking it all up
Another fellow had some serious mask clearing problems as I recall & was considering quitting - they worked with him the most & I think he ended up getting cert in the end.
I had been previously OW cert 20+ years ago & had no problems as it all came right back to me
My daughter is a fish & a quick study. Her main problem was getting way physically tired from supporting the weight of the gear (weights & full-size tanks) in the pool while standing around listening to the instructor explain stuff - (at one point they put what looked to be a 100 or more tank on her in the pool because they didn't want to delay the class by going & finding another 63 or 80.) In the end she did fine in OW on all the skills (of course we have a pool at home & she had already mastered mask clearing)
It was tough on her though - & if I had to do it this way over again I don't know that I wouldn't have tried to find a private instructor for her. But what's done is done, I've got my OW (2nd actually) and she's got her JOW now & we'll work on things gradually & carefully from there. We are fortunate to have our own pool to work on skills in - of course I know you can't learn everything in a pool, but it is a benefit.
Although it was fast & intense, the course was fine for me - I really don't have 2 hours every Tuesday night for six weeks to sit around & listen to an instructor blah, blah & tell dive trip stories -when I can get pretty much get most of it out of the book. As I recall from my first OW course a lot of the evening classroom time was devoted to socializing, jokes, and story telling - and all of that is a wonderful introduction to diving - if you have time for it.
This class is not for everybody - or even most folks. My wife would not have been able to handle this course - if she ever decides to Scuba she's going to need a lot of extra and encouraging attention from a good instructor. It is certainly not a good option for all (or perhaps even most?) people.
However, in that the nearest LDS is 180 miles from here, it was pretty much the only way to go for us if we were going to get cert this year - so in the end, we have our C-Cards, our own gear, & can buy air and I really don't give a rip if anyone doesn't like the way we got them.
Does this mean we think we are expert master divers & can dive anywhere, to any depth, under any conditions? Does this mean we have nothing more we need to learn. Well, of course not - we know we have considerable limitations till we have more experience under our belts.
Will I send off for a PADI/OW patch to sew onto something & give the "scubasnobs" something to sniff about - well, maybe
Just my 2 cents.
