We have all the photo copies in a loose leaf book in document protectors. The book goes on all club sponsored dives.
PADI vs SSI?
- Thread starter vivian
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PADI has been putting a lot of pressure on instructors to do the same thing. It sucks because I have affiliated myself with 2 different dive shops, paid for the group insurance and taughtstrictly for them and then they go out of business (really it wasn't my fault but what a coincidence!). Then I lose my insurance money (went on my own now) and I am stuck without a shop.
Also tech training is way hard to do through a shop. Very shops are set up to support it and fewer actually know how to market and sell it.
So I guess for now I do my own thing and put up with the hoops that PADI makes me jump through...
That's your choice. PADI and SSI are not the only options.
bubble-head
Contributor
Hey Vivian! Welcome to the sport. I hope you find diving as rewarding as I have over the years. You have been given some excellent advice. One thing I may add is to make sure you will be doing your open water portion of the class with the same instructor who has worked with you through the pool and classroom portions. They will have the best idea of your strengths and weaknesses. My buddy recently got certified and was shocked to find out the class had a totally new group of instructors the day of his open water instruction. A couple of students who had been struggling during the pool portion of the class never made it through the first 15 minutes. This could have been prevented if someone familiar with their needs had been present. To add insult to injury, a couple of the instructors were trying out new dry suits and most of the 1st day was spent with them trying to figure out how they operated. The students' water skills were rushed. An professional, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable instructor whom you are comfortable with is crucial.
floridanewbe
Contributor
my vote PADI
In one of the threads here I read that PADI requires "mask off" underwater practice and NAUI does not. I just finished certification with NAUI (yea) and wanted to tell you that one of our requirements was to take off our mask in the pool, go around the pool underwater where the wall and floor met (on SCUBA), get to the shallow end where the instructor put all our masks in random places which we had to find, put on, and clear. I'm sure both organizations are basically good, but do your home work and be comfortable with the instructor. I took the class with my 13 year old daughter,..... I'm 63. Have fun
To set the record straight:
From the NAUI Standards and Policies on the underwater skills a instructor must teach for the SCUBA Diver course:
"Mask clearing, including removal and replacement. (In cold water environments when mitts and hood seals are used, confined water removal and replacement is sufficient)".
So, not only do we teach it in confined water, students must show that they are proficient enough to take their mask off in open water a well.
NAUI instrutors are allowed to exceed standards so things like swimming around without a mask, putting masks in a pile, exchanging masks with other students, etc. can be used to build a students confidence so that this skill becomes second nature. I use various versions of these training aids to make mask clearing interesting. My students will remove/replace/clear their masks at least 20 times in my class, or more until they are comfortable - and I am comfortable with their comfort level.
From the NAUI Standards and Policies on the underwater skills a instructor must teach for the SCUBA Diver course:
"Mask clearing, including removal and replacement. (In cold water environments when mitts and hood seals are used, confined water removal and replacement is sufficient)".
So, not only do we teach it in confined water, students must show that they are proficient enough to take their mask off in open water a well.
NAUI instrutors are allowed to exceed standards so things like swimming around without a mask, putting masks in a pile, exchanging masks with other students, etc. can be used to build a students confidence so that this skill becomes second nature. I use various versions of these training aids to make mask clearing interesting. My students will remove/replace/clear their masks at least 20 times in my class, or more until they are comfortable - and I am comfortable with their comfort level.
Yeah NAUI!
I had a rather laidback seeming instructor and an AWESOME divemaster and a crew of two other fellas who were completely superior. The instructor was different in the water - and we had a very TOUGH water portion of our course. Difficult and long swim portion, repeat and repeat basic skills (mask, breathing, rescue, breath control, emergency situations), no nonsense written test. Our divemaster and the other guys were RIGHT there the whole way, encouraging and keeping us on our toes. We certified in the Puget Sound in 7 mil wet suits in 52 degree water. I saw them make several of us (me included) repeat skills even then - they DO NOT want to lose divers.
I believe that, as a consequence, when my dive buddy had her tank come loose, headed for the surface while I was trying to get it rehitched, and following her, both of us came up UNDER a jetty and, getting disoriented in the green muck and low light, still followed protocol and DID NOT panic - stayed together and went for the light, surfacing on the open water side of the jetty. I was able to let our divemaster know that I was going with my buddy - wherever she was going! - and he knew we were at least together.
This same buddy had the compression coupler from her air to her BC come off twice - once in 30' of water and once at 49'. We figured out how to get her up to the surface without having to have her dump her weights...because we had practiced underwater inflation of the BC in the pool the weeks before.
I don't know if that's a NAUI thing or not, but Dave was harda**ed about our knowledge base and NOT panicking in the water. "If you can breathe you can figure this out."
I'd like to hear from other NAUI grads to see if they feel that they REALLY had a thorough learning experience - I sure think I did!
Chris
I had a rather laidback seeming instructor and an AWESOME divemaster and a crew of two other fellas who were completely superior. The instructor was different in the water - and we had a very TOUGH water portion of our course. Difficult and long swim portion, repeat and repeat basic skills (mask, breathing, rescue, breath control, emergency situations), no nonsense written test. Our divemaster and the other guys were RIGHT there the whole way, encouraging and keeping us on our toes. We certified in the Puget Sound in 7 mil wet suits in 52 degree water. I saw them make several of us (me included) repeat skills even then - they DO NOT want to lose divers.
I believe that, as a consequence, when my dive buddy had her tank come loose, headed for the surface while I was trying to get it rehitched, and following her, both of us came up UNDER a jetty and, getting disoriented in the green muck and low light, still followed protocol and DID NOT panic - stayed together and went for the light, surfacing on the open water side of the jetty. I was able to let our divemaster know that I was going with my buddy - wherever she was going! - and he knew we were at least together.
This same buddy had the compression coupler from her air to her BC come off twice - once in 30' of water and once at 49'. We figured out how to get her up to the surface without having to have her dump her weights...because we had practiced underwater inflation of the BC in the pool the weeks before.
I don't know if that's a NAUI thing or not, but Dave was harda**ed about our knowledge base and NOT panicking in the water. "If you can breathe you can figure this out."
I'd like to hear from other NAUI grads to see if they feel that they REALLY had a thorough learning experience - I sure think I did!
Chris
Fish-R-Man
Contributor
Hi,
I actually just joined this forum after reading some of these responces. I have been diving since 1972 and have taken classes from everyone from the YMCA to LA County lifeguards as well as Padi, TDI and SSI. Most of the instructors were great. I have to say from my experience, the most important part of the certification process is the instructor. I resently re-married and took my wife to Cancun where she had a great time learning just to snorkle. We went again a short time later and she was able to take an intro lesson at the resort. This lead to her taking a resort course with a PADI instructor so she could try an open water dive. The first dive went really well. I talked with the instructor and asked him if I could keep her close because she was really nervous and she had a great time. The instructor was there to help if needed, but mostly helped her to feel at ease. The next day the dive was in Cozumel, also with a PADI instructor. This guy was hard to deal with from the start. He had two young girls from Japan that spoke no English and my wife as divers that day. I told him I would help with my wife and he could concentrate on the two girls. We got into the water and he lead the girls to the bottom at about 30' and placed them there. My wife was with me at about 15' and having trouble clearing her mask. She started to show signs of panic, so I let her know we would surface, fix her mask and start again. The "instructor" came from below her and grabbed her by the fin and started to tow her to the bottom. Once I got him to let go, we were able to surface with my wife almost hysterical. We cancelled that dive and headed back to the boat. She did try again the next day and did fine. We decided she needed to get her OW cert so she could dive on her own. I took the class with her just as a refresher and for her to have someone to dive with. The class was SSI this time and the instructor was new. He was nervous teaching and it didn't get much better in the water. She finished the class and received her C-card but had no confidence at all from the class. She managed to get enough dives in so that I could enroll her into an advanced open water class. We spoke to a number of instructors and settled on a PADI instructor that was very good. She now has over 150 dives behind her and loves it. To make a long story short, spend some time to be comfortable with and have confidence in your instructor. It will be a much larger factor in the process than whether he is PADI or SSI.......
I actually just joined this forum after reading some of these responces. I have been diving since 1972 and have taken classes from everyone from the YMCA to LA County lifeguards as well as Padi, TDI and SSI. Most of the instructors were great. I have to say from my experience, the most important part of the certification process is the instructor. I resently re-married and took my wife to Cancun where she had a great time learning just to snorkle. We went again a short time later and she was able to take an intro lesson at the resort. This lead to her taking a resort course with a PADI instructor so she could try an open water dive. The first dive went really well. I talked with the instructor and asked him if I could keep her close because she was really nervous and she had a great time. The instructor was there to help if needed, but mostly helped her to feel at ease. The next day the dive was in Cozumel, also with a PADI instructor. This guy was hard to deal with from the start. He had two young girls from Japan that spoke no English and my wife as divers that day. I told him I would help with my wife and he could concentrate on the two girls. We got into the water and he lead the girls to the bottom at about 30' and placed them there. My wife was with me at about 15' and having trouble clearing her mask. She started to show signs of panic, so I let her know we would surface, fix her mask and start again. The "instructor" came from below her and grabbed her by the fin and started to tow her to the bottom. Once I got him to let go, we were able to surface with my wife almost hysterical. We cancelled that dive and headed back to the boat. She did try again the next day and did fine. We decided she needed to get her OW cert so she could dive on her own. I took the class with her just as a refresher and for her to have someone to dive with. The class was SSI this time and the instructor was new. He was nervous teaching and it didn't get much better in the water. She finished the class and received her C-card but had no confidence at all from the class. She managed to get enough dives in so that I could enroll her into an advanced open water class. We spoke to a number of instructors and settled on a PADI instructor that was very good. She now has over 150 dives behind her and loves it. To make a long story short, spend some time to be comfortable with and have confidence in your instructor. It will be a much larger factor in the process than whether he is PADI or SSI.......
VaScubalee
Guest
Wow bubble-head! I can't believe that is even an option to be considered while training people to dive. I mean our sport involves breathing air from a bottle while multiple atmospheres are trying their best to crush us. You would think it would be taken more seriously by those we entrust to keep us safe and teach us the skills that will keep us alive!!! I live in Va Beach, so the locality of your friend's experience is what caught my attention. I learned to dive here at an LDS, and I had a great experience. Not sure what the rules on promoting individuals and shops are in this forum (don't really see any posts that specific) but I could give a great recommendation for an instructor in this area. He was UDT in the Navy, patient, extremely experienced, gave us real-world instruction that seemed "customized," and most of all, he made learning fun!!! If you or anyone else is interested, drop me an email at vascubalee@yahoo.com and I will be glad to forward you his name and shop.
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