Padi ??

[Sprig]

Hello All, I have a question? as mentioned prior I am as new as they come to the underwater world. My Wife and I are taking a PADI Course from one of our local dive shops. Almost Everything I am reading about the PADI Course is negative, not to mention extremly short. However Our PAIA course will take place over the next five weeks with 20 hours of just pool time. Our OW will take place mid March, How long is a normal course? I must say that I was extremly impressed with our Instructor and DM's with a class of 10 we have one instructor and 4 DM's, Who have been awesome so far ! alot of one-on-one. But the Main concern is our Saftey, SO back to my original question, What is the norm for course time. Thanks !
Greg

 

[NEWreckDiver]

Hello All, I have a question? as mentioned prior I am as new as they come to the underwater world. My Wife and I are taking a PADI Course from one of our local dive shops. Almost Everything I am reading about the PADI Course is negative, not to mention extremly short. However Our PAIA course will take place over the next five weeks with 20 hours of just pool time. Our OW will take place mid March, How long is a normal course? I must say that I was extremly impressed with our Instructor and DM's with a class of 10 we have one instructor and 4 DM's, Who have been awesome so far ! alot of one-on-one. But the Main concern is our Saftey, SO back to my original question, What is the norm for course time. Thanks !
Greg

Has anything happened that has made uncomfortable?

About 20 hours of pool time sounds about right. Sounds like you are having a good experience. They are making sure that you have enough people around to keep a close eye on everyone.

Don't worry about what you hear on the board. Everyone has their favorate agency and will find something wrong with the others.

Welcome to diving, you are about to enter a world that most people only dream about seeing.

 

[outlaws]

I am new to scuba also but I think with everything it is more the instructor than the course or agency...

 

[ScubaRon]

Don't let the opinions on PADI fool you. Many of them are from competitive dive centers. The techniques and methods of most agencies are very similar (I speak with experience here). When selecting an agency the 2 most important factors are [1] wide recognition and [2] a great instructor. PADI is the world's largest dive agency and has plenty of great instructors and you seem to have one of them.

As to your question: there is no set time period for the OW course, just a list of materials, tests and skills. Typically you'll get approx. 3 half days of classroom training, 2-3 half days of pool training and 4-5 open water dives.

Don't worry: just enjoy!

 

[Walter]

20 hours of pool time? Sounds like you probably have a good instructor, one who exceeds standards and teaches a good course.

 

[H2Andy]

20 hours of pool work exceeds what i did (about 10 hours), so it sounds like you don't have a "quickie" course in your hands.

to give you an idea, my PADI course took three weeks, with
two weekly meetings (six total), of which three were pool sessions of about
three hours each. we then did four check-out dives.

as for the agency, everybody has their opinion. it's the instructor that counts.
you could have a horrible PADI instructor or a wonderful YMCA instructor,
or viceversa, and how much you learn will depend not much on whether the
instructor was PADI or YMCA but on how good he or she was.

by the way, sounds like you're in a good class.

 

[justin-branam]

as for the agency, everybody has their opinion. it's the instructor that counts.

i couldnt agree more. IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR INSTRUCTOR!!! it seems like you have one of the more knowledgable instructors. welcome to the wonderful world of scuba!

 

[Sprig]

Thanks for the info everyone !..... I can't wait to get back in the water !

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

20 hours of pool time? Sounds like you probably have a good instructor, one who exceeds standards and teaches a good course.

I agree. I have never spent 20 hours teaching a OW class in the pool. Never had to.

 

[theskull]

You will witness a great deal of PADI-bashing. Most is out of jealousy since PADI is the largest and most successful agency. Some is jaded consumer backlash because, as the most successful agency, PADI can be a little opportunistic in their marketing and class offerings. A good instructor is the most important ingredient. If you continue your education beyond Open Water, be choosy about what you pay for--don't just sign up for and pay for a class because it is offered; ask what you can expect to get out of it.

Mostly, have fun and enjoy your diving!
theskull