Private vs regular group lessons

[James79]

I think perfect world is one fellow student that you already know... No real anxiety because you are both friends, but also get the benefit of working together on our of air drills and when you each think of a question the other hadn't thought of.
Regarding the anxiety in general.... Relax. I swim like a brick only faster and needed remedial swim training as an adult, but have been diving for years now. My youngest was able to absorb and learn the info and skills at 10. I'm no scuba instructor, but I teach adults in a high risk profession as my day job.... The majority of being an instructor isn't the skills, it's how to identify how the student learns and bridge that gap. A good instructor (and some have been recommended by name) will identify the roadblocks in the unlikely event they are there, and help you navigate them.
In short, relax... You got this!

Respectfully,

James

 

[kaylee_ann]

I think perfect world is one fellow student that you already know... No real anxiety because you are both friends, but also get the benefit of working together on our of air drills and when you each think of a question the other hadn't thought of.
Regarding the anxiety in general.... Relax. I swim like a brick only faster and needed remedial swim training as an adult, but have been diving for years now. My youngest was able to absorb and learn the info and skills at 10. I'm no scuba instructor, but I teach adults in a high risk profession as my day job.... The majority of being an instructor isn't the skills, it's how to identify how the student learns and bridge that gap. A good instructor (and some have been recommended by name) will identify the roadblocks in the unlikely event they are there, and help you navigate them.
In short, relax... You got this!

Respectfully,

James

Thank you! Yeah my one friend wants to dive but I’m not sure if she will come with me yet. Will have to ask again.
Eta she’s not going

 

[kaylee_ann]

@kay_ann, you should talk to @Jim Lapenta and see if he can accommodate you. If nothing else, read his first book. The money you spend with Jim learning to dive in neutral buoyancy will be money well spent.

If you aren't going to do that, find out what the maximum group size is for the class. Most agencies will allow an instructor to teach up to 10 people without assistance. There (generally) won't be any individual attention for you. You'll get a demonstration and when the instructor gets to you, if you can't do the skill after the second time, they'll move on to the next person. There just isn't time to spend with any one student.

Lots of shops and instructors like large classes because it maximizes profit for them.

Thank you. It says it’s a small group but I’m not sure what small means, lmao.

 

[Wibble]

On another point; mentoring, e.g. one to one instruction, is a fine thing to do. It's particularly useful after a course where certain skills can be reinforced with mentored practice.

Diving's very much about continuously developing your skills with practice. It really is best if you can find a like-minded person to dive with you so that you can both practice your skills together. You shouldn't develop an over-dependency on diving with one particular person, but it's more fun and makes life easier.

 

[scrane]

You're going to classes in May, right? You have plenty of time to buy yourself a mask, fins, and a snorkel and find a local pool and teach yourself how to free dive. Once you have some time underwater everything will be easy. The biggest problems new people have is with masks so just get accustomed to wearing one. Get one that fits. Practice in the bathtub. Don't fret. Be proactive. Have fun.

 

[kaylee_ann]

On another point; mentoring, e.g. one to one instruction, is a fine thing to do. It's particularly useful after a course where certain skills can be reinforced with mentored practice.

Diving's very much about continuously developing your skills with practice. It really is best if you can find a like-minded person to dive with you so that you can both practice your skills together. You shouldn't develop an over-dependency on diving with one particular person, but it's more fun and makes life easier.

Originally my friend was going to go, not anymore. I’ll be fine on my own.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Kay has reached out we will be setting up an intro to make sure she's 100% that she wants to dive. I credit the cost of the intro to the full class.
We work at the student's pace and I now only teach private classes due to covid. 2 people if they live in the same house.
I try to work around the student's schedule and my regular job.
Since we can't do checkouts until late May, we can take our time and while I usually allow 5-6 sessions, if it takes an extra session or two, there's no charge for them.

 

[TMHeimer]

For me the answer is simple. Private lessons on a musical instrument are by far the best way to go (depending on instructor of course, but that's true with anything). I'd imagine this holds true for just about any activity. For Scuba, I think it all depends on your previous "water" experience. If you've been in & around water your whole life, save the money and go for a class. If not, a one on one course would be best to iron out any problems/fears about water and being in or under it.

 

[kaylee_ann]

For me the answer is simple. Private lessons on a musical instrument are by far the best way to go (depending on instructor of course, but that's true with anything). I'd imagine this holds true for just about any activity. For Scuba, I think it all depends on your previous "water" experience. If you've been in & around water your whole life, save the money and go for a class. If not, a one on one course would be best to iron out any problems/fears about water and being in or under it.

yeah I kinda taught myself to swim but idk if it's the right technique or not. I can stay above water LOL and can swim underwater. never had formal swimming lessons. so I'm not a "water natural" yet lol. which is one of the reasons I'm going to choose private lessons if I enjoy the intro scuba class.

 

[formernuke]

Typical group classes have a mix of people who learn at different rates, but they all get to where they want to be within the time allotted for instruction. That is a result of decades of teaching such classes. If you are a student within that typical range, you will be fine in a group class.

Occasionally--and only occasionally--students are outside of that range at either end. The exceptionally fast learners are usually patient as they wait out the slower learners. The ones who are outside the normal range on the slow side are where a problem lies. In that case, you may have 7 students waiting on the one who is struggling to learn, and the one struggling to learn will know that, feel self-conscious, and struggle even more. The instructor may have an assistant work individually with that student, which will increase the anxiety.

Any student will BENEFIT from private instruction, but most won't NEED it. a very few will need it and possibly not even make it without it.

^^^ this

My concern is that I will take longer to learn and the instructor won’t have time to help me catch up because everyone else has moved on.

For me there is one reason and one reason only someone fails OW. That is blanton and willful desrergard for safety. If I'm running a group class and a student struggles, it is a simple matter of meeting for another session with that student. Depending on pool fees I will probably have to charge more for the private session but it is because I have to pay for the pool.

Don't beat yourself up if you struggle, WE ALL STRUGGLED WITH ONE OR MORE SKILL. Be patient and RELAX and you'll do fine.