Question about training

[captain]

Here's an idea. Read a few diving instruction books. Determine what it is that you feel you are not proficent at. Borrow someone's pool for a few hours and pratice those things. I learned more about diving by reading and praticeing in a pool than in the certification course.

Finally don't worry about what certification you have until it is not recognized by the LDS who fills your tank or the LDS who's dive trip you want to go on won't let you go.

I dove for years before I was certified. Only reason I did get certified was because I was going out of the country and couldn't take my boat and compressor.

Captain

 

[Laser]

I can see the issues with the Air2, but a weight belt?? Isn't it in the PADI OW curriculum to R & R the weight belt in both CW and OW dives? Or maybe this isn't a PADI shop?

 

[ppilot]

It is a PADI shop. I can't see refusing the air 2 myself...I would've been willing to just stick an octopus on my regulator and use that, but I guess the weight belt was an issue. I'd have had to remove and replace it on the surface and the bottom, and the instructor said it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the class.

I'm getting a really bad taste in my mouth from the dive industry, to be totally honest. I've gone to three different shops in the area to get gear serviced, get new gear, etc. All any of them have cared about is taking a person's money. I think there must be some incentive to sell what they actually have in stock too...I tried to buy a wetsuit at all three shops, and they all gave me a hard time, trying to sell me what they had in store rather than order what I actually wanted (even though they were all a dealer for the brand I wanted.) When I brought my gear in to the shop today, one of the owners said 'Are you sure you want do dive in THIS?' (A Scubapro finseal BCD and Mk10/G250 regs, Steel 76).

I understand that gear sales are what keep a store going, but they suggested I go the re-certification route. On PADI's website in fact, their statement of purpose says ' PADI exists to develop programs that encourage and fulfill the public interest in recreational scuba and snorkel diving worldwide.' Unless I can find a store that treats me decently, every bit of gear I buy is going to be from LeisurePro.

Thanks for all the replies and help. I guess thinking about it, at this late date I'm going to go ahead and do the class tomorrow (I hate to pull out now because this is going to be the shop I buy air at.) I've been so excited about the prospect though, and I'm kind of dreading it now.

 

[AliKat]

I find the weight belt issue interesting. I just came from Okinawa, and ALL the PADI instructors there were just the opposite. Even if an OW student had already purchased a weight intigrated BC, they had to dive with the pockets empty and use a weight belt so that they COULD be taught to take it off and put it on at the surface and underwater.

 

[Charlie99]

AliKat once bubbled...
I find the weight belt issue interesting. I just came from Okinawa, and ALL the PADI instructors there were just the opposite. Even if an OW student had already purchased a weight intigrated BC, they had to dive with the pockets empty and use a weight belt so that they COULD be taught to take it off and put it on at the surface and underwater.

That is weird. Someone who does a gear doff and don while wearing a weightbelt gets a quite different experience than one who does it with an weight-integrated BC.

I hope none of those students discover the hard way while removing their BC in the middle of the water column that a weight integrated BC / tank combo will be negative buoyant by roughly the same amount of positive buoyancy of you+wetsuit.

 

[Iruka]

if they pulled that on me. If the equipment didn't work, that's one thing. If the shop/instructor has a preference of one type of alternate air over another, they have the right to express it, but I think the shop's trying to strong-arm you into buying gear you don't want. Most dive shops...especially in non-resort locations...need to sell gear to make a profit, but if they can't CONVINCE you that what they have is better/worth the extra money than what you have NOW, I don't think "we're not going to let you play unless you buy our stuff first" is not really an ethical way to go about it.

Depending on how long you've been out of diving, how comfortable you were way back when you DID dive, I'd be tempted to go the pool route as someone suggested. Especially if you can find a competent, experienced (not necessarily the same thing ) diver to go over the basics with you once again. Do this until you're comfortable & then go to an easy lake or beach. Assuming you understood dive tables & ascent rates & all the important "this can get me killed if I don't get it" stuff, a lot of it is like riding a bike. Do it somewhere safe, use training wheels if you have to, etc.

There are changes in diving technology/methods, of course...but it's not like computer technology where being out of the loop for a few years is going to make it necessary to relearn everything. But anyhow, if you feel more comfortable going through the course again, that's fine. My approach to my divers is to always treat them so they want to dive again with me...if it means losing a little bit by loaning out gear for free or whateve THIS time, that's okay with me.