reccomendations for basic certifications

[SubMariner]

but back to what i was saying.... do all of the orginizations do a basic certification? I though all of those did technical certifications, and gasses training.....
is it true? I have nitrox certification from TDI...

All the agencies mentioned have an entry-level or "basic" certification. And most, if not all of them, have continuing education in the form of Specialties or more advanced training.

The laws of physics, physiology, etc. do not change according to which agency runs the course; the main ingredient is the Instructor. He/she is the really important part!

Pax,

 

[paolov]

yes i agree with the guys, it is the instructor as the knowledge to be taught all follow the law of physics as mentioned.

It is how the laws of physics are taught to the student. And the manner it is conveyed to the student diver on how the law of physics is applied in practical uses in SCUBA.

You may even start your own certification agency if you want.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Actually, there are major differences between agencies.

SSI, for example requires its instructors to be affiliated with an SSI dive shop. Some say this ensures quality control because it allows for direct supervision of instructors. Others say it undermines it because shops are usually the ones who push instructors to cut corners. If instructors need supervision, who supervises the store owner?

PADI has very few required skin diving skills and no confidence building skills. It's a bare minimum program.

NAUI has more rescue skills in its OW course than most agencies.

YMCA has lots of skin diving, rescue and confidence building skills required as part of its OW course.

You can find good and bad instructors with any agency.

Just a couple of things to add. I'll preface this with my own background. I'm PADI certified, so I'm most familiar with them, but have taken a look at some of the other agencies. The instructor is the key factor, but you also need to look at the student. What kind of diving is the student wanting to do? If all a diver is going to do is DM guided resort diving, then PADI is probably the best one. It is a bare minimum program, but that's all some people want. As stated in another post, five pool sessions is not a lot to prepare someone for open water diving; four check out dives aren't much either. I still can't believe my wife and I went on a dive by ourselves a couple of hours after finishing our check out dives. A couple of weeks later we went to do some fresh water diving, alone. I'm not so sure we were prepared enough for that at that time. And we've seen students come out of check out dives that we thought were even less prepared. It's kind of surprising that more accidents don't occur.

Back to PADI. The bulk of the learning comes in after OW cert. If these are people that want to do more than resort diving, then either PADI OW followed by AOW and Rescue or one of the other agencies. We knew we wanted to do more diving, so we finished our AOW and Rescue certs within 6 months of OW. But not everyone has the time or money to do that.

I have heard that SSI teaches a lot of theory in their OW classes. Good to know information, but not something the typical resort diver may want to know. SSI also has higher minimum qualifications to be considered Advanced and so on.

I've heard that NAUI leans more towards the technical aspect of diving, maybe not in OW, but beyond that.

I don't know anything about the YMCA program.

I don't know how much any of these other agencies prepare you to do non-guided dives immediately after the check out dives, but my guess is that, unless they are much more intense than PADI, it isn't much different. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to get many students to stick through the course. Being PADI certified, I'm in no way trying to discredit their program. I do believe in their program, otherwise I would have crossed over long ago. But you do need to have the time, money and commitment to pursue continuing education and learn some of the finer aspects of diving.

If I gave any incorrect information here, please let me know. This is all just my opinion from the limited knowledge I have about the other agencies.

 

[Fly N Dive]

I'd say go with the instructor over the agency as well.
for example over the summer did it matter that it was a padi class and not a naui or ymca program, no it mattered that Leah, and Elliot were great instructors.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I am a SSI instructor. I honestly can say the organization doesn't matter nearly as much as the instructor.

Find out what you are getting for your money. We have a local shop that charges half of what we charge. They get two pool sessions and don't get to keep their books afterwards. We give them books, tables, a DVD and 6 pool sessions plus the students get ME as an instructor

 

[The Chairman]

The instructor is not the most important factor to consider. They are the second most important factor.

Sure, there are some major differences in the agency outlooks. Some are subtle and some not so subtle. Is there a "best one"? For me there is, but it might not be the same one for you. You and your buddies will learn differently than me. It's a big ocean and there is room for all the agencies in it. They are a distant third to the instructor even, and are dfinitely not the most important factor.

So will you die if you pick the wrong instructor? Statistics show that you don't really have to worry about that. All the agencies have a fairly good track record in this with some doing better than others, but all in all you should be safe.

Hopefully your instructor will try to make you the safest diver possible. But the most important factor is the attitude of the student. That's right the student. If a student merely wants to do the bare minimum, then they will not get much out of the class. No matter if their instructor is J Cousteau, they will not be a safe diver. As an instructor, my biggest challenge is to change those complacent attitudes without being a total jerk.

The great thing is that you have www.ScubaBoard.com to fill in some of the blanks. I credit this place for really making a difference in how I dive. My safety stops used to be pauses and my ascent rates were on par with ICBMs. I learned about long hoses (though I still needed personal help) and all sorts of techniques. It's even affecting the way I teach... I would have never thought to talk about reel and bottle ettiquette on my own. But again, it gets down to the student attitude as to whether even this great resource will make a difference or not.

 

[Web Monkey]

A whole bunch of people at my school have asked me what certification orginization i reccomend for OWD.

I, myself am a PADI rescue diver, but started out with YMCA and am trying to stir up interest in diving at my school.

I have written out materials for everybody but i was wondering how you classify the four major orginizations, PADI, NAUI, SSI, and YMCA.
I realize that i am going to get very conflicting opinions from everybody, but i am interested in both positive and negative comments.
DES

The organization doesn't really matter, as long as it's one of the generally recognised agencies (you don't want to travel to Someplace Warm only to find out that they've never heard of "Jimbo''s Reely Gud Surtafication Agency" and won't sell you air)

What matters is how good the instructor is and how willing they are to let you take as long as it takes.

OWD classes at the LDS I use here in Syracuse (National Aquatic Service) last as long as it takes for the students to learn the necessary skills and be comfortable in the water.

This might be 7 classes & pool sessions, or it might be 20 or either or both. Until the student has learned what they need to and the instructor thinks they'll be OK, there's no C card.

Terry

 

[Squalus]

I think alot has to do with the instructor and their knowledge base. There are some who will disagree that is for granted. As for the mentality of the student and how much they are willing to learn in order to achieve the "C" card, I think it is an instructors judgement call if they are going to issue card if they are an unsafe diver. I have plenty of friends from different agencies and there is a difference in teaching philosophy as far as your question goes. Need to pick which one is suited for your clientele and what they want.

 

[emtdan]

The organization doesn't really matter, as long as it's one of the generally recognised agencies (you don't want to travel to Someplace Warm only to find out that they've never heard of "Jimbo''s Reely Gud Surtafication Agency" and won't sell you air)

so, maybe what i am asking is what orginizations are accepted everywhere? Are there are any that i should consiter that are accepted everywhere?


yes, noah, we have had great instructors.

 

[The Chairman]

All of those mentioned in this thread are accepted universally. Except for maybe "jimbo's".