- Messages
- 268
- Reaction score
- 6
- # of dives
- 500 - 999
I am back from my IDC and the short of it is I passed I am now a PADI OWSI! The long version.... read below
As stated in a previous post the toss up for the training was between Scuba Emporium and Pro Dive. I planed on taking the AI with Scuba Emporium and finishing the IDC at Pro Dive. I did this strictly due to the timing of the AI being a few days later in Scuba Emporium with both facilities starting the IDC on the same date. The drive to Scuba Emporium was pretty far where Pro Dive was a 10 minute drive from where I am staying. Approximately one week prior to heading down to Florida I received a call from Rich Hartley (Scuba Emporium) that they are closing there doors on the Florida location. Rich advised me that the training will be conducted in the Pro Dive facility as per an agreement between Scuba Emporium and Pro Dive.
I arrived at Pro Dive a day prior to scope out the area that I will be training for several days to follow. What a training facility. If you stand in the parking lot you can throw a stone and hit the Pro Dive facility, the Pro Dive boat and the Florida Hall of Fame swimming pool where the confined training occurs. Not to mention the proximity of the beach a block away and of course restaurants and hotels.
Pro Dive is definitely on the come back. They have a small temporary retail space as they are remodeling the main retail area and installing a NITROX fill station where they will be banking a few mixes. I assume in a few weeks they will be up to snuff on the full retail space and the compressor.
I can't say enough about the setup and the training staff. Everyone is extremely personable and competent. The class rooms are conducive to learning located away from the retail shop on the second floor. I look forward to utilizing this training center during the colder months of NJ.
What can I say about Richard Hartley. His history speaks for him. He has trained almost 1,000 OWSI and is a platinum course director. I don't know his faith at the moment as he is looking for a place to hang his shingle with the closing of Scuba Emporium. I am sure he will find a place quick with his credentials and experience.
A little about my personal experience through this journey. I found the course harder than expected. The days were long and the schedule did not allow any days off during the 9 or so days. The exams for those of you who don't know are three parts over two days, an open book test on PADI standards, a closed book test on physics, equipment, physiology, equipment and environment and confined and open water testing. I over prepared for the closed book exams and under prepared for the open book exam. I may have over thought the PADI questions reading into words to negate the entire question. I also found it frustrating that one question would require you to look up several locations in the book to get the answer. Multiply these questions multipart questions and you start running out of the one and a half hours allotted. If time was not an issue it would be a breeze as one simply has to look up answers in a few hundred page book.
The confined and open water testing was pretty straight forward. Of course you need to know the skills, be able to spot mistakes as problems are assigned to student divers (People who are taking the test with you). A frustrating point that came up was the one student diver who decides to overreact to the assigned problems, creates his own problems and causes undue stress to the divers in his test group. The stories regarding this one student could double the size of this post. I leave it at there is always an A-hole in every group and this type of behavior needs to stop on the testing grounds.
When I started the AI portion I joined about 15 candidates who some were going from Open Water all the way through. Some were teenagers who did not have a clue on life. One of whom did not come back after lunch to help a woman across the street move boxes for what turned out to be $4! I am thinking his parents shelled out several thousand dollars for training, hotel and food and this numb nut is taking time to try and make some money on the side.
A few candidates did not have the requisite 100 dives to sit for the exam. I believe this is a major mistake as once you are completed with the training the best time to take the exam is right after not several weeks after. Once again I attribute these decisions to being young. Don't flame me for picking on the younger generation just calling it as I see it.
I strongly recommend Pro Dive and welcome any questions or comments. The instructors are top notch, the facility is great and I was fortunate to train with a great group of people from all over the United States.
As stated in a previous post the toss up for the training was between Scuba Emporium and Pro Dive. I planed on taking the AI with Scuba Emporium and finishing the IDC at Pro Dive. I did this strictly due to the timing of the AI being a few days later in Scuba Emporium with both facilities starting the IDC on the same date. The drive to Scuba Emporium was pretty far where Pro Dive was a 10 minute drive from where I am staying. Approximately one week prior to heading down to Florida I received a call from Rich Hartley (Scuba Emporium) that they are closing there doors on the Florida location. Rich advised me that the training will be conducted in the Pro Dive facility as per an agreement between Scuba Emporium and Pro Dive.
I arrived at Pro Dive a day prior to scope out the area that I will be training for several days to follow. What a training facility. If you stand in the parking lot you can throw a stone and hit the Pro Dive facility, the Pro Dive boat and the Florida Hall of Fame swimming pool where the confined training occurs. Not to mention the proximity of the beach a block away and of course restaurants and hotels.
Pro Dive is definitely on the come back. They have a small temporary retail space as they are remodeling the main retail area and installing a NITROX fill station where they will be banking a few mixes. I assume in a few weeks they will be up to snuff on the full retail space and the compressor.
I can't say enough about the setup and the training staff. Everyone is extremely personable and competent. The class rooms are conducive to learning located away from the retail shop on the second floor. I look forward to utilizing this training center during the colder months of NJ.
What can I say about Richard Hartley. His history speaks for him. He has trained almost 1,000 OWSI and is a platinum course director. I don't know his faith at the moment as he is looking for a place to hang his shingle with the closing of Scuba Emporium. I am sure he will find a place quick with his credentials and experience.
A little about my personal experience through this journey. I found the course harder than expected. The days were long and the schedule did not allow any days off during the 9 or so days. The exams for those of you who don't know are three parts over two days, an open book test on PADI standards, a closed book test on physics, equipment, physiology, equipment and environment and confined and open water testing. I over prepared for the closed book exams and under prepared for the open book exam. I may have over thought the PADI questions reading into words to negate the entire question. I also found it frustrating that one question would require you to look up several locations in the book to get the answer. Multiply these questions multipart questions and you start running out of the one and a half hours allotted. If time was not an issue it would be a breeze as one simply has to look up answers in a few hundred page book.
The confined and open water testing was pretty straight forward. Of course you need to know the skills, be able to spot mistakes as problems are assigned to student divers (People who are taking the test with you). A frustrating point that came up was the one student diver who decides to overreact to the assigned problems, creates his own problems and causes undue stress to the divers in his test group. The stories regarding this one student could double the size of this post. I leave it at there is always an A-hole in every group and this type of behavior needs to stop on the testing grounds.
When I started the AI portion I joined about 15 candidates who some were going from Open Water all the way through. Some were teenagers who did not have a clue on life. One of whom did not come back after lunch to help a woman across the street move boxes for what turned out to be $4! I am thinking his parents shelled out several thousand dollars for training, hotel and food and this numb nut is taking time to try and make some money on the side.
A few candidates did not have the requisite 100 dives to sit for the exam. I believe this is a major mistake as once you are completed with the training the best time to take the exam is right after not several weeks after. Once again I attribute these decisions to being young. Don't flame me for picking on the younger generation just calling it as I see it.
I strongly recommend Pro Dive and welcome any questions or comments. The instructors are top notch, the facility is great and I was fortunate to train with a great group of people from all over the United States.
