Question Reefcheck - anyone know anyone?

[Saffadiver]

Hope this is the correct forum location for this.
I wanted to do a course via Reefcheck some time ago but ran into a few little issues. They have now gone further and is actively blocking my friend/guide from becoming an official instructor after I informed them of a thorn amongst the roses (not my friend). So of course... I feel crap and would like to see why the company is doing this and not offering a fair chance for all their members.

Does anyone know anyone at Reefcheck or had any bad experiences?

 

[landphil]

Reef Check isn’t really a top-down organization. They are also not primarily a training agency, beyond ensuring that divers are able to collect consistent data. All of the regional orgs develop their own training and survey protocols. If your friend is trying to become one of the instructors for your local Reef Check org, they should have been diving with Reef Check for several seasons and already be qualified to conduct and manage any of the surveys. So, they should have all the contacts they need at Reef Check.

Honestly, Reef Check training is all about building a skilled, engaged and safe team of volunteers to perform as many surveys as possible. And the task loading to conduct these surveys is next-level; so volunteers need to start out as skilled divers before layering on the survey training. The trainers and survey coordinators are all dedicated to furthering ocean science and conservation. So, It’s very likely that their rejection of your friend has nothing to do with you, but is more about the number of trainers they can support and their overall take on how well your friend will contribute to the mission

 

[lairdb]

Reef Check isn’t really a top-down organization. They are also not primarily a training agency, beyond ensuring that divers are able to collect consistent data. All of the regional orgs develop their own training and survey protocols.

I was surprised to find that apparently reefcheck.org does indeed offer OW, AOW, and Rescue, continuing to AAUS -- or perhaps they move people through a more widely known program but under their aegis:

Dive into Science Program - Reef Check

Dive into Science (DIS) is a scuba and scientific diving certification course that provides hands-on training in marine science and ocean conservation. This progressive 30-month, three-phase program trains and certifies […]

www.reefcheck.org

Dive into Science (DIS) is a scuba and scientific diving certification course that provides hands-on training in marine science and ocean conservation. This progressive 30-month, three-phase program trains and certifies participants in Open Water, Advanced and Rescue scuba. Additionally, participants will be trained in the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) scientific diving and Reef Check’s citizen science-based subtidal reef health monitoring protocol for kelp forest ecosystems.

 

[Saffadiver]

Reef Check isn’t really a top-down organization. They are also not primarily a training agency, beyond ensuring that divers are able to collect consistent data. All of the regional orgs develop their own training and survey protocols. If your friend is trying to become one of the instructors for your local Reef Check org, they should have been diving with Reef Check for several seasons and already be qualified to conduct and manage any of the surveys. So, they should have all the contacts they need at Reef Check.

Honestly, Reef Check training is all about building a skilled, engaged and safe team of volunteers to perform as many surveys as possible. And the task loading to conduct these surveys is next-level; so volunteers need to start out as skilled divers before layering on the survey training. The trainers and survey coordinators are all dedicated to furthering ocean science and conservation. So, It’s very likely that their rejection of your friend has nothing to do with you, but is more about the number of trainers they can support and their overall take on how well your friend will contribute to the mission

No its due to a senior member and I would like to assist with it.

 

[landphil]

I was surprised to find that apparently reefcheck.org does indeed offer OW, AOW, and Rescue, continuing to AAUS -- or perhaps they move people through a more widely known program but under their aegis:

Dive into Science Program - Reef Check

Dive into Science (DIS) is a scuba and scientific diving certification course that provides hands-on training in marine science and ocean conservation. This progressive 30-month, three-phase program trains and certifies […]

www.reefcheck.org

Yea- but that's not exactly replacing something like PADI recreational diving courses. It's primarily focused on underserved communities that usually have a historical relationship with the ocean. And it's generally free for members of those communities. The AAUS certification class is available to all Reef Check divers. But for general volunteers they require years of Reef Check diving before they let you into the course. It's definitely less of a commitment to get AAUS certified at a college, then get your Reef Check cert than it is to do it all through Reef Check.