What I Like about ABC Agency

[kidspot]

We hear a lot of a agency bashing, and I've participated in my share of it, however they also have a lot of great things going for them - so how about listing what you do like about each of the agencies you have experience with, either as a student or as an instructor/DM. (Keep things positive please) Here's my list:

PADI - Very professional looking materials, with multimedia designed to be appealing to a modern culture. Prices on materials are fairly reasonable too. I really enjoy watching their videos ... especially the BOW with the "fumbling" diver - quite funny.

NAUI - Still produces my favorite published tables - I love that they are only one sided. Maybe a "small" thing, but I appreciate it.

IANTD - I like the level of their standards and the wide variety of courses they offer.

GUE - I love the video critiques. And probably my favorite agency website.

 

[cudachaser]

I like my agency...NASE

 

[Floridawannabe]

What about SSI :06:

 

[kidspot]

What do you like about them? I only listed the agencies I have experience with ... that's the rule for this thread

 

[TSandM]

PADI -- Really warm, encouraging people. Great enthusiasm for diving. Expecting to need to help lame new divers, and cheerfully willing to do so.

NAUI -- limited experience, but I really liked their written materials. I also like the fact that they allow their instructors to teach to higher standards.

GUE -- I really respect and benefited from their incredibly high standards for their instructors. I also like, and respect, a class which is structured with very clear, published standards, and which is adamant that you meet those standards or you don't pass. Instruction is aimed at an educated and motivated adult student, and I liked that, too.

 

[String]

ID agree PADI written materials are very good although maybe slightly on the side of nauseating "DIVING IS FUN!!!!!!!!11111oneoneone" splattered everywhere - probably too far on the balance of fun for my liking. The encyclopaedia is excellent.

BSACs written materials are one on my pet hates. The "new" text books contain nothing but overviews and no useful detailed information. The student notes echo the power point slides. Nowhere in anything a student gets does it tell you how to do a practical skill so if you want to refresh your memory forget it. You need the instructor manual for that (which imho would be better given to students).

Theres quite a contrast there. PADI materials far superior where they overlap (quite a lot at lower grades)

BSACs training i really like though. Its thorough and in depth at the lower grades and the progression from one grade to another means experience is needed (xx number of dives, yy different types,depths before next qual etc). I do prefer it a lot to the PADI training ive witnessed.

TDI ive got limited experience of. Nice little book for the nitrox courses but not enough experience to comment.

 

[Diver0001]

We hear a lot of a agency bashing, and I've participated in my share of it, however they also have a lot of great things going for them - so how about listing what you do like about each of the agencies you have experience with, either as a student or as an instructor/DM. (Keep things positive please) Here's my list:

PADI - Very professional looking materials, with multimedia designed to be appealing to a modern culture. Prices on materials are fairly reasonable too. I really enjoy watching their videos ... especially the BOW with the "fumbling" diver - quite funny.

NAUI - Still produces my favorite published tables - I love that they are only one sided. Maybe a "small" thing, but I appreciate it.

IANTD - I like the level of their standards and the wide variety of courses they offer.

GUE - I love the video critiques. And probably my favorite agency website.

Nice initiative, Tim.

I'll play. What I like about PADI:

1) The standards. That might sound funny to some of the cynics but the fact is that PADI was one of the pioneers in dive education and without it's vision, leadership and wealth of organisational talent the whole industry would have developed at a much slower rate and proably with a less satisfactory result. I won't give them all the credit for "inventing" the standards but we are where we are because of PADI and although other agencies do try to differentiate themselves from PADI with a "a little more of this" or "a little less of that", it remains, for the most part, variations on the basic theme that--at least at the recreational level--has been and continues to be dominated by the PADI paradigm.

2) Dive holidays. PADI's success in marketing diving to the public virtually created an industry and that industry created an infrastructure that benefits me as a diver in many places and in many aspects of my diving. From the gear I own to the diveguide pointing out the many different species of cichlids in Lake Malawi, we are all the beneficiaries (even the hate-spitting cynics are the beneficiaries) of PADI's success.

3) Project Aware. PADI is cognizant of the fact that the under water world is an important resource that needs to be managed. They're at the forefront in awareness campagning and using their influence to make change happen and I think every PADI diver can be proud of this.

Let's leave it at that for now. next.....

R..

 

[Walter]

I'm very happy with YMCA, although they are not perfect, they have many excellent traits that I feel set them above the rest.

First, standards. YMCA's standards require a comprehenmsive approach to teaching diving. Y divers have mastered skills that give them confidence, so they are less likely to be apprehensive when little things go wrong. The solid foundation in skin diving YMCA requires is essential for safe diving. YMCA also requires more rescue techniques than is commonly found in an OW course.

The Silver Advanced course is one of the few true advanced classes available.

Y materials aren't slick and aren't always pretty, but they are well written and give excellent information.

 

[hvulin]

There's nothing special I like about SSI but they were my initial training agency (and still are) and I liked the instructors available...

Now that I write it I figured out that I don't care about the agency at all but this one was the closest and the most available...

 

[abitton]

Hi Kidspot!

So, you decided to go at it again after TSandM mentioned your previous attempt?

Good on ya!!!!

I only have limited experience, and this with PADI, so I'll just lurk and read what everyone else has to say...

Alex