First, you have to understand, I got into scuba with ZERO knowledge about scuba. Yes, I am a proficient swimmer but I never knew people who scuba dived or even seen divers in person (except once in Cozumel).
One year I decided to go for it, get certified, had some money, was bored with life, needed an extra hobby. This was in Houston, I even got one of the co-workers sold on the idea. The problem was that no diving school would tell me how much it costs in total. It was like everyone was coy to keep the total participation cost a surprise, each school had multiple fees for this and that, like it was made to confuse and obfuscate. I also felt like no one would discuss with me the whole class timeline, what would be taught, everyone on the phone was kind of dismissive. Then I found a lone operator not associated with a scuba store, I liked the vibe.
She, the teach, had her own scuba certification business but without the usual being attached to a store. She had her own home functioning as a scuba store, of sorts. She instructed smaller groups, 2-4 people, I liked not being in a group of 10+ divers, as it is generally with scuba stores. There was no rush in discussing about what to come and the fee structure was well explained. I had reservations about having a woman for an instructor but she seemed competent. I signed myself any my co-worker, who relied on my choice.
I already passed PADI OW written test online, kinda shot myself in the foot, because I could have done it in the class but the online class was extra $$$ and I passed it before signing up for a class, I was so confused back then about what a class entails. So, since I was already ahead, I did not attend the classes up until the pool session.
The pool session was not very interesting, too shallow. Clearing the mask then seemed like it was the most dangerous, even in the pool. I had a really big fear about equalizing, I never in my life equalized successfully, did not know 100% how to. Due to my love for water, I was many times in a situation when equalizing would have helped to free-dive deeper but I always had to come up when ears started to hurt. So, I was not sure if I'd be able to go down the line in the actual lake, or again get stuck at 14 feet or so. I do feel like the equalizing is generally not taught too in depth. That time I had to ask the instructor for way more details than initially I was given. It was my biggest fear. In my community where I lived we had a deep pool with jumping boards. It was an older community, built way back then, newer community had pools with depth of 5 feet max and no jumping boards, liability, you see. So, I was lucky to have a 16 feet deep pool. I spent hours and hours in it. With all my experience diving in the pool (no scuba gear), I never equalized, and I started to get a notion that I'll never be able to. This is the type of fear I brought to the class.
My coworker did poorly in the class and did not seem to enjoy that much. I did very well, equalizing was weird but once I got it, the rest seemed very easy. The lake had 20 foot vis, the weather was very life affirming, small group of 4 divers, the instructor would take under groups of 2. I really loved my first dives, they were limited to 20mins but it was magical. The lake had weeds growing from the bottom to very top like a kelp forest. I really wanted to dive more but the class soon ended, I became certified.
Once I finished OW, I started counting how much it would cost to dive with renting gear and it was not cheap. I decided to go for AOW and Nitrox, as the gear was free for the class. I figured, paying for rental and diving elsewhere or diving while paying for a class, cumulatively is the same cost. Why not get some extra knowledge?
At the end of my classes I already bought my full gear separately from different online sources, it was kind of nice, I was never pushed to buy anything from an instructor. I think I did well on choices and price. My issue was then finding people to dive with. Experienced people did not want to dive with a freshly baked diver. I went once to a lake and paired with another dude of my age and experience. After a dive it felt unsettling, as a blind leading a blind. I had questions, we both couldn't answer any. Then I started to understand that I want to dive with someone well experienced, someone who had answers, kind of mimicking a class environment. Thankfully I was befriended by a cave diver who did not mind that I was just certified. I am very thankful to that individual, as I dove with him for years and years. The amount of education I received is invaluable and really helped me be the type of a diver I am today.
