MeraSonnet
Registered
This is a topic I wish I had discussed with experienced divers 3 years ago when I was OW (open water) certifying (this is the first level of PADI dive certification, for those newbies to this board). What would you do different, if you had PADI OW certification to do all over again?
Here is mine:
1) I would have spent more time looking for the optimal Dive Instructor and dive shop with which to certify. I would have done this by trying to join local dive club "meet-ups" for dinner, attending local dive shop meet-n-greet events, reading regional info on places like this Board, etc. What I would look for was a Dive Instructor or Dive Shop that behaved and demonstrated that they had their act together as much in the office and on the surface, as they should under water in dive instruction. And I would look for signs of how well they could organize a beginner's OW certification dive trip (you have to do 4 OW dives for your 1st certification). Why? My dive certification took 6 months rather than the typical weekend, streeeeeetching from August pool work -- to a September lake dive -- to a February trip to the Florida Panhandle. And again, why? Because my Dive Instructor was a good diver and teacher under water, but very disorganized at group planning, prioritization, and logistics. And he would try to do too many different agendas in one dive trip. So he would schedule me and my son for beginner's OW certification, and then also schedule 6-10 other people to accomplish their various levels of certification and course work. His attention was very divided and scattered. In a weekend where we traveled with the intention to complete 4 OW certificaton dives, we only got 2 in... not because we struggled with underwater skills, but because he ran out of time to do all gajillion types of dives he had planned for that weekend.
2) Because my first goal was vacation, ocean, warm water diving, I would have certified at a warm ocean destination. I certified instead in cold fresh water lakes and rivers that required a bulky awkward 7 mil suit, a squeezing uncomfortable heavy hood, and bulky gloves. The 7 mil suit tended to trap air bubbles which seemed to lend to pop-ups during my first dives (pop-ups are bouyancy control challenges that can at times cause a sudden surprise rise toward the surface, and they are to be avoided with careful bouyancy skill application). I had no similar problems whatsoever once diving in only a swmsuit and dive gear off of Cozumel, Mexico.
3) I would have ensured the certification dives were to involve shore dives, jumping off a pier, and/or a fast boat drift dive (a small boat with up to 6-8 people max). But NOT, and I repeat NOT, a cattle boat with 20+ people and all their gear. I did my final 2 certification dives on cattle boats on Crystal River and Rainbow River in the Florida panhandle. They were nightmarish dives. The crews were rude. There was too much chaos for the newbie divers to get some help or support getting into all the cold water gear and entering the water off a boat for the first time. And my teenage son who was co-certifying with me was actually shoved by a rushed crew member off the deck before he had inflated his BCD, and he landed funny in the water and hit his head on his tank top. Er... I had an out-of-body experience with full head-revolving.
Now 3 years and 40+ dives later, I love diving. And the reality of the kind of diving I select to do is much less stressful and much more zen than the certifying process we had to move through. Diving has been a life-changing addition, and I cannot imagine not having the dive trips to plan and look forward to. Happy diving! Follow your dreams....
Here is mine:
1) I would have spent more time looking for the optimal Dive Instructor and dive shop with which to certify. I would have done this by trying to join local dive club "meet-ups" for dinner, attending local dive shop meet-n-greet events, reading regional info on places like this Board, etc. What I would look for was a Dive Instructor or Dive Shop that behaved and demonstrated that they had their act together as much in the office and on the surface, as they should under water in dive instruction. And I would look for signs of how well they could organize a beginner's OW certification dive trip (you have to do 4 OW dives for your 1st certification). Why? My dive certification took 6 months rather than the typical weekend, streeeeeetching from August pool work -- to a September lake dive -- to a February trip to the Florida Panhandle. And again, why? Because my Dive Instructor was a good diver and teacher under water, but very disorganized at group planning, prioritization, and logistics. And he would try to do too many different agendas in one dive trip. So he would schedule me and my son for beginner's OW certification, and then also schedule 6-10 other people to accomplish their various levels of certification and course work. His attention was very divided and scattered. In a weekend where we traveled with the intention to complete 4 OW certificaton dives, we only got 2 in... not because we struggled with underwater skills, but because he ran out of time to do all gajillion types of dives he had planned for that weekend.
2) Because my first goal was vacation, ocean, warm water diving, I would have certified at a warm ocean destination. I certified instead in cold fresh water lakes and rivers that required a bulky awkward 7 mil suit, a squeezing uncomfortable heavy hood, and bulky gloves. The 7 mil suit tended to trap air bubbles which seemed to lend to pop-ups during my first dives (pop-ups are bouyancy control challenges that can at times cause a sudden surprise rise toward the surface, and they are to be avoided with careful bouyancy skill application). I had no similar problems whatsoever once diving in only a swmsuit and dive gear off of Cozumel, Mexico.
3) I would have ensured the certification dives were to involve shore dives, jumping off a pier, and/or a fast boat drift dive (a small boat with up to 6-8 people max). But NOT, and I repeat NOT, a cattle boat with 20+ people and all their gear. I did my final 2 certification dives on cattle boats on Crystal River and Rainbow River in the Florida panhandle. They were nightmarish dives. The crews were rude. There was too much chaos for the newbie divers to get some help or support getting into all the cold water gear and entering the water off a boat for the first time. And my teenage son who was co-certifying with me was actually shoved by a rushed crew member off the deck before he had inflated his BCD, and he landed funny in the water and hit his head on his tank top. Er... I had an out-of-body experience with full head-revolving.
Now 3 years and 40+ dives later, I love diving. And the reality of the kind of diving I select to do is much less stressful and much more zen than the certifying process we had to move through. Diving has been a life-changing addition, and I cannot imagine not having the dive trips to plan and look forward to. Happy diving! Follow your dreams....
) vs. the longer courses. If I had known about those varied opinions beforehand, I could have made a better decision on which instructor to choose.
