Which agency?

[Protist]

So I have a question...I currently have my AOW (and taking the Rescue course this weekend) with PADI. I would love to eventually become an instructor. But I sometimes get the feeling that PADI isn't exactly the best certifying agency out there. And the whole "PADI- Put another dollar in" has been coming up a lot recently. Would anyone have any suggestions on certifying agencies in which I should continue my DM and Instructor training with? Thank-you

 

[muddiver]

People bash PADI because they have the best marketing program and that they have streamlined scuba education to the basics as well as broken the training in to manageable modules. The old, triditional method is one long droning course of everything, and then some.

Also PADI has the best instructor support program and does not tie an instructor to a dive shop as some agencies do. Scuba diving was never an evolution from dive shops, dive shops appeared in support of the growing hobby of scuba diving.

The other agument that PADI charges too much is kind of subjective. The cost of marketing, printing, shipping and wages has gone up so the cost of providing services as professionally and effectively as they do will also increase. The cost of gas has increased since WWII, yet the American public is still driving cars all over the place.

 

[DCBC]

Without opening Pandora's Box, let me say that I think this largely depends upon what you want out of diving instruction and where (geographically) you want to be involved. PADI is the largest certification agency, but it isn't the largest in every geographical area.

Generally speaking, instructors with PADI have more opportunity to teach for Dive Shops and Resorts on a percentage basis. This may translate to greater opportunity for employment.

Despite this, some instructors prefer to offer a more comprehensive program and elect to teach independently, or through other shops (SSI or NAUI for example). Others choose predominately club based training (like BSAC or CMAS) which requires between two to six times the training for diver certification (at each level). So it really depends upon how you want to teach and how much flexibility you want to have in your training program.

Having been certified as an instructor through PADI, NAUI, ACUC, IDEA and CMAS there are obvious differences in the training standards and the minimum competancy of the diver that may be certified. You have to ask yourself how important this is to you and ascertain how these standards may affect your income from teaching.

Everyone has an opinion. If you drive a Ford and love it, that opinion has value. In my mind however it diminishes if that is the only type of vehicle you have ever driven. I encourage you to solicit opinions from instructors who possess multiple agency certification and solicit their opinion why they prefer one agency over another.

If you want to discuss it, send me a PM. I would be happy to give you my opinion, but for me education and diver competence is more important to me than the number of students I certify, or how much money I can make in the process.

 

[Walter]

Best is a matter of opinion. What is best for me might not be best for you. What exactly do you want to accomplish? What is your philosophy toward dive education?

Do you want to teach fast classes so you can crank out as many as possible?

Do you want to be able to teach independently or will you be happy tied to a store?

Do you want standards that require confidence building skills in the entry level class?

Do you want standards that require skin diving in the entry level class?

Do you want standards that require rescue skills beyond a tired diver tow in the entry level class.

Do you want standards that allow you to add requirements?

Answer those questions and it will be much easier to direct you towards an agency that will fit you.

 

[Peter Guy]

To the OP: You asked:

Would anyone have any suggestions on certifying agencies in which I should continue my DM and Instructor training with?

Assuming your profile information is correct, I would suggest NO agency "in which [you] should continue [your] DM and Instructor training with" because you need to just go out and dive and learn.

I know that one CAN start a DM program with very few dives (20 within the PADI system) and one can be certified as an instructor with as few as 100 dives (again, within the PADI system). But, just because one CAN do something does not mean one SHOULD do something.

I will freely admit that I am talking from my own personal experience and as is often the case, my personal experience significantly colors my advice -- so take it for what it is worth. That written, my advice is for you to get training from GOOD instructors from several different agencies -- and get a breadth of training and experience.

Take your Nitrox class from a NAUI instructor -- your Rescue from an SSI instructor -- your Cavern from TDI (since you live in Florida, you ARE going to take a Cavern class, are you not?). You may also want to experience "the dark side" and take GUE's Fundamentals which I can almost guarantee that you will find as a whole new level of training (compared to your OW and AOW from PADI).

Once YOU have experienced the instruction offered through offer agencies, then, perhaps, you can make your determination based on YOUR experience as to how you want to "Go Pro."

For the record, I've had instruction through PADI, NAUI, TDI, GUE, UTD and I decided to "Go Pro" through PADI. The primary reasons for becoming (and quite frankly remaining) a PADI Instructor were/are:

a. It IS the 800 pound Gorilla and students don't appear to question its legitimacy;
b. The materials (and instructor support) are quite good (even if I have to sometimes sigh at the silliness of some of it) -- the important thing is that the students DO obtain (and apparently retain) the crucial information about diving safety/safely;
c. The standards are quite good and appropriate (despite what "some" may think and say) for the level of diver education at each level; and
d. As an instructor, I have the freedom I need (although NOT as much as say a NAUI instructor may have) to teach my students to dive safely and comfortably.

Ya pays your money and ya makes your choice!

 

[TSandM]

I second Peter's recommendation . . . take some time and do a whole bunch of diving. Take some more classes -- take cavern. Take a DPV class. Do some salt water diving, and some fresh water diving. Don't hurry into instruction, until you have a knowledge and experience base that makes you valuable as an instructional figure. Then do a DM and work with some classes, and make sure diving instruction is something you want to do. It sounds like fun, and sometimes it is, but sometimes it's very definitely not.

I also second the recommendation either to take GUE Fundamentals or arrange a dive with one of the GUE instructors (there are quite a few in Florida). I think you might see a level of diving skill quite different from what you're used to. Taking Fundamentals was what stopped me in my tracks, when I was on the road to "go pro". I realized I really didn't know anywhere near as much as I thought I did, and that perhaps the people who were teaching me didn't, either.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

To the OP: You asked:
Assuming your profile information is correct, I would suggest NO agency "in which [you] should continue [your] DM and Instructor training with" because you need to just go out and dive and learn.

I know that one CAN start a DM program with very few dives (20 within the PADI system) and one can be certified as an instructor with as few as 100 dives (again, within the PADI system). But, just because one CAN do something does not mean one SHOULD do something.

I will freely admit that I am talking from my own personal experience and as is often the case, my personal experience significantly colors my advice -- so take it for what it is worth. That written, my advice is for you to get training from GOOD instructors from several different agencies -- and get a breadth of training and experience.

Take your Nitrox class from a NAUI instructor -- your Rescue from an SSI instructor -- your Cavern from TDI (since you live in Florida, you ARE going to take a Cavern class, are you not?). You may also want to experience "the dark side" and take GUE's Fundamentals which I can almost guarantee that you will find as a whole new level of training (compared to your OW and AOW from PADI).

Once YOU have experienced the instruction offered through offer agencies, then, perhaps, you can make your determination based on YOUR experience as to how you want to "Go Pro."

This is the best advice you're likely gonna get ... although I took my GUE Fundamentals class shortly after completing my instructor training ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[tomfcrist]

Peter and Bob have it right man.....Get some real world diving experience and then think about going pro. You will see why if you go to a quarry up north and see some of the class sizes that you very well may get stuck with. Its overwhelming at times for a seasoned Instructor, and almost unattainable as a new insructor that only has 100 dives total.


Work on your DM and stay at that level for a while. Work as a DM on a local boat(it will expose you to some of the challenging aspects of Dive Leadership) and then shoot for instructor.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Protist]

Ok, so I will follow the advice. I did want to become an instructor for two reasons, A) I want to teach people about this amazing hobby. B) I do kinda need a job. (I am jobless since I just moved to Florida) . But I do agree. I would be kinda useless as a good instructor with as few dives and the current level of experience that I have.

I will look into GUI and take some other courses first. I believe I will still obtain my DM, but I wont advance beyond that just yet. Thank-you for your input.

 

[gypsyjim]

I originally trained with the Y program, and more recently I did a PADI AOW as a refresher, and also their Rescue. All very good training, but not all instructors are equal, so you need to do research.

I just did 5 days of the GUE Fundies training last week, with Bob Sherwood down in PA. THAT was one great class, and takes your diving to an all new level! I was not able to meet all the GUE standards, because of a physical limitation that makes certain kick styles useless for me, but the training I received really does take you into a different level of diving, both in your control in the water column and in your understanding of diving.

I would heartily agree, that training with several agencies will give you a lot better understanding of what each has to offer, and allow you to make a more educated final choice of who you wish to do DM with.

That way you also will be bringing a lot more practical knowledge to the table, to share with your future students, than if you just pick one agency now to train all the way with. One perspective only, will give you far less than the 3 dimensional knowledge you'll get threw a multi agency experience. IMO

I am speaking simply as a diver, as I have no desire to ever go DM or Instructor, but when it came time for my 2 kids to train I really started thinking and looking around for better than average instructors. Every agency has some, if you look for them, and real world experience seemed to be the one common denominator that separated the best from the average, or the truly mediocre (or worse, the careless, and the dangerous. They are out there!).