which course is best?

[liuk3]

Contact:
Underwater Unit
Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation

360 W. El Segundo Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90061
(310) 965-8258
Explain what you want, perhaps they can help.

I tried calling them and getting transferred twice, but they didn't have any readily available course information. I ended up going to the website and emailing 5 different people on the site. In addition, I also emailed a bunch of non-LA County organizations and people.

The only two people who even responded to me out of the 15 emails were the 2 people from the LA County website. However, I don't have a lot of concrete information at this time. I guess I was hoping that they would have some kind of flier or class schedule, but after reading this board, I am thinking that the LA County scuba program is not a program in itself for OW certification. Rather, it seems to be an assocation of instructors whom you have to try to get in touch with individually in order to arrange basic training (OW cert). It also could be just that the organization is geared more towards divers who have already received their basic training. There was a flier regarding the advanced diver program, but that is too advanced for me at this stage since I don't know what I am doing divingwise yet.

I will keep pluggin away in trying to get more information on programs as I am eager to enroll and start learning. I do not care if the training is long before certification and after reading this board would rather it be longer and more rigorous in nature. Thanks.

 

[Thalassamania]

LA County is a certifying agency, just like PADI, NAUI or YMCA (it's the original and the smallest). The time of year may be part of the problem but if I were you I'd wend my way through it. It will be well worth it in the end, especially if you plan to dive locally at all.

 

[drew52]

I'd also be interested to know which skills you are talking about. My NAUI Scuba Diver course actually had less skills then what PADI require a person to teach.

Also Universal Referral Instructors can teach to the following agencies IDEA, NASDS, NAUI, PDIC, SSI and YMCA. My guessing would be that these agencies all teach similar skills if they are happy with instructors from the other agencies teaching their students . These guys are also happy for a PADI instructor to become a Universal Referral Instructor with a simple written exam. So again I'm thinking that these agencies must think PADI skills are ok for their courses.

 

[Walter]

"Most agencies do teach similar skills, but at least two of them also teach important skills PADI does not require."

Which skills are you refering to?

Things either NAUI or YMCA (or both) require in their standards that PADI does not:

1. The ability to swim. (no gear)
2. Underwater swimming (no gear)
3. Recover mask and snorkel from pool bottom, clear mask & snorkel. (skin diving)
<PADI actually only requires 3 skills in skin diving>
4. Orally inflate buddy's BC.
5. Remove & replace SCUBA unit (unassisted) underwater.
6. Breathe through a flooded snorkel.
7. In water rescue breathing (simulated)
8. Doff & Don
9. Bailout
10. Bring simulated unconscious diver from 10 ft
11. Rescue simulated panicked victim on surface.

 

[liuk3]

LA County is a certifying agency, just like PADI, NAUI or YMCA (it's the original and the smallest). The time of year may be part of the problem but if I were you I'd wend my way through it. It will be well worth it in the end, especially if you plan to dive locally at all.

Will do. Thanks.

 

[samnewsom]

any comments on the ssi i getting readt to go through it is it reconized everywhere

 

[MikeFerrara]

Lets not forget the things that most agencies don't require. This just a short incomplete list of basic dive skills that I think ALL entry level courses should require (most before the student ever even goes to open water) and is by no means complete.

Ascents and descents with a buddy.
Demonstrating the ability to plan and conduct a dive with a buddy.
Buddy positioning.
Trim
Gas management
Mask removal and replacement midwater.
No mask ascents
free flow management midwater.
Initiating air sharing midwater.
Buoyancy control and trim during and throughout a real dive.

Any course that doesn't require these skills, IMO, is inadequate and written by someone who doesn't understand the minimum skills required to do even the most basic of dives with any reaosnable semblance of control.

 

[drew52]

Nothing wrong with SSI. Go for it...

 

[Walter]

Lets not forget the things that most agencies don't require. This just a short incomplete list of basic dive skills that I think ALL entry level courses should require (most before the student ever even goes to open water) and is by no means complete.

Ascents and descents with a buddy.
Demonstrating the ability to plan and conduct a dive with a buddy.
Buddy positioning.
Trim
Gas management
Mask removal and replacement midwater.
No mask ascents
free flow management midwater.
Initiating air sharing midwater.
Buoyancy control and trim during and throughout a real dive.

Any course that doesn't require these skills, IMO, is inadequate and written by someone who doesn't understand the minimum skills required to do even the most basic of dives with any reaosnable semblance of control.

Except for those I've made bold in the quote, they are all required by YMCA. There's no requirement for a no mask ascent, and no requirement to conduct many skills midwater. I agree that's a shortcoming of the standards.

 

[Walter]

I'd also be interested to know which skills you are talking about. My NAUI Scuba Diver course actually had less skills then what PADI require a person to teach.

Also Universal Referral Instructors can teach to the following agencies IDEA, NASDS, NAUI, PDIC, SSI and YMCA. My guessing would be that these agencies all teach similar skills if they are happy with instructors from the other agencies teaching their students . These guys are also happy for a PADI instructor to become a Universal Referral Instructor with a simple written exam. So again I'm thinking that these agencies must think PADI skills are ok for their courses.

You'd be wrong. When using Universal Referral, the skills required are those required by the agency with which the student completed their pool and classroom portions of the class. Open water dives are testing skills already learned.