which course is best?

[MikeFerrara]

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.

I think those skills that you identify as being required by the YMCA are very important. In my opinion that puts the YMCA more than a little bit ahead of those agencies don't require those things.

In some other courses, the amount of time that a student is actually required to be midwater during the whole course is only a couple of minutes and they aren't ever required to be there during a dive and trim isn't even mentioned.

Lets face it, if a set of standards require that the student spend a significant amount of time midwater and in control/trim, they are used to being there and there is a LOT better chance that the student could perform additional skills midwater. I wouldn't necessarily leave it to chance but you're at least part way there.

 

[Walter]

Well, I do require skills in midwater, but the standards don't mandate it.

 

[BabyDuck]

But im getting really confused with all the different PADI, SDI, TDI, NACD course providers.

to the op, nacd does not offer basic open water classes. it is the national association of cave divers. they offer from cavern up through full cave.

so you can drop them from your list. slightly less confusion!

hope you have a great time in open water class.

 

[TaMe]

Thanks all very much for the help.
courently i am enroled into a padi open water diving course starting in march.

TaMe

 

[Walter]

How did they respond the the questions?