Why all the politics?

[Manogr]

You are soooooo right !!!!!!!!!!!!

No more politics please !!! It is rediculous.... We all love to dive, we all want, or should want, to learn as many as possible no matter the agency !

I am a PADI OW diver and maybe I will continue my education with another agency and then return to PADI and so on ....

My major selection criterion will ONLY be the instructor ! nothing else....

Just forget the agencies and the politics...study as much as you can, read the boards, books or magazines and DIVEEEEEEE !!!

Manogr...

 

[Scottri]

I don't know the reason for all the politics but I really don't pay much attention to it. They all have their merits and short commings. PADI gets a bad rap for commercialization, NAUI for being almost military like in their approach and SSI for tying instuctors to particular shops. Take it all with a grain of salt and find a good instructor for whatever course you plan on taking. I did my OW with SSI because the intructor was considered one of the best, I did some specialties through a NAUI shop because the shop was convienient and the instructor was good. I'm doing my Divemaster training through PADI for the freedom that PADI gives to pros. Also, my DM instructor has a great approach to the training. All in all, I've said it many times, find a good instructor and don't worry about the agency. It really makes no difference unless you want to get on a fast track to being an instructor, then it's easier only because of the paperwork but each agency generally recognizes each others certifications and ratings with a few minor exceptions.


Scott

 

[Choke]

Thanks for the response guys. It seems clear enough to me that finding a good instructor comes top in the priorities list.

The post about PADI being more commercial and maybe upsetting traditionalists seems to make a lot of sense. But what the traditionalists should also realise is that you have to go with evolution and not against it in order to grow.

Ahhhh forget it........How do I get my hands on one of those 'Superspy diver' certificates without actually doing the training?

 

[Ontario Diver]

Originally posted by Choke
...Ahhhh forget it........How do I get my hands on one of those 'Superspy diver' certificates without actually doing the training?

Contact your local Q branch.

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[Compressor]

I believe the problem is that some of the organizations have a course for even the most basic scuba skills. In other words diving has become very very commercialized. So the in the interest of $$$$, diving skills has taken a secondary position.

 

[Choke]

Commercialization can water down the emphasis put into the most important aspect - The basics. That can be a very bad thing indeed, but surely if *blank* agency keeps passing people with limited skills it will reflect on themsleves and in the long run they will lose a lot of business?

But how many people here can say that they have been left feeling ripped off or unhappy with the training they received?
I get the impression that most are happy with the skills they picked up from their chosen agency.

I've only been to a few sessions so far and have been left to feel totally safe in the hands of my instructor. There's a great balance on fun/adventure but the safety aspects are never overlooked.

At the end of the day if it wasn't fun I wouldn't bother.

 

[Compressor]

In my opinion, alot new divers certified int he United States at the OW level, are not adequately prepared to dive safely. I realize this is a blanket statement but I have seen it first hand what happens. What these new divers need is a great buddy to keep them safe and teach them good skills. After all, now you can do the whole course on CDs and show up for a few pool sessions and make 4 OW dives (combined in 2 dives) and Voila: get a C Card.

A furthur example of commercialization is the push to put 8-10 year olds certified!!!!!!! When the get certified and go on a dive with daddy, who is going to save daddy when he gets in trouble. In my opinion this is so wrong.


The bottom line is that it really comes to the instructor. If he/she has a good conscious, then they will not certify poor students.

 

[Compressor]

On another note: I can say personally that on 3 of my 5 advanced certifications I found inadequately trained after my course was over. This was not all one instructor either. So it is possible to feel inadequately trained and this is one reason agencies may get blamed.

 

[The Chairman]

Politics, politics... you can't live without it, but you surely don't like it!

1st off, EVERY good LDS will insulate their students from a bunch of controversey. Why stir the muck on beginners! You guys have to focus on the basics. KUDOs to your LDS that you feel so confident in the training that you are getting!!!

2nd, not all of the politics on the board are driven by those wishing to prove their agency is the best. The PADI vs Diverlink suit is a prime example. Heck, I are a PADI product, all the way through Divemaster. But their stance on this issue has caused me to seek out a different agency to do my instructor training with. Did I choose one based on the checks in all the right places on some comparison somewhere? Nope! I choose my current agency due to meeting and knowing the instructors. I was personally invited to try them out by a friend I met from yet another board (MB) and you know... these guys are great. How could I say "no"? They even laugh at some of my jokes!

That being said, there are some real differences of opinions as to what is safe, or even safer. Tempers can flair when there is so much passion. Passion is not a bad thing either... it shows you that these people really believe what they preach.

Finally, the first step in taking the Super SCUBA Spy course is that you have to figure out where I am holding the classes. Hey what kind of Super Sleuths would you be if youse guys can't even find your classes??? I will have to admit, that recent attendance has been a tad disappointing... :tease:

 

[Choke]

I was just talking to my friend next door and told him about my new hobby. He came back with "Yeah I did a dive in Malaysia once. There was this instructor guy who was right behind me and we had to keep pinching our noses on the way down. It was really good". He also said that he went about 25ft down.

I asked him if he'd been given any prior training or had at least been taken through some safety checks? No prizes for guessing that he said no.

What kind of people run these operations? Also to hear that you can study from a CD and then turn up to take your OW test seems a bit dumb. Surely these kind of things don't really go on?

P.S. NetDoc I'm still after my Superspy certificate but can't be bothered to do the training. If I manage to track you down and offer you a nice bribe, would you consider signing the papers? I promise not to tell anyone.