Why is it so difficult to find a PADI tec rec instructor?

[kensuf]

My post was sarcasm. Sorry it got missed out.

Let's try the same from another angle:

TDI has a recreational dive program? Huh.

 

[kensuf]

So, I have tried to take TEC 40 and 45 in Cozumel, Cayman Brac, and Bonaire without luck. There seem to be some shops offering it, but when you actually try to make advance arrangements, there's an instructor availability problem.

I did find a place in Grand Cayman, but they want an enormous amount for the gas. They are actually charging $60 to fill a set of AL80 doubles. By my math that is $30 per tank. I have never heard of any place charging $30 to fill an AL80. Most places include the cost of the air when you take a course, so this took me for a double surprise.

Whats up? Do I need to go TDI?

Divezonescuba - it's not the agency, it's the instructor. When it comes to "Tek Diving" (god I really hate that phrase), you need to trust that the guy teaching you knows what they're doing.

Cozumel - German Yanez.
Grand Cayman - Nat Robb (there are others at Divetech but Nat's been on the rock since something like 1999, he's a constant).
Cayman Brac - go to Grand Cayman.

BTW -- Grand Cayman is expensive for everything. $60 for a set of doubles seems like overkill, but maybe they were also including O2 bottles (or maybe just the doubles rental itself?). I view GC as a "taking the family to Disney World" kind of trip and just accept it'll be costly.

And if you decide to go outside of the box..

Florida - Several people to choose from all across the state. Freshwater? Yup. Saltwater? Yup. Keys? Yup. Pompano? Yup. West Palm? Yup. Pensacola? Yup. My neck of the woods? Yup.

Belize - Chip Peterson

New Jersey - Yup, options there too.

 

[Scuba Scott]

I guess the question is why are you seemingly hell bent on doing it with PADI?

Well, A PADI instructor would have a huge incentive in doing the PADI course. It could potentially become another source of income down the road without doing a lot of additional work to become a TDI instructor. Also, PADI rewards those members who are "pure of heart".

Most people don't think of PADI for tec because PADI was late to the game and (it seems to me) jumped on the bandwagon grudgingly when they saw there was money to be made and a high percentage of tec divers were actually surviving after several dives.

PADI has a Tec program? Huh.

Exactly the perception of many who have been around for a long time and out of the training environment. If your latest PADI manual doesn't have any color pictures you were probably taught all tec divers will eventually end up lost forever in a watery grave. (Depending on your instructor.)

My post was sarcasm. Sorry it got missed out.

Let's try the same from another angle:

TDI has a recreational dive program? Huh.

When did that happen? I haven't TDI'd in over 20 years.

(I got the sarcasm... thought it was funny.)

 

[rjack321]

Well, A PADI instructor would have a huge incentive in doing the PADI course. It could potentially become another source of income down the road without doing a lot of additional work to become a TDI instructor. Also, PADI rewards those members who are "pure of heart".

Do they actually follow up on a recreational padi instructor getting a cert from another agency? Or just heap praise on instructors who only climb the padi ladder?

 

[Scuba Scott]

Do they actually follow up on a recreational padi instructor getting a cert from another agency? Or just heap praise on instructors who only climb the padi ladder?

They don't care if you have another cert, but to attain the Course Director level you must teach PADI courses exclusively. The exceptions are completing entry level training from another organization (universal referral) or technical, commercial and other courses not offered by PADI.

This is paraphrased from page 173 in the 2016 instructor manual.

So, for your average instructor it isn't an issue but if you ever plan on climbing the ladder to Course Director you need to be 100% PADI, and by that point, you probably should be anyway.

That is just one reason a PADI instructor may have an incentive to take a PADI TecRec course. The path to TecRec instructor is shorter and future career progression will be enhanced rather than hindered. Cost will be lower too.

Of course, that is just me trying to invent a reason someone would insist on a PADI TecRec course.

 

[ffdiver]

Wow there is a lot of misinformation that you arrived from reading the same manual I did.

You can have any certification you want from any agency and be a PADI course director but you can only teach PADI courses unless PADI doesn't offer the same or similar course.

Go find an instructor regardless of agency and get the training you want. It will not affect you becoming a course director in anyway.

 

[Patoux01]

it's not the agency, it's the instructor. When it comes to "Tek Diving" (god I really hate that phrase), you need to trust that the guy teaching you knows what they're doing.

Well I dunno, I'm happy to take any GUE course with any of the instructors they have, worst case I might have some personality issues with the person, but that does not imply anything about the teaching.

Other agencies? Yes I'd probably have a look at the instructor, but I'd look first at the IANTD instructors before others (Here around, to my knowledge, we can have IANTD, TDI, PADI or CMAS, that's about it)

 

[boulderjohn]

Well, A PADI instructor would have a huge incentive in doing the PADI course. It could potentially become another source of income down the road without doing a lot of additional work to become a TDI instructor. Also, PADI rewards those members who are "pure of heart".

I have no idea what this means.

I was a PADI OW instructor and then got certified as a TDI instructor. I then crossed over and became a PADI tech instructor. I had to work just as hard to become a PADI tech instructor as I did to become a TDI tech instructor. Actually, it might be harder, because the test for the first level of PADI tech has an instructor exam that is a real bear--most people fail it the first time.

 

[oya]

you can only teach PADI courses unless PADI doesn't offer the same or similar course.

So many different ways to go with "what's similar to a PADI course..."

Hmm...

 

[Scuba Scott]

Wow there is a lot of misinformation that you arrived from reading the same manual I did.

You can have any certification you want from any agency and be a PADI course director but you can only teach PADI courses unless PADI doesn't offer the same or similar course.

Umm OK.
Isn't that exactly what I said?