I did my first three classes (OW, AOW, SLAM) through the YMCA in 2001 ... simply because I used to go to the Y for basketball and noticed a "Learn to Dive" sign one evening at just the right time. My (then) wife bought me lessons for my 49th birthday.
Looking back on my initial OW class, I think the YMCA did a very thorough job ... spending a lot of time on skin diving skills and in-water comfort which I think are important components of scuba diving. However, I also think they got a bit "stuck in time" in some respects ... and that some of what I learned didn't really translate well into the equipment or mindset that I adopted as I moved forward. For example, there was almost no mention of dive computers or nitrox ... and while they taught the dolphin kick (which I almost never use) there wasn't even an introduction to the frog kick (which I use all the time) ... in fact, the book we were using stated that the frog kick was primarily for swimmers and had limited use in scuba diving.
But overall, I'm very happy with the quality of education I received through the YSCUBA program.
Afterward I got involved in a dive shop that taught NAUI classes, and did my Master Diver, DM and Instructor classes through them. I've pretty much stuck with NAUI ever since, although I have also taken classes with other agencies ... SDI/TDI, IANTD, GUE, and NSS-CDS. With the exception of the GUE-Fundamentals class, I chose the instructor rather than the agency.
At the time I got certified, I was so unaware of agencies that when a co-worker asked me if I was taking the class with PADI I said "No, I'm taking the class with Loren (my instructor's name) ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
