Getting certified

[ImJustToney]

I wanted to get yalls thoughts on my situation. The rescue diver for my hometown has offered to teach and certify me for free. This sounds great but then I wonder being a small country town and the good Ole boy system if my training with him would be pretty basic. Do yall think I should accept his offer for free training or go to an actual weekend dive school in Houston for right at 500$?

 

[KevinNM]

What's his qualification to teach you? Is he actually an instructor from a recognized agency? If not, he can't certify you.

So that is the first question.

Second question is he the right instructor for you?

There are a lot of decent instructors out there, a significantly smaller number of great instructors and some number of bad instructors. You want to avoid the bad instructors, but not all good or even great instructors will be the right instructor for you.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'm pretty sure that 100% of the advice you will receive here will be to get proper training. Remember, you will be taught life preservation skills. It doesn't sound like the rescue diver is even an instructor of any type (and then you are not certified, you cannot get your scuba cylinder filled or rent one).

I'd recommend reading Jim Lapenta's book "SCUBA: A Practical Guide for the New Diver" that will help you evaluate an instructor. Considering the investment you would make in scuba diving, this would be $20 very well spent. I've used a lot of material from Jim's book to improve my own courses. Maybe he'll see this thread and chime in.

Feel free to also come back and ask questions.

 

[ImJustToney]

He is a certified instructor but I can't remember which agency. I'm just not sure if his teaching would be adequate. He doesn't really teach but was just gonna do it as a favor. He would most likely be teaching me on Sam rayburn lake here in jasper but I want to dive the Gulf and I was told it's a whole different monster.

 

[ImJustToney]

Thanks guys. The more I think about it, the more I lean toward the school in Houston. Last question...do people still give diving lessons this time of year or is it strictly a summer thing?

 

[Gareth J]

Being USA based I'm assuming that you will learn with PADI (other agencies are available).

PADI do a referral system, so you can do the theory and sheltered water skills locally and move to somewhere warmer (if needed) for the open water skills. I would imagine that Texas is warm enough all year round.
Diving can be taught all year in any climate. Granted in colder climates you wear more protective kit, which can make skills skills harder. It's always harder doing skills with gloves and hoods.

Gareth

PS
Don't get hung up on the agencies, a good instructor is far more important than the agency. At the entry grades there is little difference between all the teaching agencies, they all need to teach the same basic skill set.

PPS
Just a follow up on 'a mate has offered to teach me for free '. There is a saying that a being a good (excellent) diver is not the same thing as being a good instructor, teaching is adifferent skill set.
Pick a good instructor!

 

[KevinNM]

It was 80 some degrees last week at the Flower Gardens a hundred miles out in the gulf. It will get colder until the late spring IIRC. Not sure what the temp closer in (which is more suitable for training) will be, but it won't be cold soon. Lakes are a different matter, but the visibility in 288lake last week was 2 feet, totally unsuitable for beginner training, even before the thermocline at somewhere between 10 and 15 feet. There are at least two other scuba parks in the Houston area (area including Huntsville and Freeport) that are often used for training, don't know their conditions.

 

[BoltSnap]

"Free stuff is never cheap!!"

Get the best training you can get and don't be impressed by how fast or short the course is. Ask questions about how much time and training the school/instructor is going to give you and how much dive and training experience they have.

 

[Rocketman3]

You could end up much better trained with your local diver friend than in a course - jam packed - hurring you through reaching the basic level of compencity.

Talk to your friend about it. The free part may be because he wants a reason to go diving and loves to teach people and likes you and wants you as another possible buddy. So your level of training with him could end up much better!

Good luck

 

[Doby45]

You guys are literally too much, it is always the same mantra "The instructor is the most important thing!!!" Then when the guy says he has a friend that is an instructor that will do him a "square" and train him for free, all the red flags go up and righteous indignation comes out. I tell ya what, what if my really good friend Brian Kakuk offered to cave train me for free? Would all of you be, NO get a GOOD PAID instructor?!?!?!?!"

This guy asked a basic question and said his friend is an instructor, at that point how is this instructor any different from any other instructor? He isn't. If he does the training for free or not has nothing to do with the quality of the training. Now if he does not "click" with his friend as his instructor, then even free training is not worth the cost.

Every now and then hop off your high horses and look at what you are saying.