Build the Perfect Certification Agency

[spc751]

SSI to my understanding is a good middle ground between NAUI & PADI, but you have to be linked to a shop, which crushes independent instruction. Though I know a few SSI instructors who thread the gray area thanks to certain supportive shops who get their cut via students buying gear.

From my personal experience with both SSI and PADI shops I will say that that SSI is no better than PADI. Maybe as good in some ways but not better.

 

[Mustard Dave]

BSAC we'll geez that's a silly name. I don't actually know too much about them. But from diver's I've talked to, it seems very much like a mentorship club rather than an actual training agency; in the sense of how the operate.

BSAC = British Sub-aqua Club - what's weird about that? How is it any more weird than TDI, IANTD, PADI, SSI, etc.?

BSAC is a club that offers structured courses that are internationally recognised and comply with European Committee for Standardisation requirements. You can pay for a course at various BSAC technical centres if you wish, but most the training is done by volunteers who have completed formal training and sat written and practical examinations to be able to teach. The fact they teach in this manner rather than being a money-making machine is to their credit.

 

[SeaHorse81]

Could we please get away from agency-specific references and just talk about what does and doesn't work?

 

[PfcAJ]

Gue circa 2010 for me. Maybe even a few years before that.

 

[Steve_C]

Interesting thought process.

Only thing is that it will be made up of students, shops, instructors, and agencies made up of human beings.

 

[TMHeimer]

Interesting thought process.

Only thing is that it will be made up of students, shops, instructors, and agencies made up of human beings.

Yes. I know this doesn't help, but I wonder what those who were diving before any of the mentioned agencies existed would think of the OP's question? What would you guys who were actually diving back then do to set up the first agency?

 

[UnixMarine]

Personally, I would love for the initial classes to be longer and work more on fine tuning boyancy. I hate to see new divers out diving somewhere because they are constantly hitting the floor or grabbing on to something. It would also help their confidence level.

 

[RJP]

It would - allow for independent instructors

i'll go a step further... The ideal agency would actually SUPPORT independent instructors. There are two large ones that "allow" them... but they don't make it easy to be one.

---------- Post added January 5th, 2015 at 01:36 AM ----------

Personally, I would love for the initial classes to be longer and work more on fine tuning boyancy. I hate to see new divers out diving somewhere because they are constantly hitting the floor or grabbing on to something. It would also help their confidence level.

You're assuming that making the initial classes wouldn't REDUCE enrollment?

 

[Rhone Man]

I am reminded of an old joke.

One day a new store opens in New York. It advertises itself as a "Husband Store". Single ladies can come in a shop for a husband. The cheaper ones are down below, the more expensive ones are higher up. The store does have one peculiar rule: you may only go up floors to make a purchase, but may never come back down.

The day of opening arrives, and a crowd of ladies outside are buzzing with excitement. The doors open and they come in with a rush. On the first floor, there is a sign: "Medium husbands. These men have jobs, are indifferent about kids, and will probably not cheat on you. Please head upstairs for good husbands."

Without even pausing the crowd charges upstairs to the second floor, where they see another sign: "Good husbands. These men have well paying jobs, have good hair, like kids, and are highly unlikely to cheat on you. Please head upstairs for excellent husbands."

The crowd duly charges up another floor. Once again there is a sign. "Excellent husbands. These men are good looking, have high paying jobs and a diversified investment portfolio, they love kids, will never cheat on you and will never forget your birthday. Please head upstairs for outstanding husbands."

The crowd of women draw breath, and once again charge up the stairs to see the next sign on the floor above. "Outstanding husbands. These men are extremely handsome, self made multimillionaires, love kids, they will cherish and love you to the end of your days, and will love nothing better then pampering you and spoiling you to the best of their ability. Please head upstairs for perfect husbands."

With a tangible sense of excitement the women all head up the last set of stairs where they are met by the final sign. "There are no men on this floor. This floor exists only to prove that women are never satisfied."

I kind of think the search for the perfect dive agency is likely to be similar.

 

[Akimbo]

...What would you guys who were actually diving back then do to set up the first agency?

Personally I believe that OW, AOW, Rescue, Decompression Procedures, and Nitrox should be combined back into Scuba 101. It is irrelevant if they never dive past 60' (yeah right), get into deco, or dive Nitrox. It is all about getting a complete understanding so they don’t feel like they are following rules blindly — or ask question on Scubaboard after a sleepless night like “Will I die because I missed my safety stop?”.

Also, the swimming test should be real and without equipment… except maybe for a thin wetsuit for the few individuals who can’t float with a full lung full or air. Sure anybody can swim with fins; the question is will the freak-out when a fin or mask strap breaks? Knowing they can pass a swim test without gear goes a long way to reduce that risk. A wetsuit isn’t going to fail to give you some buoyancy no matter how badly things go wonky.

My class in 1962 was basically invented by a recreational diver, and a mechanical engineer in real life, who taught himself from the US Navy Manual and sharing information with friends in the 1950s. This and the great majority of classes in those days were on the order of six lectures, six pool sessions, six days of ocean dives that included snorkeling and two tanks, and spread over at least six weeks. We had time to really absorb the subject matter and acclimatize so we really were safe to dive unsupervised when the card was signed.

This “norm” changed mainly because tropical resorts, mostly outside the US, were offering quickie courses to tourists. The fledgling agencies responded by dumbing down and separating courses instead of learning how to educate customers why a 6-6-6-6-style course is in their best interest. A very few instructors on Scubaboard appear to have mastered that art.

Let the existing agencies continue to offer their watered-down courses to the tourists. It is time for the industry to buck-up and realize what a disservice they are doing to most divers and offer an integrated alternative instead of a bunch of disconnected merit badges that too few divers get anyway.