Certification Question

[keruxts]

I am a sheriff's deputy on a swift water rescue team. As a part of that team I now need to be certified to dive. What is the best course of study? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[HowardE]

That should open up a can of worms.

 

[JRScuba]

All the agencies are basically the same.

What you need to find is a good instructor. They are the ones that
will give you the training needed to get certified and then some.

Go to different dive shops and talk to instructors that will be the one
training you.

Pick the one that sounds like he will give you the most for your money.


Good Luck and Safe diving

Joe

 

[Doc Intrepid]

uh, how did you get on the team in the first place if you can't dive?

Talk to the team captain. The team gets their bottles filled somewhere locally, same with the annual VIPs, hydros, etc. The team likely has some shop already that cuts them some slack on gear, etc. Find that shop and see if they can't set you up with a certification course. It keeps things in the family.

You also want to check out dive search and rescue training, as it will be more applicable to what you're trying to do...here:
http://www.diverescueintl.com/

 

[keruxts]

uh, how did you get on the team in the first place if you can't dive?

Talk to the team captain. The team gets their bottles filled somewhere locally, same with the annual VIPs, hydros, etc. The team likely has some shop already that cuts them some slack on gear, etc. Find that shop and see if they can't set you up with a certification course. It keeps things in the family.

You also want to check out dive search and rescue training, as it will be more applicable to what you're trying to do...here:
http://www.diverescueintl.com/

I started on the ground crew and topside rescue but we are now in need of new certified divers.

 

[H2Andy]

definetely ask what shop the team uses, try to go through them

also, pretty much any agency will do (PADI, NAUI, etc.) the key is the
instructor. look for the best instructor around. it will pay dividends.

as Doc says, that's just recreational training. you'll need to cover
other things as well.

 

[MikeFerrara]

For goodness sake just don't let them send you to work in the water as a newly certified diver. There are teams that do that. A few years ago when public safety divers were getting killed around here I offered free classes to dive team members...put it in the paper and everything. The only response I got was a team who only has black water in their jurasdiction wanting to get some new guys certified and on the team. Most of their divers had fewer lifetime dives than I was doing in a week at the time and NO training beyond entry level recreational diving. In their special case I refused to teach for them at any price. Unfortunately, teams like this aren't all that uncommon.

 

[MikeFerrara]

BTW, those nuts wanted me to teach the classes in that black water so the students would come out of their initial certification class ready to go right to work.

 

[Jay_SMART_Diver]

Sounds like a good way to keep needing new divers...

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

For goodness sake just don't let them send you to work in the water as a newly certified diver. There are teams that do that. A few years ago when public safety divers were getting killed around here I offered free classes to dive team members...put it in the paper and everything. The only response I got was a team who only has black water in their jurasdiction wanting to get some new guys certified and on the team. Most of their divers had fewer lifetime dives than I was doing in a week at the time and NO training beyond entry level recreational diving. In their special case I refused to teach for them at any price. Unfortunately, teams like this aren't all that uncommon.

Our local team has some decent divers but my god there are some horribly weak divers. It appears to me that to get on that team you have to be a friend, not a good diver.