Cheapest certificates in the world?

[T-bolt Diver]

Without a doubt, I know where you can get all the certifications you need. There is no charge for all this training and it is some of the best in the world. Along with this great training, these folks will let you use all the equipment you need for the courses absolutely free. And wait... there's more. When it's time for Open Water Training... they will take you out on their boats for F*R*E*E.

Give them a call and tell them you want to dive as much as possible.

The number....

1-800-GO-NAVY

 

[Dectek]

Contact this company and tell them what part of the world you want to go to. They will train you and give you plenty of pool and open water time. They will pay for your training and certifications.
They will even be nice enough to hold onto your certifications for you until they feel that you have sufficiently worked the cost off.
Dressel Divers

 

[primitivepete]

norcaldiver once bubbled...
With that attitude, I'd suggest you sell all of your equipment, stop diving, rather than end up killing your students and/or yourself.

You've obviously figured the "internet thingy" out....take 3 seconds and so some research on your own. Hopefully you'll also find out that people like you are the people that SHOULD NOT be instructors in the 1st place.


Blech

So are you saying that a person cant be a GOOD diver without spending alot of money?
So any moron that spends lots of money. Can/Should be an instructor?

 

[MikeFerrara]

primitivepete once bubbled...


So are you saying that a person cant be a GOOD diver without spending alot of money?
So any moron that spends lots of money. Can/Should be an instructor?

No they are saying that good training takes time, effort and usually costs money. Sometimes you can pay alot for bad training but rarely to you get good training cheap. You only pay for training once so does the cose really even matter all that much. If you want to save money in diving find a deal on defog and don't spend too much on airline tickets.

 

[DivingJimi]

Ok. I didnt understand that this was a forum with people that are up on high horses and like flaming newcomers.

I dont have a lot of millions to spend and in Sweden the prices for certificates are really high. So now im wondering what the difference is from a certificate that i paid 600$ for and one that costs 100$?

I doubt that you will learn less if you pay less.. If you think that you must be a pretty stupid diver or someone who likes to show off with his money.

Thanks Dectek for the link and not coming with stupid arguements like "oh your poor then you shouldnt be a instructor"..
Thanks also to primitivepete for understanding a little bit of my situation.

The rest of you: if you dont have anything sensible to say dont say anything at all. I have found a divecenter in thailand that certifies you up to instructor including lodging, full gear and over 100 dives during 6 months.. That for 5000$ if you dont have any certificates.
That is not cheap but if i work hard and really save for half a year i might do it. I just want to pursue a dream and if you think I should quit it because I dont have the money to spend I can only say that I dont want to hear anything more from you.

This board is nice. Too bad the people don´t seem to be that too..
/Dissappointed fellow diver

 

[King Kong Matt]

DivingJimi once bubbled...
I doubt that you will learn less if you pay less..

I don't know about Thailand or wherever you were considering getting your training, but in this country, the above is a VERY naive statement.

The simple fact of the matter is that you get what you pay for and your original post made it sound like you wanted to get the most for doing and paying the least.

 

[raviepoo]

The Dive op I did my OW training with (Down Under Dive) runs a liveaboard and several day boats. At the time that I did my class their employees were able to take any class they wanted, free of charge. They are an SSI facility, located in Cairns, Australia, which is pretty far from Sweden. The airfare might eat up the money you would save on training and you would be working like a dog 6 most of the time.

One of the staff members was in my OW class and she went out to the liveaboard at the same time as the class did. While we were doing our check out dives she was changing sheets and scrubbing heads. She seemed to like her job, however.

If I was young and poor, I'd consider this as a way to live for a few years. It doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me.

 

[Northeastwrecks]

DivingJimi once bubbled...
The rest of you: if you dont have anything sensible to say dont say anything at all. I have found a divecenter in thailand that certifies you up to instructor including lodging, full gear and over 100 dives during 6 months.. That for 5000$ if you dont have any certificates.

That's precisely the problem.

How qualified do you think you will be with a maximum of 100 dives over 6 months? Will you be experienced enough to handle rescues, work with problem students and deal with the potentially life threatening issues that can arise. Or will you be a 90 day wonder with an instructor's card and less experience than many OW divers?

At 100 dives you are just getting to the point where you can take care of yourself. Never mind other people who are depending on you.

You should be able to handle any situation before you ask other people to entrust you with their lives. You should also be capable of turning out competant divers. 100 dives isn't enough to do that.

In addition, I can't imagine what type of gear you'll get. I've spent about 3k just on my singles rig, not including the dry suit. That doesn't leave much for instruction and training.

I can't speak to the specific shop because you didn't provide it. However, this type of operation does not have the best reputation for turning out quality instructors.

By way of comparison, my DM course took about one year to complete. I apprenticed during 6 complete OW classes, several Nitrox classes, 2 rescus classes, 2 first aid classes, a wreck specialty and more buoyancy classes than I care to count. I assisted during trip planning and management.

My AI course took an additional 6 months. I'll be finished next weekend.

In order to become an instructor associated with the shop, I'll need at least 5 years as an active AI.

By the time I go up the line, I'll have assisted hundreds of students. Even then, I'll work under supervision until the LDS is satisfied that I can teach independently.

Take your time, learn your trade and have fun.

BTW, I'd strongly suggest dropping the attitude. Your post suggests that you are looking for the card rather than the skills. If this is, in fact, the case, then please let us know where you are working to that we can avoid it.

 

[wreckchick]

There has been much said on this board about the quality of instructors that come out of fast track programs so I won't repeat it here, but it scares me to think about the quality of instruction I would get from an instructor with that 100 dive minimum. I also want to continue my dive career and a short term goal for me is to reach divemaster level. By short term I mean in the next couple years. I don't think that the dive minimums that are set are adequate to prepare someone for the multitude of emergencies that could arise when I, or you, were in charge of a bunch of divers with unknown skills and confidence.

The track I'm taking is to dive a lot, dive with a lot of people and over the course of time find an instructor, shop, whatever where I respect the quality of instruction, I trust the instructor with my life and the lives of everyone I might someday teach or lead and then pay what I have to to get the training.

Remember it's not about you, it's about the students you'll someday have.

JMHO

Rachel

 

[King Kong Matt]

Something that we rarely if ever talk about when this kind of discussion comes up is "why do you want to be an instructor?"

Do you really want to teach and deal with students who are often in the very beginning days of their experience with scuba, or are you just looking to get the "highest card available".

You often see people who are rushing toward instructor as if its some kind of race...its not. And from what I can see, being an instructor involves a LOT of tedious work with little to no financial compensation for your efforts.

If you LOVE to teach and pass on knowledge and all that...go for it. But I would highly recommend gooing back to square one for a moment or two and ask yourself what you REALLY want the card for in the first place...

Just my opinion.
kkm