New diver getting my certification, is my instructor doing it wrong?

[redacted]

On a bit of a selfish note, I suggest you first pursue your course (and maybe even your equipment) refund before you take this up with the training agency.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

If it were me, I'd try to get my money back ... but regardless I would NOT recommend getting back in the water with this instructor, for the following reasons ...

- too little pool time prior to taking you to OW ... shows a lack of regard for agency standards
- he's trying to do two classes at the same time, leaving you unsupervised ... not just a standards violation, but EXTREMELY unsafe
- there's never an excuse to scream at a student ... particularly an OW student
- equipment that doesn't fit properly is useless, and only makes the learning experience more difficult and uncomfortable

Sorry, but if the reality is anything remotely close to what you wrote, don't get back in the water with this guy. Find another instructor and start over.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[flots am]

Thanks everyone. I just would like my money back to go elsewhere. It was a really strange experience. I felt like I was failing.

Tell him you want a full refund.

If he does anything but hand it to you immediately, file a complaint with PADI's Quality Assurance department and your credit card company. PADI isn't especially interested in your happiness, but they're very interested in avoiding lawsuits, and this guy is just begging for one.

The credit card company will give you your money back, since you were not given the training you paid for, and PADI will stop him from doing this again with someone else.

flots.

 

[Scott]

I signed up last Wednesday the 6th and got my study materials and started my first class Saturday the 9th for my in class learning, after 4 hours in the classroom we went to the pool and did 1 hour with the gear.

How many open water students are/were in your class?
Four hours for a private to complete all the academics is low IMO but could be done. One hour in the pool to have a student ready for dives 1 & 2 in SoCal waters is way too short. The watermanship (swim, tread) plus skin diving and pool dives one, take more than an hour alone. I fear you were woefully short changed in the pool.
What skills did you do in the pool?

While diving he would ask me to get in and we had NOT gone over exits and entry's, using my BC, and I had 1 hours experience with the equemt in a 5ft deep pool.

Catalina is not pool like conditions so I fear this instructor broke the standards (PADI) or is pushing a very recent standards change to the limit.

He was in charge of us all and told me to wait for him while he did skills checks on the others, so I was alone in the water bobbling from 25ft up and down trying not to fly up to the top.

How far away were you from the group?

I felt unsafe, and like he would be mad if I told him it was going to fast (as I tried and he screamed at me time and again to stop whining and relax). He also had me buy a mask, fin, booties, gloves, snorkel, and hood. He told me I had to buy from his store, but had nothing to fit me (I'm average size 5'4" and 120lbs). Also the equipment he rented to me didn't fit me ( I turned blue from how tight it was), and the BC was leaking the whole time and his student had to point it out.

That alone is enough to walk away. Yes you may lose some money, but I would find another instructor.

Question #1. Was this too soon and too little pool experience?

Yes

[Question #2. What is normal in terms of pressure on your ears? It was uncomfortable the whole time and I was trying to equalize pressure but never got there. Any tips?

Normal is you shouldn't have continuous pressure, meaning you shouldn't have to feel the discomfort throughout the dive. The 5 foot pool for an hour did you no favors.
I equalize at the surface, then just below and continue every few feet. Make sure you pull the hood away so you have water inside the ears. An extremely tight fitting hood can create another air space between the hood and the outer ear.

[Question #3 did the instructor act like this because this is how they are taught to speak and act?

Gaaawd I hope not, otherwise the majority of us have been doing it wrong. Just trying to lighten it up some.
Pick any industry and you'll find horrible, miserable people who should not be interacting with other humans.

[Question #4. Is it normal to have a little anxiety at first underwater?

At first I think all students have a little anxiety. Proper training can help alleviate some of it. If you had spent 14 hours, as an example, in the pool doing the various skills that you would be doing at Casino Point, do you think you would have had less anxiety?

Question #5. Is this good and I'm just anxious?

Whenever you make a comment "I felt unsafe" it is not good. One thing you need to do is file a report with their agency
Your training failed to meet a number of standards by any agency and frankly the instructor is subpar.
The best thing you can do is walk away and find a reputable instructor that is not going to try and short change you and will take the time you need to feel comfortable in the water.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Guy is a moron and quite likely to get you killed. One hour in the pool is horsecrap. My classes are 16 hours in the pool. Over 6-8 weeks. Can it be done in less time? Yes. But that means twice a week in the pool instead of one. I do not do pool sessions of more than 2 1/2 hours with OW students. Ever. More than that and people start to get tired and/or cold even in wetsuits early on. When that happens the learning process stops. I also see when doing long sessions that things tend to run together in people's minds and they do not absorb as much. The body and mind need to recover and process what they have just been subjected to. They can't do that with too little time and marathon 6&8 hour pool sessions I have heard of are just as bad if not worse. Get your money back and name this guy. You may save someone's life by doing so.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I have had to deal with an instructor similar to the one you were describing. it is deliberate malpractice which needs to be reported to PADI or whoever is the certification agency. Once that is taken care of I would look into instructors in your area that have a solid reputation behind them and a personal commitment towards graduating competent divers. Some are on this board too.

So sorry that this happened.

 

[Badge353]

I just finished OW. Seven weeks is plenty of time. Mine was done in the three. Saturday four hours of classroom. Sunday four hours of pool. Next weekend another four classroom and again on Sunday four hours of pool. Third weekend, Saturday beach entry, surface skills and regulator recovery. Sunday three boat dives to complete skills.

During my fourth dive another student swam next to me swung his hands out and knocked my mask crooked and regulator out. He never realized he did it. Point from pool time and practice even with limited dives I was able to properly handle this. I would say 1 hour in the pool is not enough time because things can happen that if you don't know the skill could hurt you.

 

[TMHeimer]

Bailey, It's all been said. Just curious--I assume you know how to swim from places other than the ocean. If not, this would be very advisable first.

 

[261311]

I was a third way through your post and as a diver in training even I feel you should find a new instructor. Mine takes everything slow, my first class we were given safe instructions on using all of the equipment we'd be using on the course, did a review on our books that we were to read to make sure we understood and spent an hour in the pool together all having fun under water after we were comfortable with our gear. There's something wholesome about being able to be in a group of people you enjoy, not need to worry about the course too much and just get used to the experience. My instructor is now moving into the important stuff now that we've had our shenanigans but it's truly motivated me to not only keep going through my course, but solidified my desire to become a diver. This was all done in the safety of a pool.

Q1: Was the out of pool experience too soon? Yes/ no. PADI regulations (the school I'm with) allow* for new divers to be in an open confined water environment (no current, not all too deep and good visibility [ie. same conditions you'll find in a pool]) under strict supervision. You're never to be alone.

Q2: Not sure what organization you're diving under but any with literature state that you should never be diving deeper if you can't clear your ears. It doesn't matter if your instructor wants to attach a piece of depleted uranium to your leg to get you down, this is your comfort and safety. Move back up slowly (1-3 ft), clear your ears, continue down. You should clear before you feel discomfort.

Q3: No. The instructor needs replacement like a blown tire.

Q4: It's normal to have anxiety trying anything new but the negative experience you're going through is only adding to that.

Q5: You'll have a wonderful time if you find someone worth the time and money who will want to you to succeed. This current situation is not good. Your dives should never leave you feeling scared and unsafe, you need to talk to your instructor about this experience, find a new one and learn from these negatives. Don't give up on diving because this is not what this is like when it goes well.

I also feel if I ask for my money back he would act out, I watched him cuss and scream all day, he wouldn't listen to any questions, he called it whining. Unless he bragged about himself he wasn't interested, no eggagerating here, he literally said asking about the vis, debth, BC, temp, was whining.

Even if this was an unproved feeling, you should find a new instructor just based on this fear. If there's proof to back it up, all the more reason. Report him if possible.

 

[Islandheart]

Like it has been said, tell him, "Refund Now or I report you",...... and if the gear you purchased does not fit... then he should have never sold it to you.

So refund that also.

Get an Instructor that cares and follows the training standards at a miminum.

Not saying you do, BUT If you need private instruction be honest about it and pay a little extra for it.

I just hate it when I read of situations like this.