Online Padi Course

[ryssyr]

i am glad there is an elearning option. Its not for everyone, but for those who are quick learners or dont have the time or schedule that allows for the classroom sessions its great. Education and learning are very personal experiences.

If PADI, or any other agency offers eLearning and it is consistent with their in person course then its down to personal choice and preference. The one benefit from any online course is consistency. ...now if its consistently bad thats fodder for another thread.

 

[Dive-aholic]

First, to everyone that thinks I was implying the online course is the quickie course, I wasn't. I was referring to the entire format outlined by azscuba. I fully realize the online course can actually take more time to complete than the other options. BTW, I have been both a student and an instructor online. I'm all for that method of instruction.

Oh, and jpcpat, yes I am a cave diver. I don't advocate longer training because it will kill you if you don't take it. I advocate it because it produces better divers who have much better control of their buoyancy. In other words, they actually dive rather than just go under water with a tank on their back. There's a big difference.

Hi Dive-aholic, I think all your points are valid, so let me explain my situation. Last spring I went on a Resort Course in Maui and had the time of my life. I knew then that I HAD to scuba dive. As a very busy mom of 4 with a busy husband, and no time to do anything for myself, I haven't had the chance to pursue my dream. In 3 weeks, I am going to MX on a gals trip, IE no kids, I can do whatever I want, it suddenly occurred to me this is my chance to do my certification. Like all moms, I do my best thinking when the kids are in bed or at school, so the online study would really suit me. Do you think 3 weeks is enough time to study and do my poolwork on the weekends?

azscuba, does anyone else on this gals trip dive? If not, do you really think you'll be getting much diving in? Like I said, it's not the online course that I have a problem with. It's the whole format. You can buy a PADI CD-ROM or manual and do the work when the kids are in bed or at school just as well as studying online. Like has been pointed out, you still have to have face to face time with an instructor. The online course is nothing more than the CD-ROM through web access. One thing that it does limit is who you can complete the class with. Only certain PADI dive shops have signed up for this option. Sure 3 weeks would be enough time to do what you want to do, but it won't make you a good diver. Actually, with Sport Chalet, you could probably complete everything in one weekend. You just need to think about what your goal is. Do you want to go under water and be worried about swimming into the reef all the time or do you want to be trained how to maintain control of yourself and not swim into the reef and not even have to worry about it? That's the difference between the type of class you're considering and other types of courses. If you're interested in looking at a different option that could possibly get you ready to dive in 3 weeks, pm me.

 

[jpcpat]

Oh, and jpcpat, yes I am a cave diver. I don't advocate longer training because it will kill you if you don't take it. I advocate it because it produces better divers who have much better control of their buoyancy. In other words, they actually dive rather than just go under water with a tank on their back. There's a big difference.

Didn't mean to offend. I DO like poking gentle fun at cave divers, while looking at them with great respect for the depth of knowledge, training and skill that cave diving demands. In this case, I was using exaggeration to try and not scare a diver to be with unrealistic concerns.

A PADI Open water course, TAUGHT TO STANDARDS, is adequate training for diving the reefs of Mexico. It is not adequate, by itself, for northeast wreck diving, and certainly not for cave diving. Any instructor needs make all this very clear to every student. That was my point

 

[Dive-aholic]

No offense taken, just wanted to clarify. Actually, most open water courses, taught to standards, only teach new divers how to deal with issues underwater not how to dive. Very few new OW divers have decent buoyancy skills and this is something that is easily taught in an OW course if instructors and shops would simply put the time and effort into it.

 

[oly5050user]

Didn't mean to offend. I DO like poking gentle fun at cave divers, while looking at them with great respect for the depth of knowledge, training and skill that cave diving demands. In this case, I was using exaggeration to try and not scare a diver to be with unrealistic concerns.

A PADI Open water course, TAUGHT TO STANDARDS, is adequate training for diving the reefs of Mexico. It is not adequate, by itself, for northeast wreck diving, and certainly not for cave diving. Any instructor needs make all this very clear to every student. That was my point

Exactly.A person cannot be taught to learn everything about an activity at one time.Need additional training and experience.
An OW course does teach sometone to be able to have FUN in RECREATIONAL hat is what the course is designed for so that the person can dive in an environment similar /easier to what they were trained in.
Time it takes to get certified and $$ that the market will bear is a constraint on how much training/experience the instructor can deliver.You cannot charge $300. for an ow course that can take 75 hrs and train someone for northeast wrecks using drysuits /dbls etc.
You can charge $300. to train someone in 15 hrs to dive in northeast conditions at a quarry or easier/shallow wrecks /caribbean for ow certification.

 

[Dive-aholic]

But, unfortunately, most new "divers" aren't being trained to dive. They are being trained to go under water on scuba. There is a difference.

 

[Britt]

I currently teach SDI and their online system is very well written. I taught both SDI/TDI & PADI until renewal time this year and decided to focus on SDI/TDI for awhile since I get great support from them. I have no experience with the PADI E-Learning since they will not let an independent instructor or non-PADI store get access to it, but the SDI online system has made life easier on my students and myself and I still turn out safe divers when we finish the training.

The SDI online system covers OW, Deep, Computer Nitrox, Navigation, and Wreck, and FWIW, having the ability to let a student learn on their own schedule is great as long as they understand that the need to actually learn the info instead of remembering enough to get themselves through the course. Taking several weeks to do the online course is not uncommon, even though I have had several finish in a day and still retain the info. SDI has always been short and to the point with their info. Less fluff and more safety and knowledge is my method of teaching anyway.

Online works for some if not most students. In my area, there is a majority of NASA employees and contractors who have really hard schedules to work with. Once they finish the online system, I go over everything with them in the pool just to insure that they understand it. I add my personal touch to the class to make sure that the student knows all the things that would have been covered in the classroom that is not in the books or online.

 

[zackdon]

Hello,

There is about 50 replies to this but here is my 2 cents. Sitting in a classroom gives some of the greatest evaluation time for your instructor. If you have any questions who are you going to ask? Send an email. You can do this online thing but remember. This is the only company doing this because it is a bad idea. Don't be in a hurry. It is your life and if you don't respect your life , know that water will take it from you in about,, how long can we live without air?

 

[Dive-aholic]

I don't know that online instruction is necessarily a bad idea. The way I teach my courses is by doing most of the teaching in the water and during surface intervals anyway. The online course is just a different format of delivery. It's basically the CD-ROM offered online. The course doesn't really change. So how is that a bad idea?

 

[sea-nile]

I don't think it is a bad idea either. If a person lives very far from a dive shop or needs a flexible schedule it is a great option. You will do the confined water dives with an instructor so you can ask questions then. Also, the dive shop that I am working with said I could come and ask questions or call any time.
It does not mean that it is necessarily a quickie course online. It is what you make it. You can study and go over the material as much as you want and you have lfetime access to the website.
I just think that if I did it over again, I would choose the classroom.