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Mercracing
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Yes, please explain why not to go there?
Question Out of state, looking for AOW class in FL
- Thread starter Mercracing
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Do not go to Rainbow Reef. They are literally criminals and the instructors are often sub par at best.
jadairiii
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Ft Lauderdale area is a great area to train. lots of shops, Lots of dive boats, short boat runs to the reef and unlimited beach diving. If the wind starts blowing, most shops will use Tiger Tail lake for training dives and Blue Heron Bridge can also be used. Lots of options. Keys are nice but you can get blown out, especially during the winter.
acox134957
Registered
i second Conch Republic!! Great folks...great instructors.
I’ve seen first hand the instructors they produce and that is enough for me!
Vitaminless
New
Check out underseas sports in Lauderdale. I got certificated PADI OW in a couple of years ago and I did my AA(the SSI AOW equivalence) with them this summer and the intructors are great and transfering from one agency to another is effortless.
I would highly recommend Dixie Divers in Deerfield Beach.....we are ~20 mins away from FLL airport. We have an array of experienced PADI Instructors. Knowledgeable & experienced shop staff. We have our own pool on-site @ the dive shop, our own classroom on-site @ shop, and a very nice 46' Newton less than 1 mile from our location. Our captain has been running dive boats for over 30 years. We are always running deals. Feel free to call any time & ask for CJ or Ronny, 954-420-0009 we'll be happy to help you out.
For those asking why: I too am not a fan of Rainbow Reef, and have had several less-than-great experiences diving with them. But they are (relatively) affordable and convenient, esp when diving without a buddy, and YMMV.
Just curious as to why it has to be a PADI course? Once you get beyond open water, it should be about the instructor and what they bring to the table. An instructor who also teaches tech classes is likely to give a more comprehensive skills and education based course. As opposed to someone who just ticks the boxes and covers the minimum standards.
There are a number of recreational instructors I wouldn't get in the pool with.
A tech instructor is more likely to cover new skills and knowledge rather than spend much of the class just giving a taste of "advanced dives" and allow her to actually earn the card instead of just buying it.
An aow cert is not only worthless, but can be dangerous if it gives her access to sites she has no business being on without new skills and knowledge.
A number of ops won't care how little she knows. They'll put her on those dives simply because of the aow card.
It's a get out of jail free for them if she gets hurt.
There are a number of recreational instructors I wouldn't get in the pool with.
A tech instructor is more likely to cover new skills and knowledge rather than spend much of the class just giving a taste of "advanced dives" and allow her to actually earn the card instead of just buying it.
An aow cert is not only worthless, but can be dangerous if it gives her access to sites she has no business being on without new skills and knowledge.
A number of ops won't care how little she knows. They'll put her on those dives simply because of the aow card.
It's a get out of jail free for them if she gets hurt.
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