Newbie Question: 1-Week Crash Courses?

Hey folks! First time poster, complete diving newbie with a couple of questions.

I'd like to learn to dive. One of our emergency physicians is a diver and said that there are places along the coast that offer crash courses that will allow you to become certified in a week. I'm a bit skeptical about this idea, so I thought it best to ask about it here. Questions:

• Is this a safe and reasonable way to learn the basics?
• If it is, can anyone suggest a good dive shop in the Panama City Beach, FL vicinity that offers these courses?
• What's the best time of year to do this?

All comments and suggestions welcome - thanks loads!

This depends on the diver in question. If you are intelligent, ready to learn, and motivated I say go for it. When you get done, and feel as if you don't have the proper training, you can always practice and/or get more training.

Don't know of any places, sorry.

Now is a great time. The water is warming up and you'll have all summer to dive and practice before things get chilly.

Peter Doege

In the course I teach, we have about 10 hours of classroom time divided into five sessions, then a final. For pool work, we have about 12 hours of pool time divided into five sessions. We then do six open water dives over three days.
I do run a one week course, 5-6 hours a day Monday-Thursday, with alternating pool and academic sessions each day, then two open water dives Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Students live and breathe SCUBA for the entire week, and they get the entire course with zero shortcuts in seven days. If this is the kind of course you're talking about, then yes, it can be done. The chief disadvantage of doing this kind of course is that there's little time to handle problems, and if someone has trouble with a particular skill or gets sick for even one day they may very well have to be left behind and picked up with the next class, whereas in our more leisurely six week plan there's plenty of time for extra sessions and make-ups.
There are "weekend wonder" courses out there too, where shortcuts are taken, and those I do not recommend.
FYI, my two "Scuba Camp" weeks this summer are 9-15 June and 28 July-3 August. The dives are at Vortex Springs and Panama City. PM me if you are interested.
Rick

pdoege once bubbled...
This depends on the diver in question. If you are intelligent, ready to learn, and motivated I say go for it.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply, Peter.

Well - I'm 45, a quick learner and am very motivated to learn whatever is necessary. I just know from my very limited knowledge of what happens in this area (SE Wisconsin) that most people do it over a much longer period of time. As a result, I was very intrigued with the "crash course" idea - and the thought of doing that in a place where I could do my dives in the ocean was awesome.

Can you tell me more about these crash courses? How many hours of classroom instruction - how many hours of diving, etc? Or suggest some resources that might help in that area??

Thanks again!

Thanks for the info, Rick. For a person in my current situation - would you recommend the 1-week stint... or am I being unrealistic? It sounds like a FABULOUS way to go. Love that total immersion idea!

The weekend wonder courses turn out thousands of divers. Very, very few have problems.

I have a somewhat unique, spontaneous personality.

I would be tempted to read and learn as much as possible before going, practice what you can in a pool, take the really short course, get the CCard, and then dive like a mother for the rest of the week.

That may just be me though. Could be the testosterone talking again. It does that quite often.

Peter

Contacting you via PM...
Rick

pdoege once bubbled...
... I would be tempted to read and learn as much as possible before going, practice what you can in a pool, take the really short course, get the CCard, and then dive like a mother for the rest of the week....

Click to expand...

Sounds intriguing, but for a guy with no gear, it poses some problems. I thought the 1-week course could also help me with that part of it - give me some idea what I need, what I should avoid, etc. Correct?

As far as reading is concerned, got any faves you'd recommend right off the top?

OK - on a TOTALLY unrelated note... what the %$#&! is with the subject line getting inserted automatically every time I post a reply?! That's gonna drive me nuts! The other bulletin board I frequent running the same software (Reef Central) posts replies with blank subject lines unless you choose to insert one.

Help!

Rick - Sent you a PM reply and am composing an email with questions to your Adventure Sports address.