Two Day Certification Course (PADI) ?

hambleto · Oct 13, 2003

I hope that I do not ruffle two many peoples feathers, but I am curios to find out how you feel about two day cortication courses offered through Padi? Do you think that for your basic shallow diving this is adequate training? (Especially if it will be two students with one instructor in a private class) Or do you not think you can learn the basics in that amount of time? I look forward to hearing your opinion.
Thank you,
Ben

ihunter · Oct 13, 2003

Hmmm. Depends on where the "graduates" will be diving and with whom. I certainly wouldn't want to buddy up with one.

Students and Instructors are individuals, and one can never account for outstanding (or incompetent) individuals. That said, even if the course was intensive, all day, small group, hands on, I would argue that the instructor might not have enough time to get to know the student well enough to judge whether or not they're safe...

BTW, is this the "course" PADI targets for "pre-certification" where graduates still need to dive with PADI instructors afterward?

hambleto · Oct 13, 2003

The course is actualy a full OW course. The student does all their book work at home and brings their tests in. They meet with the instructor, hand in the tests, fill out forms, review, take the final and then head over to the pool for confined water. By that after noon they are doing open water dives one and two. The next day they do the same thing, confined in the morning, open in afternoon. They are issued their temp C card that afternoon.

I have seen several places offering this course.

GQMedic · Oct 13, 2003

Two days is just simply not enough time to absorb a OW certification course. With much material to cover, then, SKILLS, and IMHO lecture and skills should never be skimped on, both go hand in hand.

Karl_in_Calif · Oct 13, 2003

Private classes move faster, because you do not have 8 to 20 students performing drills while everyone waits and shivers.

It is fairly common to have couple(s) ask for private training, and for that training to move really fast. They are usually getting ready for a resort trip.

Learning curve takes time, however. It is not always a good idea to rush things too much.

Where to draw the line is unclear.

I am not a PADI instructor, so I will not criticize nor endorse PADI's methods.

MHK · Oct 13, 2003

hambleto once bubbled...
I hope that I do not ruffle two many peoples feathers, but I am curios to find out how you feel about two day cortication courses offered through Padi? Do you think that for your basic shallow diving this is adequate training? (Especially if it will be two students with one instructor in a private class) Or do you not think you can learn the basics in that amount of time? I look forward to hearing your opinion.
Thank you,
Ben

Ben,

This is how I answer that type of questions to my students. Ask yourself this question " If you wanted to learn to play golf, would you go to the golf pro that would teach you the fastest?".. "If you wanted to be a black belt in Karate, would you go to the instructor that would promise it in a few weeks, or the instructor that would make you earn it?"..

You get my point, in this sport there are instructors/agencies that will do as little as possible and there are instructors/agencies that will go far above the minimum.

So if you wouldn't accept a " 2 day" golf class, why do it in a sport where you could easily die absent solid training?? The choice is yours..

Later

Charlie99 · Oct 13, 2003

The 2 day course really only works if the student does a good job of preparing beforehand.

Really read, study, and really understand the complete OW manual.

Get comfortable in the water. Hopefully, you are used to breath hold swimming underwater and/or snorkeling. A 2 day course doesn't work if you have spend a lot of time figuring out how to breathe from a regulator with a mask off, or figuring out how to clear a mask.

As others have noted, a 2 day course doesn't work for large classes since the class has to proceed at the pace of the slowest student. Two of you together in a private course should work if BOTH of you are ready.

Don't fall in the trap of one person being the "dependent" buddy --- depending upon the other person to have learned the material. This often happens when spouses learn together. Be sure that BOTH students have learned and practiced everything.

Enjoy!

jviehe · Oct 13, 2003

I'm all for it. Basic OW is getting easier and easier. Especially with a lot of charters offering DM led dives. A 2 day course limited to say 4 divers, and maybe a limited cert, say to 60ft max, could get people in the water faster. Diving is about recreation, and its not rocket science. You dont even have to learn tables anymore, with computers being so efficient and dependable. You could even charge more.

hambleto · Oct 13, 2003

The only reason I brought this topic up, I have seen courses that range from 2 nights a week for four weeks followed by a whole weekend at a quary. I also have seen courses that take two days of diving in springs. I myself believe more is better. I would rather take longer to be safe then to rush in just to get the card at the end. As pointed out I could die under the water, but that is my life. When I am a person's budy, then they are putting thier life into my hands also. (I hope that makes sense). What bothers me more is the price range of these classes. For the same Padi OW card I have seen it range from 200 dollars including all the gear to 700 dollars including all the gear. I am just wondering how other people see things.

Ben

Karl_in_Calif · Oct 13, 2003

Learning takes place with repetition and reinforcement.

Doing anything one time through does not allow much if any time for learning to take place.

Scuba is an extreme sport. You can get into an extremely lot of trouble if you have not learned what to do properly.

Two Day Certification Course (PADI) ?

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