Dive with Elena (and Netdoc) review

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Messages
1
Reaction score
7
Location
United States
# of dives
0 - 24
I would just like to comment on my recent training down in the Keys. Several months ago I received my PADI Open Water training by an extremely competent and experienced local agency, Coral Reef Dive Shop in Slidell, LA (Thanks Rick!). I was told that it would be more than beneficial to progress to the Advanced Open Water training as it was not really the second stage of overall dive training but more realistically the 2nd half of the Open Water training certification itself. Having experienced my initial dives at several sites in Panama City, FL (which was awesome), I was more than anxious to head south to try out my new skills in the Dive capital of the world, Key Largo. I knew I would need a guide and decided it would be to my advantage to not only explore one of the most beautiful places in the world but to continue my training at the same time. I initially signed up with a very reputable retail PADI dive shop who was very responsive with sending me the necessary study materials. However, I was very leery about the attention I would receive with the bigger shops as they have a tendency to shuffle not only their customers through their programs, but the sheer size requires them to shuffle around their trainers so prior communications with the trainer you would get to attempt to get more acquainted prior to arrival was near impossible.In the days leading up to my trip, I decided to research the area a little more carefully. My current local instructor, Rick Sutton, is a highly skilled Technical Diver who's insight extends over and above the standard cert info and is above reproach. This led me to the discovery of Diving with Elena.
To divert for a moment,on one hand you hare large commercial retail dive shops that are one stop everything you need for your dive vacation. they follow a strict script and ensure that you get exactly what you expect. Then you have the specialists. These are the shops who show you what you need to not only receive your cert,, but how to succeed, exceed, survive, give you the tools to advance, and the understanding of what it is you are trying to accomplish.


At Diving with Elena, Elena and Pete exceeded my expectations beyond measure. Not only was their training the type of information I will process for a long time to come, but they were able to work with me and my schedule in a way that I don't believe the larger agencies would be able to accommodate.I had multiple conversations with them prior to my arrival to ensure we were on the same page and comfortable with expectations throughout the entire training session. I have been fortunate to find such invaluable trainers with a background in technical diving. Where some trainers will show you the 1,2,3,4 step dance, they will make sure you understand and are comfortable with step 1 before progressing to step 2. and might even through in a step 1.5 just for added insight.

just an FYI, The Advanced cert. I am pursuing is NASE as I find there methods more in line with my mode of thinking. Not that there is anything wrong with the others, i.e. PADI, but I find NASE's history in commercial technical training more in line with the mindset of safety that I appreciate. Recreational or Commercial, safety is and should be job one.



For anyone interested in venturing into this incredible world of diving but have any reservations, let this group take you for a day in Pennekamp Park, introduce you to a couple of lobster dens, and before you know it you will be following them to wrecks and depths you would not have imagined possible.
 
Good to hear things worked out so well for you. Any particular dive sites in Key Largo that you liked the best? Did you hit any of the big name wrecks? Where did you stay? I ask because this info. is often useful to other people considering a trip to a dive destination.

Richard.
 
I'm sure they mentioned it repeatedly but this is Elena - [user]mselenaous[/user] - and this is Pete - [user]NetDoc[/user] without whom none of us would be reading this...:acclaim:

Welcome to ScubaBoard.
 
Pete & Elena are always fun to dive with. Fang has not learned to dive but she can snorkle...
 
Welcome to Scuba Board.

I think you made a really good point. The instructors and their teaching style is what makes for a great learning experience, not the training agency.

~Oldbear~
:bounce2: :bounce3: :bounce4:
 
Thanks for the more than kind words, DP.

To be fair, DP was a great student and was incredibly motivated. Moreover, his far better half, while not a diver, supported him at every point. She was patient and interested in what was going on and I can't tell you how much that helps. Hopefully we'll get her diving at some point. :D :D :D Moreover, he was more interested in adding skills and not just another certification. Having the right attitude and support always helps the instructor to do a better job. This was a fun, fun class.

One of the things Elena and I do differently, is to take our AOW students to the pool to make sure their trim, buoyancy and kicking are adequate. DP wasn't all that bad, but I believe he certainly learned a lot. Laying the groundwork like that pays dividends on subsequent dives. Elena remarked that he was quite pleased that his air supply stopped being his limiting factor. I think we were four or five hours in the pool that day. we both left exhausted but happy with the progress.

The next day we visited my favorite mud hole here in the Keys: Cannon Beach in the Pennekamp National Park. It was here he got to practice his new buoyancy and kicking skills over an acre of silt. He did awesome. Shooting the bag went well and we invaded several lobster dens, checked out the cannons, the anchor and even found a thumb nail sized Cassiopeia, the upside down jelly fish. DP was also stoked to find a waterproof camera... at least until we surfaced and found it wasn't truly waterproof. Elena took it over from there.

You might wonder why I prefer to take my students to a mud hole instead of out on the reefs for their first dives. It all amounts to time and pressure. We spent over three hours in the water which wouldn't have been possible on a boat. There's also a lack of pressure as we are free to simply take our time and not have to keep the boat's schedule. That I have an acre of silt for my students' enjoyment just makes it perfect for divers working on their anti-silt techniques. Make no doubt about it, there is a lot to see. Coral, sponges, crabs, lobsters and lots of jeuvenile fish all give us a lot to look at. We were surprised by a largish school of Tarpon that shadowed us during our dive. We've also seen sharks, manatee and even had porpoise play in our bubbles.
 
Thanks DP for the very nice review. We are glad you had a great experience and look forward to diving with you again soon.
Day 1 was spent in the pool with Netdoc working on trim, propulsion techniques, and buoyancy control.
Day 2 DP dove with Netdoc at Pennekamp Park where he worked on nonsilting diving, navigation, and DSMB deployment from safety stop.
Day 3 DP and I dove aboard Ocean Divers. First dive was DP's deep dive on the Duane where he realized how fast one can use up air in strong current and at depth. Observing an OOA diver sharing with his buddy on the line coming up really enforced to DP the concepts of gas planning, knowing your limits, and good buddy skills & communication. Second dive was on French Reef where David worked on underwater imaging with his GoPro and learned about task loading. We grabbed a quick lunch at Sharkeys and hopped back on the boat. Third dive was a fish ID dive at the Benwood. We ask all of our AOWs to complete a Fish Survey and enter the data at REEF.org. "Citizen Science" is an important contribution any diver can make on any dive anywhere in the world. DP was looking great, horizontal, relaxed and having fun. More importantly he realized his gas consumption had improved by over 20%. Now that DP had completed his AOW class, we had a fun dive back to French Reef where he led the dive using compass & natural navigation...and made it back to the boat :) .
DP was impressed that each of these last 2 dives were almost an hour.
DP did a great job and anyone looking for a good dive buddy should look him up.
DP, we hope to see your Mrs. diving soon. :)

Happy Diving!
Elena
 
I have never met Netdoc or Elena,
Ya never know when that's gonna happen. I was was out in the yard the other day when this nice guy walks by with his dog and asks if I'm a diver. I said yes and that I owned this website called ScubaBoard. His response was "You're NetDoc???" It was good to finally put a face to Deeper Thoughts and to find that he's a neighbor was a huge bonus. :D
 

Back
Top Bottom