Continuing diving education....

[Blue Space]

I just want your guy's impute on what steps to take in continuing my diving education....I understand there are a couple or routes to take..Wonder in your guy's and gals experiences whats the best way to go about it...I have OW with dives since Feb and I'm ready to continue my education....I will be going the Padi route sense a good friend of mine is an instructor there plus the LDS is second to none....


Thanks for any input...
Brandon

 

[PaulB]

You could take AOW and the adventure scuba course. Only take classes that you think would be worth it. Certs like boat diving and night diving are a waste of money unless you're into card collecting.
What also helps is just diving with a seasoned diver that knows what s/he is doing.

Dive often and safe.

 

[MikeFerrara]

There are two good reasons to take a class. 1, because it's going to teach you something of value. 2, For fun.

There are lots of classes that one might take just for the pure entertainment value. I had scheduled to take a class in UW archeology. I didn't get to go but it sure wasn't something I needed to know to improve my diving. I don't have any education in that area so it wasn't going to help me find work. It was just going to be a fun weekend checking out something that we have some interest in. The lake where the diving was being done isn't even a good dive.

 

[MISFIT DIVER]

I would have to echo everyone else. I have been doing the PADI route as well and have hooked up with two great instructors. I would suggest the AOW and rescue for sure. If you are going to do the specialties, I would do what you think is going to help you the most. There area I dive in and my interest have lead me to do the drysuit, deep, wreck, and nitrox. I also think navigation will be usefull as well as wreck. It has been stated a number of times that the best training is to dive with more experianced people and gain more experiance for yourself. The last AOW class I helped with I was suprized to see two people take it who both had over a hundred dives each. He said he waited so long because he did not see what good it would do him. Do not know what changed his mind. I do not think that you can go wrong with to much quality training.

 

[j-valve]

Is the Padi Master Diver cert worth the time and money or should I just stay with rescue? Would the Master Diver help one day for AI or instructor?

J

 

[Big-t-2538]

what are PADI's requirements for Master Diver....isn't it something like a number of specialties...I don't see how that really matters for being an AI or not.

 

[j-valve]

I know it won't matter, but I was wondering if the dives could be used towards the Instructor cert.

J

 

[WileEDiver]

J,

A dive is a dive. If it counts towards Master Scuba Diver, then it also counts towards anything else (DM, Instructor, etc.)

MSD just says that you've completed Rescue, 5 specialties, and 50 dives.

There is no "course" and no course fees, just the fees to process the cert card. You also get a certificate (suitable for framing) and a letter of congratulations from PADI with the c-card.

I went for the MSD just because the only thing lacking was the 50 dives, and I made #50 less than a week before my birthday so I was able to get the card dated on my b-day.

What excited me more than 50 dives was when my cumulative bottom time exceeded 24 hours. I got a kick out of knowing that I'd spent more than one whole day of my life living, breathing, and playing underwater.

 

[j-valve]

Thanks WileEDiver, thats just what I thought.

J