Most Bang For Your Buck

[mike.chuanshi]

Which training agency do you feel offers the best training for the amount that you typically pay for a given course?
Are there any courses you think deserve special recognition?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

None of the above. The best bang for the buck comes from selecting the right instructor ... not the agency. There are competent and less competent instructors in all of them.

How much you pay depends on the individual business ... the agency doesn't specify or even recommend how much you charge for your class.

For example, it's not hard at all to find a PADI OW class for $179. I recently spoke to a shop that charges $1000 for the same class.

Which one do you suppose gives the best bang for the buck? Without knowing what's provided with each class, it's difficult to say ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Ryan Nelson]

Yea it's definitely important to get the right instructor. My GF and I paid 1000 for OW lessons. The instructor was very incompetent. He failed to show us the basics like equalizing and proper trim and buoyancy. He gave us just enough info to be dangerous. Lucky for us we were determined to become better divers and hooked up with a great group of mentor's who filled in the missing gaps.

Now 200+ dives later I would tell someone that the OW classes are a good start, but NOTHING is as good as time in the water. So many techniques are taught by the people who they work for, doesn't necessarily mean they will work for you.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[bradells]

I voted 'Other'

My best bang for the buck is hiring GUE instructors (or 'on the way to become' Instructors) for private lessons. Hands down the best $$ I spent aside from just diving.

Let them know what your goals are, and try to absorb as much as you can!


BRad

 

[rhwestfall]

instructor, instructor, instructor (oh, and motivated student)....

Price can be irrelevant - My cert was $25 as a lab fee (plus the textbook -New Science of Skin and Scuba Diving) in college as the teacher was a staff member, and a YMCA instructor, and it was a PE credit. My only other out of pocket expense was food for the weekend when we did our open water dives, and a healthy tip to the local fire department who filled out tanks gratis.

 

[Redshift]

Neither buck, nor bang are determined by the agencies.
That said, there are some things to consider. For example, CMAS works through federations and they are responsible for the materials for each country. In many countries, these materials are not as nice as those from an organisation like PADI. If "bang" is books, videos, folders, etc, then clearly there are differences. On the other hand, CMAS can be taught in clubs and then the instruction is at cost, with volunteer instructors. That's a lot less bucks...
But as others said, quality will come from the instructor and the school. That will make the difference.

 

[SeaCobra]

admittedly, a little biased. but all things being equal I feel NAUI has a better program, one of the reasons is the degree of rescue skills taught at every level of training.

 

[Redshift]

Agree, and I forgot to touch that point, sometimes agencies do have big differences in their programs and an instructor may be good, but will be more or less limited to what the agency has prepared for a certain level. For instance, PADI AOW is, in my opinion, quite weak.

 

[knotical]

Curious how you chose those agencies. You missed some heavy hitters, especially
BSAC, but also:
ACUC
ANDI
CEDIP
IDEA
NASE
PDIC
etc. etc. (see my signature block)

 

[mike.chuanshi]

Curious how you chose those agencies. You missed some heavy hitters, especially
BSAC, but also:
ACUC
ANDI
CEDIP
IDEA
NASE
PDIC
etc. etc. (see my signature block)

Limited to 12 options...