Dangerous dive shop ? what do you think ?

[jackuk]

1. I tried this dive shop in Gili Trawangan for DSD, but dont want to continue with them for OW
   
   1. On my 1^st visit to the shop on the mainland I was completely ignored !
      
   2. On my 2^nd visit I found the sales people to be too pushy ! And they wanted to charge me for the boat trip to the island where the diving takes place.
      
   3. When I got to the island despite my gut instinct of not using this dive shop, I went in and had a long chat with the manager of the dive shop, and she convinced me that it would be a safe and a nice experience. I did explain to her that I am very nervous about diving and I would need someone experienced.
      
   4. When I booked DSD, I was assigned an instructor with 15 years of experience and when I turned up the next morning I was given the instructor who has been teaching for only 1 year !. No explanation whatsoever I was just told that the instructor who was assigned originally had to do some other stuff !!!
      
   5. ****Warning*** It was not very reassuring when the instructor said that he dived 42 meters on a previous occasion when he knew he was out of air ! (apparently he thought it would be a good idea to buddy breath with his girlfriend)
      
   6. Towards the end of my first open water dive I panicked ! (later reading the book and watching the video I figured out that this was probably due to over exhaustion )
      
   7. I was too exhausted after the end of the first day (DSD pool session and open dive + 30 laps in the pool , for OW + floating 15 mins for OW + 3 chapters of the book + 3 sections of DVD + 3 knowledge review – Instructor was watching porn on his laptop while I was doing my self study vids, reviews and stuff, which I thought was nice)
      
   8. I turned up on the 2^nd day still feeling very tired and asked the instructor maybe we could schedule it so that I will have time to recover. His response was if you take a day off today you will have to do 3 dives tomorrow !!!
      
   9. 3 dives in one day (when I just had 1 dive under my belt and panicked at the end of that single dive), so that the instructor can teach more students and dive shop can get more money. I was told in no uncertain terms that this was a business so you have to do 3 dives the next to complete my OW.
      
   10. I made it clear to the instructor and the manager that while money was their priority safety was my primary concern and that I will NOT do 3 dives in one day with my limited experience and that I will NOT dive when I am physically exhausted !
       
   11. Other issues
       
       1. The PADI manual they used is an old 2008 book, I have the 2010 version ! Which i've read 5 times, so I had to use my own book for the knowledge reivew.
          
       2. Malfunctioning DVDs (probably outdated) and DVD players
          

 

[Diver0001]

You're not going to like hearing this, but little you said here gives me alarm bells about the shop in question; however, I certainly have alarm bells about you. It's clear to me that you are the type of person who is best suited to private instruction 1:1 with a very patient instructor.

Do yourself a favor and don't take courses at a resort. You seem to be focused on the cost of it all but the tempo of instruction offered on vacation courses is not a good match for your needs. If safety is really your primary concern then find a private instructor who you have a "click" with and go with that, regardless of the cost.

R..

 

[Wookie]

This sport isn't for everyone. You may be happier with a nice sport that doesn't involve fast cars or breathing underwater.

 

[jackuk]

Wow thanks !
This was 1:1
Call me stupid but safety is my 1st priority because I have this disability of being unable to breath underwater like the fish do !
Btw isn't (and shouldn't ) safety be the primary concern of every diver ? and here I assumed PADI and SSI were all about improving safety !
how silly of me !
Why do these PADI people say such silly things as not to dive if you are physically exhausted , hmm... maybe they need to revise their manual ?

You're not going to like hearing this, but little you said here gives me alarm bells about the shop in question; however, I certainly have alarm bells about you. It's clear to me that you are the type of person who is best suited to private instruction 1:1 with a very patient instructor.

Do yourself a favor and don't take courses at a resort. You seem to be focused on the cost of it all but the tempo of instruction offered on vacation courses is not a good match for your needs. If safety is really your primary concern then find a private instructor who you have a "click" with and go with that, regardless of the cost.

R..

---------- Post added December 7th, 2012 at 08:38 AM ----------

Absolutely I just like to ride motorbikes on F1 circuits guess is much safer than fast cars

This sport isn't for everyone. You may be happier with a nice sport that doesn't involve fast cars or breathing underwater.

 

[Lorenzoid]

You list 11 things that bothered you. Do you really need to ask opinions here? If the shop simply doesn't feel like a good fit, go somewhere else. What would be the point of recruiting people on SB to comment on your experiences? If it doesn't feel right to YOU, that's all that matters.

That said, if you try a second shop and have similar feelings, then maybe the problem is you, not the shop.

 

[Zippsy]

What made you so exhausted that you felt that it was unsafe to do three dives after a day's rest? If you really felt that way, you don't need our concurrence. If it doesn't feel right to you, don't dive. I would, however, suggest getting checked out for some medical issues because I'd be surprised if any reasonably healthy person would have trouble with doing the physical part of the course. I've taught 65 year-old grandmothers before and they didn't seem phased with three dives per day while also doing the reading, theory, exams, etc.

 

[Zieg]

I've come to realize that "safety" is a relative term. What is safe to some is not safe for others. I am very comfortable in the water. I take it you are not. There are things I do that I know most overly "Safety" conscious divers would consider insane.

 

[jackuk]

Thanks ! I agree with the 11 points etc
but all these shops do is SELL SELL SELL and cram OW in to 3 days, now my 2 Ph.Ds and the 16 years of academic experience says that this is not a good learning or teaching strategy !

You list 11 things that bothered you. Do you really need to ask opinions here? If the shop simply doesn't feel like a good fit, go somewhere else. What would be the point of recruiting people on SB to comment on your experiences? If it doesn't feel right to YOU, that's all that matters.

That said, if you try a second shop and have similar feelings, then maybe the problem is you, not the shop.

 

[Zieg]

Wow thanks !
Absolutely I just like to ride motorbikes on F1 circuits guess is much safer than fast cars

I know quite a few people who live for track days. My son has even raced on the CCS circuit. I think they are insane and they think the same of me. Perhaps you should stick to something you with which you feel comfortable.

 

[jackuk]

Thanks , I feel comfortable with diving and just loved the first dive , and will be doing dives all over the world in the next few months (actually I've been traveling for 2 years, hate it when I don't have diving skills). But as in business I like to minimise risk and be intelligent about it, just like wearing a helmet when riding bikes . My primary objective is to learn the techniques so that I will be minimising the risks

I know quite a few people who live for track days. My son has even raced on the CCS circuit. I think they are insane and they think the same of me. Perhaps you should stick to something you with which you feel comfortable.