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Near Misses and Lessons LearnedHere is a forum to discuss those incidents that ended well but could easily have ended badly, and the lessons learned from them.
I second Dave's comment. You are to be commended for keeping your head. To be blunt, this guy is a dangerous bozo, giving instructors a bad name. Please don't let this block your interest in getting certified.
What an amazing story!
Do the rest of the diving world a favor and let everyone you know the name of the shop and who that instructor is.
You must be one courageous woman, your boyfriend is very lucky to have you in his life.
Wow... just wow! This sounds like all the bad experiences I read on this forum rolled-up into one post. This instructor is about as dangerous as they get. Even if he turns out to not be a "certified" instructor, no diver with any regard for their fellow man (or woman) would subject beginning divers to these conditions for OW qualification. Thank you for persuing this further. By all means, reveal his name and dive school on this forum. Maybe he can come here and post his side of the story to explain himself (I doubt it). If he's as bad as you described, he shouldn't get another opportunity to teach diving. Helping purge this instructor would be a big favor to your local dive community.
Since you've stated that you have about 10-15 dives (I'm assuming DSD), you know how wonderful diving can and should be. Search this website, and I'm sure you'll find plenty of sources for safe and pleasant certification in your area. Good luck.
Wow, that is a horrible experience! I'm so sorry that you and your bf had to go through it....but I'm glad you were both level-headed, called the dive when it didn't feel right, and came away from the situation unharmed and alive.
I would second the notion of naming the instructor / dive operation / dive shop. After having gone through this yourself, I'm sure you don't want some other unsuspecting diver going through the same thing. Knowing who to stay away from is half the battle.
Hopefully this situation has not put you off diving. As you already know, diving can be a wonderful experience when it's done correctly....unfortunately, this was your bf's first taste of it, and all he knows is how miserable and scary it can be. A good instructor will be able to help you out, and I hope you do continue.
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"Worrying about buddies on a full DIR boat is like worrying about where you're going to score weed at Burning Man." -Rainer
Thanks to everyone for your support and advice. I've actually already begun the process of reporting this to PADI so for now I think it's best if the person's name remains private to avoid any legal problems. Hopefully he won't have the opportunity to put anybody else through this situation once PADI has investigated the issue, but if for any reason the man is allowed to keep his license I will name him and his shop on the board and everywhere else I can. In the meantime if anybody plans to dive in Colombia feel free to PM me for details.
I'm definitely not going to let this put me off diving, in fact I have already found somebody (reputable) to teach us the theory part and hopefully give my us a more pleasant diving experience!
This is quite a disturbing story, I can't speak for someone that hasn't had formal training from a reputable dive school and would know immediately that proper protocols were not being followed and that your safety was not a concern. The best thing coming from this experience is that you definately sound like you learned a valuable lesson, fortunately it did not result in a loss of life in your case. Understand there is no substitute for a formal diving education, If a person can not produce instructor crendentials report them to the organization they claim to be representing or local authorities. I hope this doesn't stop you from pursuing a life of diving, There is always some risk involved when diving however doing so without proper training isn't adventure it's a body recovery waiting to happen.
Fellow SB members,
Due to ongoing legal procedures OP can and will not give names on this.
Please don't ask for them any more.
Info is known to me,and will stay here for as long as need be.
Thanks to everyone for your support and advice. I've actually already begun the process of reporting this to PADI so for now I think it's best if the person's name remains private to avoid any legal problems. Hopefully he won't have the opportunity to put anybody else through this situation once PADI has investigated the issue, but if for any reason the man is allowed to keep his license I will name him and his shop on the board and everywhere else I can. In the meantime if anybody plans to dive in Colombia feel free to PM me for details.
I'm definitely not going to let this put me off diving, in fact I have already found somebody (reputable) to teach us the theory part and hopefully give my us a more pleasant diving experience!
PERFECT course of action....I'm glad to hear you've done this! I'm sure PADI will take care of it.
I'm also glad to hear you will continue with your training and get out there to dive! Hopefully you actually do a confined water dive this time around....that's where the basics, like learning to use the BC low pressure inflator, should be addressed. I'm sure your bf will find it to be a MUCH better experience!
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"Worrying about buddies on a full DIR boat is like worrying about where you're going to score weed at Burning Man." -Rainer
Wow! What can be said? I guess that goes for asking to actually see the instructor's credentials before taking a course with them. Of course, that really won't stop a bad or dangerous instructor, but if the instructor is reluctant or refuses to show his/ her qualifications, then you can be reasonably sure there are some sort of issues going on. Personally, it would not bother me in the least to have to show mine, if asked. Students entrust themselves to us to keep them safe & to teach them the skills they need to know to be safe as divers once they get through the course. That is an enormous responsibility & one I take very seriously. I am sorry to hear that this individual did not take his responsibilities to you seriously. Good to know you both came through the situation without serious injury or worse. It is good to hear that you did not let this individual ruin your desire to learn to dive. Kudos to you & your boyfriend!
. Good to know you both came through the situation without serious injury or worse. It is good to hear that you did not let this individual ruin your desire to learn to dive. Kudos to you & your boyfriend!
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