Padi VS SSI

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then training agency is the instructor. Talk to both instructors and base your decision on the quality of the instructor not the agency. You should also talk to people certified by them and see how they liked them.
 
NOT the agency.

As Burke suggested, do some homework on some local Instructors and find out which ones can match your personal diving goals.

Bon chance,

~SubMariner~
 
I did SSI and my instructor rocked, but I think it is more a function of the dive shop not the agency. A reputable shop will tend to recruit solid instructors. The agencies just supply the materials
(which I'm guessing are pretty much the same: Log book, Video, C-card, book)
 
As others have said it really comes down to the instructor and the LDS as both PADI and SSI cover pretty much the same info. The instructor is most often the determining factor in how much you learn. Also, dive shops differ in how they prefer to handle courses. When my wife and I did our OW class (SSI) we did the classes over a period of several weeks. I have heard of several DS's which give you the workbooks and video's and do all the classroom and confined water training in 1 weekend. I much preferred the several weeks method as it gave me more time to digest all the info and get any questions I had answered without being rushed. It also made for a smaller class since we met 1 evening a week for 2-4 hours. Some of the weekend classes are 6-14 divers per instructor and have to proceed quickly to cover all the material.

Try to find an instructor that fits your personality and can make the boring material seem interesting. Our instructor is a cave diver and must have been the class clown when he was in school. My wife and I had a great time in the class. We both feel that the good times we had in class encouraged us that diving was great fun and had us set to dive a bunch. Since OW class we have completed 4 specialty classes, racked up over 30 dive apiece and are now AOW certified.

One more piece of advice for you. Make sure that if you find an instructor that you like and are comfortable with that you do your checkout dives with that instructor if at all possible. Doing your first few dives with someone around that you have confidence in and who make you feel comfortable can mean all the world when doing your checkouts. We had a different instructor, from the same shop, and it took my wife 2 dives before she felt comfortable with him and was able to complete all her skills successfully.
 
I did my OW, Advanced and 8 specialties with SSI and my Divemastwer with PADI. Both agencies were good just a little different approach. The key is the instructor. SSI and PADI cards are equal when it comes to renting gear and such. The individual who trained you and how well you learned are more important than any agency. I don't think much about agency when I DM or dive with new people. I think more about the individual and their skill level.


Scott
 
I agree, its the instructor that counts! Find an instructor you like and go with him/her regardless of the agency.
 
A great point came up in Cbriggs' well-articulated post: the time spent in class can make the difference between whether you join the masses who got their c-card & never used it after the class (with the exception of the vacation scheduled for the day after the class ended) or whether u join the camp of happy divers who keep learning & stay wet.

My OW went on for many weeks. We had lots of guidance to get past the discomfort inherent to the many new gadgets & elements. When we finished, we knew we could dive independently. To feel more versitile, we took an advanced class that covered 10 weeks (a whole summer). Sounds like a huge commmitment, but here's what we got: a variety of dive sites with different challenges, time to really get to know our fellow students (who we still dive with frequently), lots of pool time & high quality lectures that gave us plenty of time to ask questions & resolve confusion.

See, every graduate of every program swears that their instructor & agency is "top-flight", the greatest, awesome. (Often because that's what the shop told them) So ask them if they have been diving recently; if not, WHY not? Many claim it is their own failing (couldn't be because they were rushed thru!) I'd find out where the divers dive, approach them while they are still dripping, & say, "Gee, I'd love to learn how to do that!" See who taught the divers who still dive.
 
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