How to find an excellent SCUBA class

[Walter]

To locate one of the these you would probably get referrals from friends, family, etc.

With few exceptions, everybody thinks their instructor is the best. Many who continue to dive later change their minds, but.... referrals are often a poor way of locating excellent SCUBA classes.

[Searcaigh]

I live in Los Angeles and I do not believe there is any shortage of scuba instructors. I believe that you are confusing group classes with private and semi-private classes. Generally speaking the amount of time it takes to teach a class is approximately the same whether teaching one student or a group (usually a little longer with a group as the instructor has to have each student demonstrate each skill) I think you might agree that a person who engages an instructor to teach him/her one on one would and should pay more than someone who joins a group class. That is a standard procedure no matter what class a person wishes to take.
Also, let me suggest to you that a scuba instructor has spent thousands of dollars and a great deal of time and effort to acquire the skills and expertise, not to mention the money spent on equipment, maintenance of that equipment, dues to certifying agencies, liability insurance and on and on to become and remain an instructor. Teaching an open water class to one or a group of students takes varying amounts of time depending on whether or not the instructor teaches the academic portions or relies on e-learning or home study but we can safely assume that the process can take anywhere from 30 to 45 hours considering that usually two full days are required for open water dives. Now, when someone takes a tennis lesson at (I'm guessing here) say $60 per hour or a golf lesson at $80 an hour or hires a private fitness trainer for anywhere from $60-$120 an hour they usually don't complain. However, if you miss a serve or a putt or don't make that last rep -- NO ONE DIES. If I or any other scuba instructor does not do his/her job properly people can die. Your life is in the scuba instructor's hands. Isn't that worth paying for just as much as a tennis or golf lesson?
The usual going rate to an instructor who teaches group classes through a shop in Los Angeles is around $100 per person. 6 hours or so in the pool, a couple of 12 hour days at the ocean (not to mention prep time) And the variable number of hours teaching the academic portion, administering and grading exams, filling out paperwork and so on. People are getting an incredible bargain at the current rates and should not complain.

I think you failed to notice that Austin Takahashi live in the Philippines and not in the US, so your comment regarding the number of dive instructors cannot be applied.

Average salary of a Filipino is well below that of a US resident.

The remainder of my post is independent of my reply to Stedel

Having lived in the Middle East since 1986 I have witnessed a wide range of dive instructors in this region from committed full time instructors to those who also have a day job and teach part time to supplement their income.

In general I agree most scuba instruction pricing is very reasonable provided the student has a reasonable income, for example, most people here in UAE it is more than a month's salary. We see and experience a different view of our planet that more than 99% of the world's population will never know in their lifetime, and for only a few hundred dollars to learn a skill that will last a lifetime so for me it is a worthwhile investment.

What really used to annoy me when I lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were the people who suddenly realised that they were almost at the end of their 2 year contract and had not learned to Scuba Dive. One of the best instructors I ever knew, Ray Smith, would not teach these people, but they were soon taken aboard by the vulture and hyena instructors desperate to make a quick Riyal. They certified people that I would not have allowed to cross a busy road.

I soon realised during my Dive Master course, that teaching imbeciles was not something I wanted to be part of, so I quit. My main passion is underwater photography and although I never took a photography course I met up with three instructors who no longer taught and were committed photographers because that is what they wanted to do. I learned a lot from them.

The range of instructors in the world is varied, and for most people luck plays a good part in the draw, but some research and independent references also influence in who to take on.

The criteria laid out by the OP is pretty much spot on.

[D_B]

I've long thought that Walters excellent post on finding a good instructor should be made a sticky
I'm sure It will help many in finding a good one, or how to know that they are a good one

I recently went back to my emails I sent to different scuba shops asking ... why should I take scuba training from them? how new is your equipment? how often is it serviced? what is included? and something about their instructors (don't remember exactly) I thought I asked pretty good questions but I can see by Walters post that getting the good instructor I got was pretty much luck.
.. you can avoid that

[StormyWildcat]

I am very glad to come across not only this forum, but this post. I have been doing some research so far, but since my goal to learn diving won't be realized until next year I am glad I now can go ahead next year and use what I learn here to find the best instructor that fits my needs. I am glad to find divers from my area as well as knowledgeable divers and instructors who can help me become a great diver!

[imwright1985]

I finally decided to contribute to the tread since I have "officially" been diving a little rather then just my Uncerted dives. I took my class based on price and the way the instructor sparked my intrest in him. I found out my instructor has the same educational backround as me, and very similar personality so knew his tech Jargon would be right up my level or dumbed down for typical people. After i spoke with him I was sold on the class and found out it was 2 classes a week for 4 weeks and in the pool every day we were there

My OW instructor I dont think would Fail any of his students unless they couldnt handle the basic swim test/tred water (had one person fail that and he made arrangements for them to retake class and get proper basic swim training). Reason is our area is all weekend type courses where you study before go in do pool then your checkout dives. The course I took was stretched through 4 weeks plus the weekend. every day was working together on book work, doing a pool session with drills (D-on/Off gear, clearing mask, Snorkel, reg, Emergency ascent, air share, pulling every dump valve on our BC) when I did the "important" dives my gear, and 2 different scubapro rigs all seemed natural to me for if i needed to assist a diver or if i needed to react in a senario for myself. He also had "study times" where we could arrange to use the pool under supervision to get used to everything or get questions answered about the bookwork.

[ScubaJohn65]

Yelp - then call the business. Facebook is also a good tool. - both of these are particularly good in NorCal/Bay Area.

[rx7diver]

From my experiences, college based courses are a very good way to learn. The class is spread out so you aren't trying to learn everything in 3 days. Your instructor is usually getting paid by the school so they are not under the same pressures that a dive shop instructor would be. Plus, I took my open water class for $60 in school, if you can find a dive shop that can beat that....I won't even finish this sentence, because you can't.

Something to keep in mind: Some college/university scuba courses are simply the same course one might take at an LDS, taught by an LDS instructor (or an independent instructor) who has been contracted by the college to teach the course.

Other college scuba courses are "real" college courses, taken for college credit (and perhaps satisfying general education requirements), taught by either a regular or non-regular or adjunct faculty member. This type of scuba course is usually a quite substantial course, meeting at least a couple of times weekly throughout a college term (ten to 16 weeks, depending on whether the term is a quarter or a trimester or a semester).

Safe Diving,

Ronald

[Pro Scuba Courses]

A good post. I agree that the number of divers an instructor has certified is not always an accurate reflection on how good an instructor they are. In fact I would be wary of an instructor who has a high level of certifications in a short period - quantity doesn't mean quality.

Ask if you can speak to any of their previous students, either directly or via email. That can give you a good idea. If they can not refer you ro any previous students, then I wouldn't learn with them.

If you ask lots of questions and they get impatient with you, its a good sign to stay away!

[want2dive17]

I am starting the interview process and this is just what i needed. just one question? Should I conduct the interviews face to face or is calling the shops ok? the closest shop is about 45 minutes away from me and I am not oppossed to making a day of it, as before I commit I will definitely want to have a face to face meeting with the instructor.

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Over the phone is a good start but stopping in and visiting is the second part to it. A lot of people can sound good over the phone but stopping in also gives you a valuable impression as to your comfort with the shop. By stopping in, you get to meet the instructor face to face, see how the shop is set up. If gear is needed, are they stocking a lot of gear and are they giving you multiple options as well.