Selecting a Training Facility

[AZ-DivePro]

Considerations for Selection of a Scuba Training Facility
The sport of Scuba Diving has maintained a great record of safety while maturing from an elite sport to one that today enjoyed by the masses.
This in spite of the fact that it is a high risk sport which allows people to enjoy a hostile environment.
Those seeking to engage in the sport should not consider it lightly but with a serious understanding that it requires a great deal of knowledge and training to mitigate the risks and maintain safety.
It is with that knowledge of risk that an individual should research the best training facilities available in their locale before committing to a program.
At this point one need to ask… What are the differences between the sanctioning bodies and certifying agencies?
This has been debated for many years among divers without positive resolution but maybe a simple objective view is the best answer and I will attempt to supply both an enthusiast’s and a professional’s view.
If the eldest or least expensive of these organizations were the most popular it could be easily explained as either the eldest having had a jump on development of their program or the latter appealing through simple economics.
The fact is that the most popular is not the eldest nor least expensive and its appeal can only be attributed to a program that customers find to be fun and easy to complete while maintaining instruction of both high quality and safety.
This isn’t to say the other programs offered are in any way substandard or offering any more or less. PADI was the first to hit all the key areas necessary to gain the high degree of public appeal and has continued to refine it ever since.
This has allowed the organization to grow into the largest of the sanctioning organizations. (Larger than the combination of all the others combined) This growth has spread throughout the world.
From a Dive Professionals point of view this translates to the majority of available jobs within the industry requiring professional certification from PADI.
PADI’s program has been the most popular for quite a while with no signs of the trend changing.

Differences Amongst Local Training Facilities

Now that we have considered the sanction organizations and their programs lets narrow down our focus to the local training facilities.
The PADI training system may be the undisputed leader but not all dive shops or training facilities are the same even if they instruct using the same training system.
To this end PADI has recognition systems in place for both facilities and instructors.
The highest level that a training facility can attain is a PADI 5 Star CDC (Career Development Center) Facilities at this level not only teach the full spectrum of PADI diving programs but also train at professional level and help place these new diving professionals into the job market. These facilities should be your first choice as their instructors generally are among the most knowledgeable and continually upgrading their own training.
Next level would be a PADI 5 Star IDC (Instructor Development Center) while these still train to the instructor level this is the limit of their abilities and are not involved with career placement.
PADI also has ratings of PADI 5 Star Dive shop and below which although may offer training if they have an available PADI instructor these ratings are only affiliations that require the shop to use PADI standards in all their business practices.

 

[tomfcrist]

You are kidding me...right?

 

[dreamdive]

Nice Theory!

 

[EastEndDiver]

Let me guess you work at a PADI facility?

 

[Searcaigh]

Let me guess you work at a PADI facility?

And never been out of Arizona

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I know the answers but others may not. How does a five star facility differ from a four, three, or two star one? What does the five star designation mean over a three star? How does one find out what the standards are for these?

Some other things to consider when choosing a shop might be to ask them the following questions (these are from the chapter of my book on choosing a shop):

1.“How long have you been in business?” Remember that a brand new shop is not a bad thing; staff are likely to be up on all the latest trends and have the latest equipment.On the other hand, they have not yet developed much of a track record, so it may be harder to determine the customer service and instructional values they really practice.

2.“What brands do you regularly carry and do you service them in-house?” Equipment service is a necessary part of owning SCUBA gear.You do not want to be waiting three or four weeks to get a regulator serviced because the shop had to send it out. Although buying on line can sometimes mean faster service by mailing it to the on line dealer. Some on line shops are actually faster than local ones if they know the gear is coming.

3.“If I have a brand that you don’t carry, can you service it or tell me where to get it serviced?” Shops that will work with a student on this often do much better than those who try to sell the student something carried in-house.The referral to get a regulator serviced elsewhere may result in a future sale for the shop if the student decides that going somewhere else is too inconvenient.

4.“If I want an item that you don’t have in stock or a brand that you don’t carry, can you get it or will you refer me to somewhere that I can get it?” Smart shops try to obtain the items a student wants, or will refer them elsewhere as needed.Again, a willingness to truly help the student will result in good will and a positive reputation than could never be achieved through paid advertising.


5.“What agency or agencies do you offer certification through?” Some may tell you that at the Open Water level, this is not a big deal. Remember though, that there are wide differences in requirements and course content among different agencies. Use the answer to this question to research whether the agency or agencies named match your requirements. Also make sure to ask to see the written standards you are to be trained to. If the shop refuses or says they can't walk away as fast as you can.

6.“Can I choose my instructor?” This is important. Remember that they are working for you. Even if the instructor is a shop employee, you are still paying them to train you.

7.“Where do you hold classes?”Some shops have on-site pools and classrooms. Others use locations that may be a bit of a drive. This is not a deal breaker but should be determined before signing up for the class.

8.“Who sets the class schedule?” Ideally, you should determine when you can train but if the shop is renting classroom or pool space, they may not be able to offer this option. It then falls on you to make time in their schedule for training. While the shop and instructor do work for you, there must be some commitment and compromise on your part to train as necessary.

9.“How big are the classes?” While large classes can be a sign of a successful shop and good instruction, they may also indicate a lack of sufficient time for students to practice what they have learned. In general, smaller classes leave time for more individualized instruction that often results in better trained and more competent divers.

10.“Are your instructors allowed to give more time to individual students if they need it?” This is another very important issue.I t should be up to you and the instructor to determine your needs, and to determine when you are ready for checkout dives. These decisions should never be in the hands of anyone not directly involved with your training (even if it’s the shop owner).

11.“What items are included in the costs of the class?” No grey area here. It should be clear at the beginning – preferably in writing -- what each party is responsible for and the various costs involved.

12.“What type of rental equipment do you have and will it be what I use for my checkout dives?” This is not a major issue, but it is nice if the gear used on checkouts is the same or similar to that which was used in the pool training.

13.“Do you offer local diving opportunities?” Local diving is where skills are developed and refined. Local diving allows students to practice and work on techniques while not breaking the bank for airfare, resort costs, etc.

14.“What types of trips do you offer?” Shops that plan and take a number of trips usually have larger pools of divers that might be willing to buddy up with a new person.

15.“Do you support or recommend any dive clubs?” Club activities are a great source of dive opportunities and new buddies. Be careful though, as a club that is sponsored or supported by a shop is somewhat beholden to that shop. This can cause issues when a club member shows up with new equipment the shop does not carry, or with a new certification from an instructor not affiliated with the shop. These issues are eliminated with fully independent clubs.

16.“Do you offer discounts on equipment and trips to students and regular customers?” This is another way that successful shops keep customers and attract new students. They work within a competitive market to earn the loyalty of their local dive community.

17.“May I have the names of divers you have trained, as references?” The successful shop should easily and happily meet this request.

18.“What sets you apart from other shops that would make me want to train with you?” I’ll leave the correct answer up to you to determine, based on the knowledge you have gained so far.

---------- Post added August 17th, 2014 at 10:51 AM ----------

BTW this line is false - "Now that we have considered the sanction organizations and their programs lets narrow down our focus to the local training facilities."

You did not consider the sanction organizations. You gave an example of one.

Considering the "organizations" would require you to use more than one as an example.

It would also seem to require some history of diving and how the organizations developed. Which ones came first, why, and in what order. It would also be useful to state what the differences in standards are for them. They are quite different if you really look at them.

The largest can also be attributed to good marketing. Plain and simple. As well as allowing the highest number of people to get through in the shortest time. This, by necessity, means cutting things that were at one time in all OW courses. In the name of expediency and profits to roll back into more marketing. Like the original post.

Why don't you inform them of how the largest agency got it's start? That used to common knowledge. Maybe that it came about from two guys trying to figure out how to make money off of people from teaching scuba over a bottle of scotch is not that appealing from a marketing standpoint?

 

[diversteve]

Actually the longest continuously operated and most highly regarded dive shop in Mesa (and the greater Phoenix Area) is an SSI facility.
They have the most highly regarded instructors on staff except for several independent specialty instructors who are known nationwide.
And the undisputed best tech in the greater metro area.

That's been known for decades by anyone who didn't drink the PADI Kool-aid. And it's not my shop so I don't have a dog in this fight.

 

[mathauck0814]

That's pretty funny stuff.

 

[Peter Guy]

OP -- What was your purpose in writing this? Perhaps unlike "some" who have commented, I am a firm believer in the PADI system of classes and instruction - and also like "some" who have commented believe that it really IS the instructor, not the agency, not the shop, not the particular class that is most important.

The variation among instructors (and this goes for ALL of the agencies with which I've had training, including PADI, DSAT, NAUI, TDI, GUE, UTD) and how they work with any particular student is vast.

 

[Dr Dog]

Considerations for Selection of a Scuba Training Facility
maybe a simple objective view is the best answer PADI was the first to hit all the key areas necessary to gain the high degree of public appeal and has continued to refine it ever since.

professional certification from PADI.
PADI’s program has been the most popular for quite a while with no signs of the trend changing.


The PADI training system may be the undisputed leader
To this end PADI has recognition systems in place for both facilities and instructors.
PADI 5 Star CDC (Career Development Center) PADI diving programs
PADI 5 Star IDC (Instructor Development Center)
PADI PADI 5 Star Dive shop PADI instructor PADI standards in all their business practices.

seems objective to me?