YMCA is one of the pioneers in dive training.
I got my Open Water Cert. through YMCA about 9 years ago. The course was very thorough. And no, it's not simply a question as to "it all depends on the instructor" and I'll tell you why:
I later took the PADI Advanced Open Water course. The instructor was adequate but the accompanying PADI "textbook" was ludicrous and the questions were so child-like that it proved to me that PADI is a scuba "degree mill" making it almost impossible to fail a written test. I had already heard that about PADI (PADI-"Pay And Dive Instantly") but decided to see for myself and essentially wasted $400. I have also purchased PADI DVD's and the level and manner of presentation is immature and silly.
For my own sense of accomplishment not to mention my safety, I ended up re-taking the AOW through NAUI and there was no comparison in skill level of both the instructor and the demands of the course. In fact my YMCA Open Water Course was much more challenging than the PADI AOW course. I will never use PADI again which can be a problem because their shops are by far the most numerous and are very difficult to avoid.
I do find NAUI and SSI, IANTD shops in certain places but one has to look far and wide. Unfortunately outside the USA the YMCA courses are nearly impossible to find. Virtually every PADI shop is a "5 Star Resort" or a "National Geographic Diver Course Provider". Makes you wonder about their standards in this regard because everyplace is a "5 Star Resort". Am waiting for PADI to debut their "Amniotic Fluid Diver Cert. course".
I travel frequently and see the PADI DM Certificates on the wall of the shops but have not been impressed with the skill levels of these guys in actual open water and I have seen numerous mistakes and breaches of very fundamental scuba protocol.
Let me say though that possibly the most skilled, careful and knowledgeable DM was a PADI certified Instructor in Puerto Rico. As he himself told me he attained his level of expertise not because of PADI but in spite of PADI inasmuch as he recognized their primary "push" was marketing and moving "graduates" through their system so he did extra work on his own.
B.t.w., I have used the YMCA card everywhere and with no problems and in fact with some recognition of having completed a more rigorous training than PADI offers. People who are in the dive business know all this.
Sy
YMCA has a good reputation. A lot of the training reguardless of the organization actually depends on the instructor though. I would suggest to go and visit some facilities that offer training and decide from there what is going to be the best for you.
Tricia
