Matt, you had a bad experience with your local class, but please don't generalize from that.
Yes, getting certified in warm weather and warm, clear water can be a physically more pleasant experience -- and I would guess you're right, that folks handling clients in a resort atmosphere are somewhat chosen for great people skills and the ability to motivate and create fun. But the flip side is that you spend several days of your vacation in class, which may not be what most people want to do, and you have little flexibility in time for people who run into issues with mask clearing or other skills, to get extra time to master them and STILL have some time to go diving!
There are pluses and minuses. I do think that it is, in general, easier to make the transition from cold water and low viz to warm and clear than it is to do the reverse. But I have had dive buddies who have gotten certified in the tropics, and have made the effort to come home and learn to dive in the Sound, so it can be done. There are things to be said for doing it either way, but a lot is going to come down to the instructor and the structure of the class, in either place.
Yes, getting certified in warm weather and warm, clear water can be a physically more pleasant experience -- and I would guess you're right, that folks handling clients in a resort atmosphere are somewhat chosen for great people skills and the ability to motivate and create fun. But the flip side is that you spend several days of your vacation in class, which may not be what most people want to do, and you have little flexibility in time for people who run into issues with mask clearing or other skills, to get extra time to master them and STILL have some time to go diving!
There are pluses and minuses. I do think that it is, in general, easier to make the transition from cold water and low viz to warm and clear than it is to do the reverse. But I have had dive buddies who have gotten certified in the tropics, and have made the effort to come home and learn to dive in the Sound, so it can be done. There are things to be said for doing it either way, but a lot is going to come down to the instructor and the structure of the class, in either place.