SSI Class - Failed

[Boathouse-55]

My recent experiences with the local SSI shop in my neck of the woods are exactly the opposite. Though, I honestly paid more than other shops are charging - at first I wondered to myself why it was more and scolded myself for not shopping around- I got what I paid for in the end though.

I did all the coursework and pool sessions, then right before the real open water dives I got sick. I was wiped out pretty bad for a couple months, then still didn't feel 100% and went to the community pool to swim laps a few days a week for another month until I felt healthy/comfortable in the water again. When I felt I was ready, the shop owner put me through the entire coursework and pool sessions again with the newest class he had going - no extra charge. He was willing to spend the extra time with me at no charge even though I offered to pay extra. Plus in the new class there were a couple guys having troubles and he spent a lot of extra time with them in front of a whiteboard at no extra charge - he also let the rest of us optionally sit in on those "whiteboard sessions".

In exchange he has of course gotten a loyal customer. I haven't bought a piece of equipment anywhere else. I might spend a little more than what I would have if I had bought it on the internet, but I prefer the personal attention and customer support/service. When I dive with these people I feel comfortable, safe and always learn something new on every dive.

Hello All,
I am hoping someone can shed some light on my situation. I recently took the SSI open water dive class with the hopes of being certified at the end. Everything was going great, the class had 7 people and we were meeting every Sunday at 9am. On the very last class at the end, the instructor told the entire class that we weren't ready for the quarry/cert and should re-take the class. We were all quite shocked, he didn't really provide any indication that we weren't doing well or missing something. Is the class that challenging to pass?

(Unfortunately I have a theory, but this is pure speculation. Almost the entire class (except 1 person) registered via groupon and paid half of the regular price. Also the majority of the students purchased their gear online rather then through his shop. I would speculate that he didn't make enough money on the class.)

What should I do?

-Sad diver

 

[ScubaSteve]

I'd like to think many look for a good deal and a $139 to a non-diver seems like a lot of money already.

Hold on to your bleeping hat then because you are in for a heck of a ride if you do get certified

 

[NAM001]

steve how can you say this, no one pays to be certified , they pay to receive training, certification is based on STUDENT learning and learning is the responsibility of the STUDENT. though there is (gut feeling) clearly a problem with the instructor/instructon because the symptom is the whole class, it is moot to the premis that they are owed a certification because they payed.

Actually no they did not. They paid to get certified so they did in fact get screwed.

 

[ScubaSteve]

steve how can you say this, no one pays to be certified , they pay to receive training, certification is based on STUDENT learning and learning is the responsibility of the STUDENT. though there is (gut feeling) clearly a problem with the instructor/instructon because the symptom is the whole class, it is moot to the premis that they are owed a certification because they payed.

That is NOT how it was sold to me and I expect that is not how it was sold to the OP. I was told "OW certification costs $x.00". Eventually they went through the fact that there was classroom and pool as well as open water but at no point did anybody say to me "By the way if you do not get it in the allotted time you are on your own to buy another class.". I have said it a dozen times if I have said it once......the seller decides the conditions when they set the price and how it will get sold. That OP got screwed because the Instructor knew ahead of time (IMO) that he was going to go for more money.

It is great for people to sit,on ScubaBoard and say "Well you should have asked more questions" but the reality is that most new scuba students have no clue where to look or what to ask. This guy took advantage of 7 divers.

 

[Superlyte27]

Colleges will give you as much help as you can stand, in nearly any class, for no additional charge.

If your relative failed, it's because he didn't make passing a priority, not because the school wanted money.

flots.

i've been to college, that's simply not the case.

 

[flots am]

i've been to college, that's simply not the case.

Me too. All I had to do was ask.

flots.

 

[jtoc]

I guess the second question is, why isn't SCUBA training a little more like academic training? There should be lots of quizzes or tests throughout the course, and people who do poorly should be stopped at that level and helped.

Right on. Students don't even need to be *formally* tested for the instructor to understand exactly how well they're doing. If the instructor was in confined water with them, watching them perform skills, he should have a very clear understanding of who's competent and who isn't, test or no test. And, he should have been providing feedback all along.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Me too. All I had to do was ask.

flots.

And if you had to continue to ask past the end of the course? You failed. I agree they offer help but it is not an open and bottomless bucket of help.

 

[flots am]

And if you had to continue to ask past the end of the course? You failed.

If you talk to them first, you end up with an incomplete, and can continue studying over the next semester and finish the class then.

I agree they offer help but it is not an open and bottomless bucket of help.

Unless the student falsified entrance exams, SAT scores and high school transcripts to obtain entrance when not warranted, colleges offer all the assistance necessary to pass classes, including access to faculty during non-class hours, professional tutors and peer tutors. Information and assistance for most (all?) subjects is also available on the web. College librarians are awesome at locating resources on any imaginable topic. Failure is due only to a lack of effort by the student.

However in this case, it would be the equivalent of the teacher failing the entire class because he wasn't happy about something completely unrelated, not because the student was dumb.

flots.

 

[ScubaSteve]

However in this case, it would be the equivalent of the teacher failing the entire class because he wasn't happy with his last paycheck, not because the student was dumb.