Anything simpler than Open Water?

[kelemvor]

Jeez, just how rigid/intense is SSI certification? I got OW certified in 2 weekends (4 days) with SDI. That includes classroom/book work, pool time, and certification dives.

To have been involved in getting OW cert for over half a year seems way excessive.

Without getting into agency bashing, I can say that I sat in on my daughter's OW class through SSI and was appalled when comparing it to my NAUI experience. Like all dive training, I'm sure it depends mostly on the instructor. Somehow I find it hard to believe that PADI would have an easier course than SSI.

OP: If you don't ever want to go deeper than 10' are you sure you really want to get certified to dive? I have the impression someone must be pushing you to do it, and you don't really want to.

 

[flyboy08]

With all due respect, getting a recreational pilots liscense, or a less than certified divers card shows a lack of wanting to fully understand these two unforgiving hobbies.....may I suggest bowling?

 

[dmaziuk]

deleted

 

[Trace Malinowski]

1LE, how many class and pool sessions is your instructor doing for the OW course? Is there anything specific that is giving you trouble?

 

[TMHeimer]

From what I've read, SSI and PADI are very similar. Only big difference being SSI Instructors can only teach through an SSI shop. Thus my question about how long this should take--why so much pool, getting a refund, etc. What's the story?

 

[yle]

Without getting into agency bashing, I can say that I sat in on my daughter's OW class through SSI and was appalled when comparing it to my NAUI experience. Like all dive training, I'm sure it depends mostly on the instructor. Somehow I find it hard to believe that the average PADI instructor would run an easier course than the one class by the SSI instructor I witnessed.

I edited your statement to be more concise, because I think this is what you really meant. As you state, it's all about the instructor. The agencies pretty much set the same standards; how well they're adhered to and how well the students learn is instructor-dependent.

 

[yle]

From what I've read, SSI and PADI are very similar. Only big difference being SSI Instructors can only teach through an SSI shop. Thus my question about how long this should take--why so much pool, getting a refund, etc. What's the story?

Reading between the lines of the OP's post, it seems that the pool is fairly local and possibly available to the OP whether or not his instructor is running a class session. So it's likely the OP has spent a lot of extra time in the pool that wasn't required for the OW class itself. (A certain SSI shop in So Cal does this... their pool is available to students for practicing skills anytime the store is open. Of course there's an instructor present at all times, just not necessarily the instructor responsible for that student's OW course.)

It seems the OP has had a lot of "open time" practicing in the pool, but has had a hard time coordinating his schedule with the instructor's schedule and the weather to find the right day to go to the quarry.

I might be wrong, but that's how I interpreted his situation.

 

[tursiops]

Maybe I am the one person to give the troll-roll-call post, but here goes!
Switch from challenging SSI to super-easy-peasy-PADI, and get your checkout dives done lickety-split!

How do you think this would change things?

 

[Bubblesong]

How do you think this would change things?

OP is not happy, so go somewhere else. But from the wording of my comment, i aimed to show it was toungue in cheek. In fact, I started with PADI, and switched to SSI, entirely because I liked the education And extra practice opportunity I got with the SSI LDS.

 

[Neilwood]

I think the main thing with standards is not what the standard is but how rigidly it is applied and that is always down to the individual instructor on the day.