PADI Instructor Wanted

[annasea]

Hello,

I recently completed the course work and confined dives sections of my PADI OW certification here in Vancouver, Canada. Due to numerous problems, I won't be completing my ocean dives at home.

I'm open to suggestions as to where, and more importantly, with whom to complete my training. Locations I'm considering are Hawaii, Florida and Mexico. (My requirements are warm water and general ease of diving conditions. Affordability in terms of air fare and accommodations is also a factor.)

Would anyone care to recommend a PADI instructor that is highly experienced and patient with struggling divers-to-be?

Thank you!

 

[kidspot]

Are you planning on diving around home after you get certified? If so, you may want to reconsider getting certified in Vancouver, so you have an instructor (and instruction) in the environment around there, which will be quite different from a warm water place like Hawaii or Florida.

If you're not planning on diving in your area (which would be a shame from what I've heard about the diving up there, cold as it might be ... brrrr) then there are a number of good places to get certified in any of the places you mentioned. And I'm sure folks will start chiming in on specific shops/instructors shortly.

Aloha, Tim

 

[TheDivingBear]

Hello,

I recently completed the course work and confined dives sections of my PADI OW certification here in Vancouver, Canada. Due to numerous problems, I won't be completing my ocean dives at home.

I'm open to suggestions as to where, and more importantly, with whom to complete my training. Locations I'm considering are Hawaii, Florida and Mexico. (My requirements are warm water and general ease of diving conditions. Affordability in terms of air fare and accommodations is also a factor.)

Would anyone care to recommend a PADI instructor that is highly experienced and patient with struggling divers-to-be?

Thank you!

While I enjoyed the warm open waters of Cozumel, I would not recommend getting your OW dives there (or in other warm weather places) for a number of factors. First, the viz; nothing makes you appreciate your diving more than having learned in viz of 10-15 ft. Secondly, the warmer and clearer waters might prove a little more distracting on someone; I know I was amazed at all the stuff I saw on my first warm water dive. Third and last point, warm temperatures are not necessary for warm water. Here in Indiana, the two dive sites frequently used are Blue Springs and France Park. Blue Springs currently (as of two weeks ago) has a water temperature of 81 degrees which is the same temerature as we had in Cozumel. Of course, the thermocline at 30 ft dropps it down to around 55 or so.

I am a newbie, having only 1 ocean dive, but have a number of attempts and successful dives in the OW, so this is just my opinion. If you do want to travel though and want still warm waters and if you want a good OW DI in this area (believe me there is alot to see here in Indy), PM me and I'll give you a good shop with very patient instructors. It took me three attempts to get through my OW certs and these guys had the patience of saints.

Peace,

Bear
Indianapolis, IN

 

[Ber Rabbit]

You call yourself a "struggling diver to be" and your candid evaluation is helpful to those who would like to help you. A warm water destination isn't going to be your cure-all, more pool time with a patient instructor will help you lose the "struggling" designation you have given yourself. The more comfortable you are with your skills the easier it is to take them to open water. Time in the water is the only thing that will make you comfortable with your skills. The open water portion of the certification is nothing more than review of what you already know. No matter what the water temperature is if you are not comfortable with the skills you will struggle during the check outs.

Good luck with your search, if you want to come to Ohio I would be happy to work with you.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[annasea]

Are you planning on diving around home after you get certified? If so, you may want to reconsider getting certified in Vancouver, so you have an instructor (and instruction) in the environment around there, which will be quite different from a warm water place like Hawaii or Florida.

Thx for asking, Tim. Eventually I may dive in BC, but don't have any plans to currently do so. (I know. Shame on me! The diving here is supposedly spectacular, but the logistics and variables just don't work out for it at the moment.)

Based on the difficulties I was having in my OW class, I know it will be easier for me to maintain my enthusiasm for diving by making it as least complicated as possible, i.e. not having to deal with the added difficulties of mastering a drysuit which is needed by me in order to dive in BC.

So once I'm comfortable and confident in warm waters, then I may consider tackling drysuit training and cold water diving.

 

[annasea]

If you do want to travel though and want still warm waters and if you want a good OW DI in this area (believe me there is alot to see here in Indy), PM me and I'll give you a good shop with very patient instructors. It took me three attempts to get through my OW certs and these guys had the patience of saints.

Peace,

Bear
Indianapolis, IN

Thx for the PM offer, Bear. While I don't doubt that there is plenty to see in Indy, and I feel I'm in need of very patient instruction, I REALLY want to go somewhere tropical!

But what I really appreciate is you sharing with me how many times it took you to get through OW. I was in two different classes for my pool sessions and everyone but me seemed to sail through it. Very discouraging. I've met many other divers through another board, and was quite surprised to discover that two of the *expert* divers had great difficulties initially as well. While I know I'm not the only one, it's always inspiring to hear of other stories similar to mine. Thx again, Bear!

 

[annasea]

You call yourself a "struggling diver to be" and your candid evaluation is helpful to those who would like to help you. A warm water destination isn't going to be your cure-all, more pool time with a patient instructor will help you lose the "struggling" designation you have given yourself. The more comfortable you are with your skills the easier it is to take them to open water. Time in the water is the only thing that will make you comfortable with your skills. The open water portion of the certification is nothing more than review of what you already know. No matter what the water temperature is if you are not comfortable with the skills you will struggle during the check outs.

Good luck with your search, if you want to come to Ohio I would be happy to work with you.
Ber :lilbunny:

Thx for the offer, Ber! I'm aware that a warm water destination isn't the magic solution, but it sure will help. What is most important, and I guess I didn't emphasize this (enough) in my original post, is that I have a very experienced and patient instructor with adequate pool time. (Here in Vancouver, I had approximately 1 hour of pool time for each confined dive. Less when I tried taking it during the weekend format.)

I would have preferred to complete my training here in Vancouver, but am no longer comfortable with having to deal with drysuit training while I'm still busy learning the basics. I see it as an added obstacle that if I can avoid at this time, I will.

 

[MikeM878]

Hello,

I recently completed the course work and confined dives sections of my PADI OW certification here in Vancouver, Canada. Due to numerous problems, I won't be completing my ocean dives at home.

I'm open to suggestions as to where, and more importantly, with whom to complete my training. Locations I'm considering are Hawaii, Florida and Mexico. (My requirements are warm water and general ease of diving conditions. Affordability in terms of air fare and accommodations is also a factor.)

Would anyone care to recommend a PADI instructor that is highly experienced and patient with struggling divers-to-be?

Thank you!

I certainly understand your concerns, and I agree that you don't want to have to master a drysuit as part of your open water dives.

But then again, you don't necessarily have to go tropical. Here in Southern California many of us dive year round without drysuits, and the variety of boat and beach dives, and the training resources available, make it a great place to get your OW dives completed.

 

[Brian Gilpin]

Although I personally enjoy cold water its definitely not for everybody.In fact very few seem to take to it on a percentage basis.If even half the divers who certify in Monterey still dove there it would be a real mob scene.

Its a lot easier to learn in warm water with good viz. Less exposure protection and lead is always easier. Mexico especialy the Carribean side is a good idea if you can get a cheap flight. Its hard to get cheap anything in Hawaii. Never been to Florida. Dont think you will be good to go in cold water though as additional training will be a must.

Good Luck!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Thx for the offer, Ber! I'm aware that a warm water destination isn't the magic solution, but it sure will help. What is most important, and I guess I didn't emphasize this (enough) in my original post, is that I have a very experienced and patient instructor with adequate pool time. (Here in Vancouver, I had approximately 1 hour of pool time for each confined dive. Less when I tried taking it during the weekend format.)

I would have preferred to complete my training here in Vancouver, but am no longer comfortable with having to deal with drysuit training while I'm still busy learning the basics. I see it as an added obstacle that if I can avoid at this time, I will.

I understand what you mean about the drysuit, I had been diving for almost 10 years before I switched from cold diving in a wetsuit to a drysuit and it took almost 100 dives in the dry suit before I finally got to a point where I feel somewhat comfortable in the thing. Actually that just happened on my last trip right before Labor Day, the dry suit and I finally functioned as a team on a dive and I cannot describe the thrill I felt :biggrin: Not everyone has trouble with the things and everyone I knew who got one at the same time I did was happy with theirs after about one dive, talk about frustrating I was ready to start diving naked in cold water instead of fighting with that drysuit.

I can understand your position, I too had a lot of trouble learning to dive. I had 20 hours of pool time (10 week course, 2 hours pool and 2 hours classroom each week) before hitting the open water and I still was not comfortable on the open water dives. My instructor would not certify me at the end of the weekend, she said I needed some more open water time and we scheduled another day of diving later in the month. I managed to pretend to be comfortable in the water that third day and she went ahead and certified me. I continued to go to her pool sessions (2 hour sessions) almost every week for 9 years. I progressed from learning and getting comfortable with my skills to helping out with the class (fetching lead, equipment, etc. from the dive locker) to helping students with problems (as my certification level increased) and now I am teaching. If you had walked up to me after she handed me my temporary c-card and said, "You will be teaching this class in 10 years." I would have told you that you were nuts yet here I am nearly three years into my teaching "career".

Good luck with your search and if you are ever in Ohio I will be more than happy to take you out diving. Gilboa was so warm above the thermocline in August this year that a 3mm suit was all you needed if you were only going to 30 feet
Ber :lilbunny: