Can an OW instructor deny referral?

[Thalassamania]

Say hello to Lobos for me.

Here are some of my reminiscences of diving Pt Lobos and Monastery back in the early 1970s,

 

[Riger]

Hi Jenth,

Excellent, well done.

Now, not to sound morbid or anything, I would like to point you to the following thread, if you have not been there already.

It is a worth-while read and has been "praised" by many experienced and respected members of this community.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ering-diving/283566-who-responsible-what.html

Enjoy your trip, let us know how it goes.

Very Best Regards
Richard

 

[srobinson]

If you've passed your written and pool you must be able to do your test dives with any NAUI instructor, anywhere in the world, right?

 

[Thalassamania]

If you've passed your written and pool you must be able to do your test dives with any NAUI instructor, anywhere in the world, right?

That is not the way it works.

 

[mselenaous]

Just wanted to update in case anyone's interested. I'm now OW certified . I ended up starting anew with another local NAUI instructor, Jeff Seckendorf. He's a great instructor that I'd recommend to anyone (also teaches UTD classes). I had to do a few pool sessions with him and retake the written exam, but soon enough, I was able to go to Catalina and Vets Park with him to finish up the ocean dives. Saw lots of garibaldi, a starfish...and the highlight was a bat ray. Definitely some exciting first dives!

Now I can get in a few more dives before my trip...so that I'm a bit more squared away. Already have a few dives planned this week.

Thanks to everyone for your help and posts. It made the situation easier...and made me a more knowledgeable diver. Still lots for me to learn and work on, though. Looking forward to my next trip into the water!

Congrats. Glad it all worked out for you. Enjoy your trip. When you get back, join one of the many active dive clubs in this area so you meet more buddies and dive often. Maybe we'll even run into each other at Vet's Park.

 

[John_B]

Just wanted to update in case anyone's interested. I'm now OW certified . I ended up starting anew with another local NAUI instructor, Jeff Seckendorf. He's a great instructor that I'd recommend to anyone (also teaches UTD classes). I had to do a few pool sessions with him and retake the written exam, but soon enough, I was able to go to Catalina and Vets Park with him to finish up the ocean dives. Saw lots of garibaldi, a starfish...and the highlight was a bat ray. Definitely some exciting first dives!

Now I can get in a few more dives before my trip...so that I'm a bit more squared away. Already have a few dives planned this week.

Thanks to everyone for your help and posts. It made the situation easier...and made me a more knowledgeable diver. Still lots for me to learn and work on, though. Looking forward to my next trip into the water!

Jeff_S is a top-shelf instructor! I think very highly of him. He did my UTD Essentials class on Catalina. I'd recommend him to anyone. And you can be sure that you weren't "shortcutting" your OW training with him as the instructor! (Previous NAUI instructor's schedule not withstanding.)

Congrats! :cool2:

 

[mbalmr]

Glad to hear everything worked out for the best. Hope you have fun on your trip. Best of luck!!!

 

[jenth]

Say hello to Lobos for me.

Here are some of my reminiscences of diving Pt Lobos and Monastery back in the early 1970s,

Great read. I assume that I won't be running into any sharks this time around...

Now, not to sound morbid or anything, I would like to point you to the following thread, if you have not been there already.

Thanks for the link! Just read the thread and it definitely does reinforce some of the things I learned so far. My OW class didn't really stress buddy awareness that much. And I don't think they ever taught us the "don't question your buddy if they thumb a dive" rule. Thankfully, though, my husband's a tech diver who's given me lots of pointers. He's always telling me the importance of keeping an eye out for my buddy...especially when I get task loaded. It's something I always have in mind when I dive.

If you've passed your written and pool you must be able to do your test dives with any NAUI instructor, anywhere in the world, right?

Thalassamania's right. One of the things I learned from this experience is that it's up to the discretion of your first instructor. Even if you passed your written and pool with flying colors, they can still deny it.

Definitely looking forward to running into you guys in the water....

 

[Lead_carrier]

I can sort of understand the policy, if it is really because they are concerned about the quality of training (and sounds like they are.) But not if it's partly because of concerns over certification count (probably not the case here?) Or because this guy has trouble getting classes completed because of his schedule, which also seems like it could be a little bit true.

.

I respectfully disagree Damsel. He may be extremely concerned with training, and he has done that. Training takes place in the classroom and pool. Checkout dives are just that, checkouts. Show what you've learned. No new skills should be introduced at this point.

But I do agree, let the world know who he is, just to warn people that might be considering taking with him. At least they will know the whole truth before hand.

 

[Damselfish]

I respectfully disagree Damsel. He may be extremely concerned with training, and he has done that. Training takes place in the classroom and pool. Checkout dives are just that, checkouts. Show what you've learned. No new skills should be introduced at this point.

I think you are actually agreeing with me...