The right way to get certified

[racerx_]

I opted for e-learning simply because I was in a time fix to get certified before a trip (not a good reason, I know, but I DIDNT know that then). I learned all the theory etc like anyone would. I then did pool dives with a local DC, and referral OW dives on the trip. I wish I had trained with a competent instructor instead for a few reasons:

1) elearning just seems WAY overpriced to me and you don't have any physical resources as a result of that investment

2) I think there are many things philosophically it in skills that are passed on by good instructors that aren't part of an OW curriculum per say

3) I learned how much I DIDN'T know from scubaboard

4) ongoing relationship/mentoring with the instructor

I don't think its always a matter of resort training being worse. The guy I did checkout dives with was great and I would have probably enjoyed doing the whole course with him. But I do think you can make a more educated choice with local instructors as you can research, and check out their reputation, methods, etc.

I would say that GENERALLY the attitude of instructors I have come across out here, and the attitude of those found in this forum are extremely different and the people that post here promote a much more in depth approach to diving as a recreational sport.

All that being said, I don't think its always the case that a new diver is clueless as to whether his/her instruction was decent or not. I knew right away that I could have got more out of a different approach, and that my AOW instructor fluffed some stuff. But I did meet the requirements for certification and its my job as a responsible adult to research, and do my best to adequately prepare myself to take part in this sport.


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[RTee]

Matt...You say that, in your opinion, what you are proposing may represent the ideal way to get certified and some of us are saying ...probably in the eyes of the beholder but based on our own experience (what we have seen and what we have done) it is not. You do not know what you do not know...

 

[Griffo]

In the nicest way possible, I just don't think you have enough experience to make that kind of judgment to either yourself or anyone else Matt. I too have done "holiday" courses, online courses, and local courses. I've had issues with all of them, and the more i learn here, the more I realise just how lacking they were. The holiday courses were definately more fun simply due to the location and type of diving (3mm shorty vs 7mm semi-dry is very different for beginners). At the time I thought they were good, well run, thorough courses, but the more I dive the more I realise how lacking they were.
In reality, the most important thing is the quality of your instructor, not where it is run. The reality of the situation though is that holiday destination shops have less incentive to provide a quality instruction than your local instructor does. Your local guy generally has to try to ensure to get repeat business from the same people, your holiday instructor has a constant stream of new students based on their location.

 

[SCUBA482]

Matt, dude...you need to maybe sit back for a while & read some posts... After doing some diving, studying more material & reading here & elsewhere I bet you'll turn into a great diver. I couldn't agree more with the saying about not knowing what you don't know despite how educated or smart of a person you are. I hope you figure this out soon for everybody's sake.


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[lowviz]

Hey, Matt, I'm in your backyard. Lunch sometime?

 

[bpotkin]

As a newer, highly motivated diver who spends lots of time on Scuba board rather than watching TV, I myself enjoy a relaxed learning setting where I can learn from my own minor mistakes and have an Instructor monitor my progress rather than over teach. That has worked well for me in learning to dive and flight training. Regarding local training or Resort training, I can easily see the pros and cons in each case.

 

[rhwestfall]

and here I'm all jazzed up because I just signed up for a rescue class, and the instructor looked me square in the eye and said "I'm going to kick your a$$". Exactly what I was looking for.....

 

[nimoh]

I have to agree that for the most part, new divers are not the best judge of a quality class.

I think it is easy for new divers to identify a poor class based on the quality of instruction, or noticing things in the book that are merely skimmed over or left out. However, a good instructor will teach things such as good technique that are not in the book, and if this is not done, how would the student know that it was left out?

That being said, I have to go with a post from Devon a few pages back, that regardless of experience level, everyone is entitled to an opinion

 

[xdjio]

Perhaps the ideal title for this post could have been if the OP said "The right way for ME to get certified" - after all, this is just opinion and everyone's different.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

There's a great way for a new diver to determine the quality of their initial class ... how comfortable do you feel planning and conducting an unsupervised dive in conditions similar to which you were trained after the class is completed? If the answer is "not very", then the instructor failed to meet the objectives of the class ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------

Perhaps the ideal title for this post could have been if the OP said "The right way for ME to get certified" - after all, this is just opinion and everyone's different.

I had no problem with either the title of the thread or the premise of Matt's initial post. Taken in the context of his experiences, it's a perfectly valid viewpoint. I don't necessarily agree with it, however. I think it really depends on the individual's goals and the approach of the instructor ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)