orlando area technical level training recommendations

[rick00001967]

hi all. looking for recommendations on an orlando area dive shop offering the tdi (or equivalent) adv ntrox/deco combo course. so far the only two i have found are dayo scuba and dive station/florida dive insitute. any reviews/recommendations appreciated. thx

 

[sportxlh]

Dayo Scuba: haven't done training with them but met several on a Live-aboard a few years ago and they were a good group

 

[Johnoly]

... are dayo scuba and dive station/florida dive insitute. any reviews/recommendations appreciated. thx

Both shops offer alot of very similar tech courses but their customers base is very different. Dive Station has more customers that are focused on BECOMING an Instructor or DM. Dayo has more customers focused on getting the individual certification levels like Adv Nitrox/Cave/Tech/etc.

Dayo's shop does alot more tech dives than Dive Station on a month to month basis. Again, they are both excellent shops and well qualified for what you want. It's just they run their businesses very differently.

P.S. I live in Orlando so feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Superlyte27]

Deja Vu?

Didn't you just run a thread with the same objective? Why does it need to be TDI?

 

[rick00001967]

Deja Vu?

Didn't you just run a thread with the same objective? Why does it need to be TDI?

yes i did. i felt the divers who frequent the "florida" section may have some insight that others may not. i would prefer tdi certs but may consider other agencies if the right instructor was avail. there are specific reasons i prefer tdi but i cannot elaborate further. sorry.

---------- Post added October 16th, 2015 at 07:40 AM ----------

Both shops offer alot of very similar tech courses but their customers base is very different. Dive Station has more customers that are focused on BECOMING an Instructor or DM. Dayo has more customers focused on getting the individual certification levels like Adv Nitrox/Cave/Tech/etc.

Dayo's shop does alot more tech dives than Dive Station on a month to month basis. Again, they are both excellent shops and well qualified for what you want. It's just they run their businesses very differently.

P.S. I live in Orlando so feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

thx for the great info and they offer to PM. from other research i have decided to pass on using dayo and as far as dive station goes, they did answer a couple of emails and then when questioned about course details and costs they told me to contact dayo. found that odd but have scratched them off the list. trying to come up with a "plan B". thx again

---------- Post added October 16th, 2015 at 12:10 PM ----------

interestingly enough i did ask tdi if the iantd adv nitrox, psai adv nitrox, and the padi tec 40/45 were equivalents to the tdi adv nitrox/deco or tdi adv nitrox/heliox course and was told the following.......

"We cannot comment on the specifics of the limitations of other agency certifications, you will need to check with IANTD, PSAI and PADI to see what the limitations of their courses are."

 

[TONY CHANEY]

TJ at Dayo is the best....I think that you need to reconsider

 

[metaldector]

Dayo, nuf said.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Florida probably has the highest collective dive skill of any state in the union especially when it comes to instruction. If I were you, I would expand my area beyond Orlando. I would immediately look at instructors in Cave Country like Jim Wyatt (who teaches in High Springs and Key Largo), Dan Patterson, Rob Mcgann, Ken Sallot--All of which I believe are TDI in addition to other agencies. Loads of my friends have done cave diving with Dan Patterson and highly recommend him, but apart from that I have no direct experience with any of these guys apart from reputation.

Why the focus on Orlando?

Take your time, take a week off and do training and fun dives in Key Largo or Cave Country.

---------- Post added October 20th, 2015 at 03:45 PM ----------

Edit: Superlyte27 is another well regarded Cave instructor

 

[Superlyte27]

I wish there was a place where instructors could rank other instructors on the quality of students they certify. New students are kinda ill equipped to do this.

About 15 years ago, I bought my wife her first ever brand new car. We married young, and she always drove a piece of crap. I bought her a 2001 Hyundai Accent with 8 miles on it. She thought it was the greatest thing ever. I had been brought up on Mustangs, Camaros, Porches, a Maserati, 300zx, Corvette, Tahoes, Suburbans, etc. etc. So our taste in cars was pretty different. I was in a better spot, because of my experience, to accurately determine that the Hyundai Accent, while reliable, was a pretty sucky car compared to some of the luxury and performance I had driven in the past. However, she thought it was the best of the best. Because compared to her 1982 Mazda RX-7, it was wonderful.

Unfortunately, unless you have had MANY instructors, you really don't know that your instructor sucked (and I'm not speaking to anyone specifically in this thread). And I want you to know, most instructors do suck. In any industry where the supply exceeds the demand, and the pay is almost non-existent, quality is going to be lacking most of the time.

I know A LOT of instructors (probably 70 or more) but the list of instructors whom I'd let teach my 16 year old daughter, 13 year old son, or my wife, could almost be counted on one hand.

This guy did some research. For whatever reason he's decided not to go with DAYO. Leave him be. Perhaps for him it was a good choice. For what it's worth (which isn't much)... my background and research and first hand knowledge is in line with the OP's stance.

---------- Post added October 20th, 2015 at 03:57 PM ----------

Thanks man. I appreciate that.