SDI & TDI

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Alessandro Calello

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Location
Italy
# of dives
0 - 24
Hello everyone,

I recently started my AOWD course with the goal to become Instructor at the end of this winter, I decided after long thinking to do it with SDI and then at the end I will do the TDI Nitrox course, did I made a good choice to go with this Diving company/school instead than others like PADI or SSI?

Thanks!
 
Depends on where you wish to work. If most, if not all, the facilities are PADI , at the location you wish to work at, then go with PADI..if the facilities are SDI , go there. Become an instr over this winter? Only 24 dives at most? Do you own a full set of gear? Better off to spend your money getting more dives in . Then do rescue after maybe getting a minimum of 20 dives done.You need 40 dives to start divemaster and 60 dives to exit the course. That is a bare minimum in standards. Then get at least another 50 to 100 dives done as a working divemaster supervising and assisting in classes for the experience before going on to a IDC. After that you might be able to get a job. Maybe.....
 
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If you want to be a tech instructor, SDI is a good place to start and TDI is good destination to aim at. But, if your goal is to be a tech instructor, it doesn't REALLY matter whether you do your open water stuff. SDI, PADI, or SSI will work.

Once you get to the point of starting Dive Master training - the first step to going pro - then you should think about specifically doing the SDI DM program. But, at that point, you'll probably already know what you want to do, without asking the Internet. Regardless, the reason I say to do SDI DM (versus PADI or SSI) is that TDI DM specifically requires a prerequisite of SDI DM. So, if you do, for example, PADI DM, you'd have to do a crossover to SDI DM before you could then start TDI DM and move on to TDI instructor courses.

Also note: If you're going to do TDI Nitrox, then go ahead and do it. Don't bother with SDI Nitrox. SDI Nitrox is a waste of money IF you are going to do TDI Nitrox anyway. TDI Nitrox doesn't have any prerequisites, other than basic Open Water. SDI Nitrox ONLY makes sense for people who don't plan to do TDI Nitrox. TDI Nitrox covers EVERYTHING in SDI Nitrox plus more.
 
Tech instructors need a LOT of experience doing tech dives to be credible. The people I would be comfortable learning cave diving from would have done at least hundreds of dives, been doing this for years and are known in the community.

It's like you want to learn how to drive F1 race cars. Would you want someone who has never finished a race or would you want someone who has finished hundreds of races to teach you how to drive at 350 km/hour safely and successfully?
 
You may want to get some experience diving between all the courses you intend to take to reach instructor. Real world diving experience in differing environments always makes for a better instructor. IMO.
If you're unsure which agency to teach for, take some courses from each one, you have time, they all cross over to each other. That should give you some insights as to how their training "systems" work.
Once you join the professional ranks (DM, Instructor) you can crossover to other agencies. Some make it easier than others.

As an instructor for multiple agencies, I do like teaching the TDI Nitrox over others, so that is a good course choice.
 
If you want to be a tech instructor, SDI is a good place to start and TDI is good destination to aim at.
A lot of people think that, but there is a lot more to it than you think.

I was a PADI instructor and then became a TDI tech diver and then a TDI tech instructor. After several years of being a TDI instructor, I crossed over and became a PADI tech instructor. I then dropped out of TDI. In my situation, that was very much the best move for me.
 
A lot of people think that, but there is a lot more to it than you think.

I was a PADI instructor and then became a TDI tech diver and then a TDI tech instructor. After several years of being a TDI instructor, I crossed over and became a PADI tech instructor. I then dropped out of TDI. In my situation, that was very much the best move for me.

Right. It is unfortunate when an agency puts what is best for the instructor at odds with what is best for the students, but I reckon that does happen with some agencies (if not all). I don't really know, from an instructor point of view, as I am not one. I just know that as a student, I have felt like TDI was the best option for me. So, if I were going to pursue becoming an instructor (which I have no intention of doing), I think I would choose to instruct the same courses I found to be the best option for me as a student. Not that TDI is perfect. But, despite an issue here or there, I have no regrets about going with TDI, so far.

I said to the OP that TDI is a good option. I didn't say that it's the only good option. And like I also said, by the time the OP is ready to start a Pro course, he or she will probably have their own idea of the track to take and not be here asking the Internet.
 
I will like to thank all of you guys, because you made me realise that probably rushing in becoming an Instructor it's wrong, I wanted to do that because I know that if you are just a Divemaster it's extremely hard to find a job, but at the same time I start to think now that if I don't do the things in the right order and in the right time nobody will give me a job because I won't have so much experience to be a good instructor, so the best is becoming Divemaster and dive, dive, dive, make a lot of experience and then when you feel ready make the final step to become Instructor...
 

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