How Did You Find Your First Scuba Class?

[shurite7]

Years ago while working for the airlines I had control over travel vouchers for those who wrote complaint letters. I went to the local dive show in Dallas and walked up to each of the local dive shop booths stating I wanted to learn to dive and which company I worked for. The largest dive shop in the DFW area stated "yeah, so". Most just handed me a brochure. One dive shop asked me what I had in mind.

The answer I wanted to hear was you can learn for free, since most of the dive shops flew on our flights. The one dive shop that asked me what I had in mind was not a answer I was expecting. So, I chatted with them and made a deal. I worked my way up to instructor with the same shop and have no regrets.

 

[Steve_C]

Years ago while working for the airlines I had control over travel vouchers for those who wrote complaint letters. I went to the local dive show in Dallas and walked up to each of the local dive shop booths stating I wanted to learn to dive and which company I worked for. The largest dive shop in the DFW area stated "yeah, so". Most just handed me a brochure. One dive shop asked me what I had in mind.

The answer I wanted to hear was you can learn for free, since most of the dive shops flew on our flights. The one dive shop that asked me what I had in mind was not a answer I was expecting. So, I chatted with them and made a deal. I worked my way up to instructor with the same shop and have no regrets.

So if I understand you correctly you got free instruction in return for giving them some travel vouchers from the airline for a non complaint reason? I am not sure I understand the point you are making about why this spoke highly of the shop.

Just asking.

 

[shurite7]

So if I understand you correctly you got free instruction in return for giving them some travel vouchers from the airline for a non complaint reason? I am not sure I understand the point you are making about why this spoke highly of the shop.

Just asking.

When speaking to the dive shops at the show I did not tell them about the vouchers. Most of the dive shops that I spoke with were short in their answers and others had the attitude of sign up and pay now buy some gear then come into the shop for details. The response of 'what did you have in mind' told me the dive shop (at least the manager) was willing to talk. I had more respect for that answer than many of the others that I got. After walking the floor and speaking with many of the local dive centers I was disappointed by the attitude they had to simple inquiries. So, in short, yes I got free lessons. What I did was give them a voucher for the cost of the course. The voucher was then applied to one of their customers who booked a trip through the dive shop. Not all of the vouchers were for complaints, many were for promotional purposes.

 

[wildbill9]

17 year old, worked at a fast food place and 2 doors down was a scuba shop. Hung out thêre ơn my breaks and lunches. Listened to their stories and ádventures and sáw the pics. Gọt the bug and got certified. I am now going to bé 59 in november and still love the sport! Bonaire in october and next may, then raja ampat for my 60th

 

[tbzep]

I took the semester long SCUBA class at my university in the late 80's. We were YMCA open water certified and the course went way beyond what is done today in OW and AOW. Just passing the watermanship part the first night in the pool was tougher than getting into my lifeguarding class at the same university. The lifeguarding class eventually became more physically demanding, but not at the outset. I took various P.E. courses every semester that I could fit one in just for fun and these were two of them.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I took the YMCA class in 2001 ... at my local Y. It was four weeks long, 16 hours of class and 16 hours of pool. The first week in the pool we didn't even don scuba gear ... swim tests the first session and snorkeling/freediving skills the second.

I later pursued my professional courses through NAUI. Many of the skills in my DM training were just a repeat of what we covered during OW class at the Y.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[drbill]

Back in the late 60s I got a job teaching marine biology. Although I'd been diving fresh water during summer, I was not certified. I was informed I would have to be certified to dive in California. A board member at the school arranged to get me certified under Los Angeles County's program... and the rest is hysterical (ER, history)