If you need a way to judge instructors, or instruction, some instructors here feel strongly that you should be taught neutrally buoyant, not kneeling on the bottom of the pool. You might ask the different shops if you can do the skills kneeling on the bottom or if you need to do them neutral. Asking that way you perhaps get the more accurate answer of how they teach. Then go with the ones that say, 'no you really need to do it neutral because that is how you will ultimately be diving but we will get you there, its actually easier'. If all say kneeling is ok, try another round of the shops looking for if one shop has an 'odd ball' instructor who teaches skills neutral, then go with that instructor.
Most of my recent training is NAUI, who I like. My only Padi cert is Nitrox, but Padi is ahead on standards calling for neutral instruction. Whether shops do it that way is a different issue, hence the filtering question
to find the right instructor, not agency.
Bring your card with you. That way who's lookup system is at their front desk does not matter. Plus, you likely soon want to get Nitrox, an easy academic cert. When shops ask if my certification is with Padi (implying they are clearly the best, and that I should certainly rectify that with them if it is not), I tell them my Nitrox is with Padi, which is all they need to give me tanks with Nitrox. Yes, for a deep dive a boat needs me to show some advanced card, but trying to match cert agency with dive resort agency is a path of folly.
