Cheapest OW Certs Possible, FL, Kids, Ideas?

[laikabear]

Did you ever think of getting the oldest two certified and telling the youngest two that they must wait? If it is a big financial strain, just tell them that you can't afford to get everyone certified right now, and that the younger kids will have to wait til next year or the year after. Just because PADI says they can get certified at 10 doesn't mean that's your family rule. The family rule may be "you have to be 16."

Or alternatively, tell the oldest that at 22 he's not a kid anymore and he needs to pay for his own certification.

I don't have kids but I'm just trying to look at this through the lens of what my parents would have told me (an only child). They would not have paid for scuba certification at any time because it's too expensive. That's why I got certified as an adult.

I think finding an instructor you trust with your kids' lives is Step 1, and figuring out how to pay for it is Step 2 (and maybe telling the kids they can't all get certified at the same time is Step 3). It doesn't have to be the most expensive training, but I think looking at cost as the first factor is the wrong way to go about it.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

I sympathize with you. Having to pay for four kids to get certified can blow the budget for many families.

The fact that all four of your kids love diving is great for you, them and the industry. Think about how much more it is going to cost once they get certified and want to own the their own gear.

You have got them off to a good start by yourself but recognize that you are not an instructor and that your kids need to take the OW class to learn the basics you might have missed teaching them. Good on you for realizing this!

My son learned to dive at age 13. Was night diving at age 14 and at my insistence, after 1000+ dives took the OW class at age 40. He came ashore after his first OW dive with his BCD pockets full of scallops.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

The word cheap is, well, it just implies frick it.. People here are passionate about diving safely. I think if you switched out and used the words "cost effective" it wouldn't sound so harsh.

I get what you're doing and I'm positive you aren't the first person that did shallow try dives with uncertified folks...... You gotta understand why a bunch of instructors wouldn't like that, and the better instructors aren't thinking that because of money, they don't want to see people get hurt.

I can see that 100%.

Did you ever think of getting the oldest two certified and telling the youngest two that they must wait? If it is a big financial strain, just tell them that you can't afford to get everyone certified right now, and that the younger kids will have to wait til next year or the year after. Just because PADI says they can get certified at 10 doesn't mean that's your family rule. The family rule may be "you have to be 16."

Or alternatively, tell the oldest that at 22 he's not a kid anymore and he needs to pay for his own certification.

I don't have kids but I'm just trying to look at this through the lens of what my parents would have told me (an only child). They would not have paid for scuba certification at any time because it's too expensive. That's why I got certified as an adult.

I think finding an instructor you trust with your kids' lives is Step 1, and figuring out how to pay for it is Step 2 (and maybe telling the kids they can't all get certified at the same time is Step 3). It doesn't have to be the most expensive training, but I think looking at cost as the first factor is the wrong way to go about it.

All good points and definitely a welcomed change of perspective.

I sympathize with you. Having to pay for four kids to get certified can blow the budget for many families.

The fact that all four of your kids love diving is great for you, them and the industry. Think about how much more it is going to cost once they get certified and want to own the their own gear.

You have got them off to a good start by yourself but recognize that you are not an instructor and that your kids need to take the OW class to learn the basics you might have missed teaching them. Good on you for realizing this!

My son learned to dive at age 13. Was night diving at age 14 and at my insistence, after 1000+ dives took the OW class at age 40. He came ashore after his first OW dive with his BCD pockets full of scallops.

I have thought about how much it'll cost, the only good news is that I have at least one if not 2 full setups other than mine ready to dive, so that's a plus. Just odds and ends but nothing you wouldn't see at a rental shop. And really I only plan to dive with one, at most 2 (the 2 would be the 22 yr old and another).

That's amazing about your son. Who taught your son if you don't mind me asking? Do you think he missed anything in his 1st 1000 dives that he got out of his OW?

 

[Bert van den Berg]

I can see that 100%.



All good points and definitely a welcomed change of perspective.



I have thought about how much it'll cost, the only good news is that I have at least one if not 2 full setups other than mine ready to dive, so that's a plus. Just odds and ends but nothing you wouldn't see at a rental shop. And really I only plan to dive with one, at most 2 (the 2 would be the 22 yr old and another).

That's amazing about your son. Who taught your son if you don't mind me asking? Do you think he missed anything in his 1st 1000 dives that he got out of his OW?

He took after his dad. Let me explain... I'm 73 and self taught when 20 years old before PADI existed and certifications were required to rent gear. We dove off our own boat and I didn't get certified till age 66 (the wife made me take the OW class with her). I learned a lot in the OW class and got hooked on learning more. That's when I "strongly" suggested my son to take the OW class.

 

[yle]

Also you can't do full OW in 3 days, that is a standards violation.

I don't think doing an OW class in 3 days is technically a standards violation. It's certainly not the ideal schedule for every aspiring diver, but from what I understand there are many ops in the Keys that run an OW class:

Students do online learning prior to start of class.
Friday evening: paperwork, review online learning stuff
Saturday morning: confined water/pool
Saturday afternoon: OW dives 1 and 2
Sunday morning: confined water/pool
Sunday afternoon: OW dives 3 and 4

I think the only restriction on time is that no more than three training dives can be done in one day. I'm only familiar with PADI standards, so other agencies might have further restrictions that I'm not aware of. But to make a blanket statement that completing an OW class in three days is a standards violation seems... wrong. Especially when the OP agreed with you and then said he just spoke with "some dive shop" in Florida.

Kind of unfair to the dive shop to convince the OP that they violate standards.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I don't think doing an OW class in 3 days is technically a standards violation. It's certainly not the ideal schedule for every aspiring diver, but from what I understand there are many ops in the Keys that run an OW class:

Students do online learning prior to start of class.
Friday evening: paperwork, review online learning stuff
Saturday morning: confined water/pool
Saturday afternoon: OW dives 1 and 2
Sunday morning: confined water/pool
Sunday afternoon: OW dives 3 and 4

I think the only restriction on time is that no more than three training dives can be done in one day. I'm only familiar with PADI standards, so other agencies might have further restrictions that I'm not aware of. But to make a blanket statement that completing an OW class in three days is a standards violation seems... wrong. Especially when the OP agreed with you and then said he just spoke with "some dive shop" in Florida.

Kind of unfair to the dive shop to convince the OP that they violate standards.

This is how all the less expensive options have presented it. They all want eLearning done beforehand and then the schedule that you posted.

 

[VikingDives]

I don't think doing an OW class in 3 days is technically a standards violation. It's certainly not the ideal schedule for every aspiring diver, but from what I understand there are many ops in the Keys that run an OW class:

Students do online learning prior to start of class.
Friday evening: paperwork, review online learning stuff
Saturday morning: confined water/pool
Saturday afternoon: OW dives 1 and 2
Sunday morning: confined water/pool
Sunday afternoon: OW dives 3 and 4

I think the only restriction on time is that no more than three training dives can be done in one day. I'm only familiar with PADI standards, so other agencies might have further restrictions that I'm not aware of. But to make a blanket statement that completing an OW class in three days is a standards violation seems... wrong. Especially when the OP agreed with you and then said he just spoke with "some dive shop" in Florida.

Kind of unfair to the dive shop to convince the OP that they violate standards.

I remember being taught that in my IDC and thinking it sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. My CD said the purpose was so resorts could take you on a discover scuba and then sell you the rest of the course, giving you the ability to upsell it as soon as you hit the surface.

 

[tursiops]

This is how all the less expensive options have presented it. They all want eLearning done beforehand and then the schedule that you posted.

And that is a major reason they are less expensive....less contact time with the shop/instructor.
So to be fair you have to add the expensive (PADI) eLearning price to the "cheap" certification price.

 

[yle]

This is how all the less expensive options have presented it. They all want eLearning done beforehand and then the schedule that you posted.

Exactly. To suggest that this violates standards is incorrect. Some people think it's too much in too little time... but that's a far cry from violating standards.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

And that is a major reason they are less expensive....less contact time with the shop/instructor.
So to be fair you have to add the expensive (PADI) eLearning price to the "cheap" certification price.

Understood. Most have included that in, it's just paid for beforehand or at least a deposit,