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Comparing this to flight instruction is ridiculous. Flight instructors are licensed and approved by FAA standards, and by the time they can become a CFI, they must earn licenses in instrument, and commercial piloting. There are no such standards for the self-regulated "industry" of scuba diving...

What do you mean exactly by "white unicorn" ? I'm trying to get a straight answer on Hollis' marketing claims as well. What do they mean by "hybrid" rebreather (qua - closed versus semi closed circuit) ? They claim to be "unique" as using Nitrox...while the other semi-s also use Nitrox. Is...

It's funny....that documentary you saw was not REALLY a 'research expedition'. It was a recreational trip conducted for the sole benefit of Paul Allen (Co-founder of Microsoft) who owns the Octopus, and the Pagoo Submarine (along with two helicopters, all aboard his 400+ foot Yacht). I...

Wow !!!... You REALLY "SINGLE HANDEDLY BROUGHT TECHINCAL DIVING to the VIRGIN ISLANDS"......after having "only been OW certitified with only 12 logged dives as recently as 2008 ? " !!!!... My Goodness.....You're A Real Life Scuba-Stud !.... You're my bonafide hero. I guess diving tri-mix on...

You're RIGHT, and what is TRUELY MYOPIC..........is that The whole POINT in discussing QUALIFICATIONS, was only indirectly related to the topic which is the perverse economic model under which diving instruction is currently structured. Your one comment is exactly right, it is DIRECTLY related...

It would be nice if the industry worked this way.......but it doesn't. For every "great" instructor like yours, there are at least a dozen that suck; mainly because the training agencies do NOT DIFFERENTIATE any longer, neither between thenselves, nor among the level of ability of their...

The REAL reason that dive shops seek out "newly qualified instructors", is because they will generally work for free, in return for a store discount and to hopefully have their liability insuance cost covered so they can "stay current". Delivering QUALITY training or bringing years of valuable...

I'm quire sure that I'm not the only person here with a graduate level education....I certainly hope not. This discussion wasn’t intended to be about qualifications or experience related to instructing, it was about the economics of instructing and why it is virtually impossible to earn a...

........ Yes indeed....I"m bitter and angry that my time, energy, and efforts as a REAL PROFESSIONAL are so diminished by HOBBYISTS....like yourself. Your retort, reinforces the problematic issue with dive INSTRUCTOR training. You write that you're " just getting into diving...."... so...

Really ?? And why SHOULD diving be "affordable"....and to whom should it be "affordable"........to everyone? Is everyone entitled to quality scuba training from a seasoned and dedicated professional for next to nothing in return? And you say that people will leave diving in favor of some...

All due respect; Setting an MSRP isn't exactly a training agency telling you what you can charge (it is kind of....but not entirely).......it's establishing a minimum retail price for training, in accordance with the actual cost to provide it. You can always charge more than that, you just...

A quality regulator costs around $600. A quality BCD also costs around $500. Even just a quality set of mask, snorkel and fins costs around $200, a dive trip to the Bahamas for a week costs thousands of dollars. So you think that quality training from a seasoned and experienced professional...

‘Price Fixing’ would be the case if retail dive shops or instructors themselves, and located within a particular geographic market; were to agree upon a minimum price offered for training at the end-user level. This is an illegal practice in the United States, and is not at all what I suggested...

Part 2 of 2 Dive training is a product that has a significant cost associated with delivering it to the customer. The real cost to train an individual to become a competent and safe scuba diver, vastly exceeds today’s market price for training, and most in the industry completely ignore the...

Part 1 of 2: I have been a SCUBA instructor for over 30 years. I’ve taught courses for NAUI, PADI, TDI, and the YMCA. I have worked as a commercial diver for Oceaneering and have trained and certified people from all walks of life including: housewives, marine biologists, US Marines, Navy...

Hi If you haven't bought your gear yet...heed this advice. Listen to "Smellysocks". He's absolutely right in his first post. Don't buy a damn thing until you have tried out A LOT of different types of gear. Make several dives renting both back inflate and jacket style BC's before you...

Just an afterthought.... How about you take your scenario; and you add in losing your mask. Maybe you can "feel" your smallest bubbles :D

In fact, the best ascent rate is one that is not linear. Remember, that as you near the surface during ascent, the proportional ratio of gas volume increases more rapidly the closer you get to the surface; so physics dictates that for optimal risk mitigation, you should ascend progressively...

PS: My email is: Doriadiver11@aol.com. You can reply to me there.... Thanks