2 day ow certification?

[Rhenry]

My significant other wants to go to Florida and get an OQ cert. As an avid diver I loved this idea, but when she told me it was a two day course, I was shocked. I looked at certification just from a time perspective, how can you possibly do the pool work and get 5dives in two days? It seems like this is a sham of some sort, anyone heard of such a thing as a two day OW course?
If so how can they possibly certify anyone is two days? How is it done, or do I now want to know!!!

 

[hardtime]

What Certifying Agency is she going thru? PADI, NAUI, SSI, BSAC.....

 

[rhwestfall]

in our "dumbed down" world, it is now supposed to be acceptable. Anything for a corporate buck........

 

[tstormdiver]

Personally I just can't see where most people can absorb that much material & master the necessary skills to the point of being absolutely comfortable with them in that short a period of time. I will not say there aren't some who can do it,.... But I would think they would be few & far between. Most people need time in between to absorb the information they've been given or else a lot of it is forgotten in a very short period of time. Just my opinion though....

 

[spectrum]

With E-learning they can omit most of the academics from the time line so that's one difference. There should still be some review, highlight and Q&A time allotted.

The 2 day time frame must exclude the open water work to be legitimate. In 2 good sessions many students can learn to do "the tricks" needed to attain certification. They may not build the confidence or have time to get a good sense of what they are really doing. The student that is not a natural may get hosed and either give up in frustration or jump in with the next class to complete their adaptation. It's a quick path to a shallow education.

Also make sure it's an open water diver certification, not scuba diver which still requires professional guidance.

It is conceivable that all of the confined water is being done in one full day and the open water is being done on a second day. This is outside of standards but plenty of divers get their card on 2 tanks of diving. As you may recall those first dives can be tiring. A day in the pool can be mentally, thermally and physically exhausting. Burning 2 or 3 cylinders of air in a day can be brutal. If it's back to back on a single weekend......I can't imagine what Monday morning will feel like.

IMO it's a red alert situation.

I'll add that if she were a natural and you were more seasoned and willing to be her mentor I would be less concerned. With <50 dives that is asking a lot of you.

Pete

 

[Sinbad Scuba]

This is totally legitimate. PADI offers a "Scuba Diver Certification" that is half of the Open Water course. Dont be so quick to call it a sham or con or rip off.

PADI Scuba Diver Course

Short on time and long on the urge to become a certified diver? The PADI Scuba Diver certification might just be for you. This course requires less time than the PADI Open Water Diver course, covering only the first three of five sections of knowledge development, the first three of five pool sessions, and the first two of four open water training dives, resulting in a limited certification. Particularly if you expect to go scuba diving primarily in the company of a dive guide or if you have limited time to devote to scuba certification, consider becoming a PADI Scuba Diver.

This certification allows for ample dive experience and is a good warm-up for the Open Water Diver course, if that&#8217;s your ultimate goal. PADI Scuba Divers are qualified to:

Get your PADI scuba diver certification so you can interact with dolphins and other amazing marine lifeDive under the direct supervision of a PADI Divemaster, Assistant Instructor or Instructor to a maximum depth of 12 metres / 40 feet
Obtain air fills, rent or purchase scuba equipment and participate in other diving activities as long as they have the required supervision
Continue their dive training and complete PADI Open Water Diver certification and other courses such as Project AWARE and equipment specialty courses

 

[tstormdiver]

No one has said it is a sham, rip off or con. The OP said it was an OW course (he spelled it OQ- by missing a key).

Is it the best way for the majority? I have my doubts....

 

[thirdcoastdiver]

I am a newly certified diver. These are my opinions so take them with a grain of salt.

The academic portion was fairly easy. I found parts of the pool work challenging. I needed the pool time and the OW dives that were a part of my course to learn the needed skills.

One option is to take a class locally with the academics and pool sessions, then do a referral to complete the OW course in Florida.

Being underwater with all of the gear is not normal. It takes time to develop a level of comfort and expertise that makes diving fun. Given my challenges with the skills, I would never have mastered the skills in a weekend, and I doubt that I would have continued diving in those circumstances.

 

[tstormdiver]

I am a newly certified diver. These are my opinions so take them with a grain of salt.

The academic portion was fairly easy. I found parts of the pool work challenging. I needed the pool time and the OW dives that were a part of my course to learn the needed skills.

One option is to take a class locally with the academics and pool sessions, then do a referral to complete the OW course in Florida.

Being underwater with all of the gear is not normal. It takes time to develop a level of comfort and expertise that makes diving fun. Given my challenges with the skills, I would never have mastered the skills in a weekend, and I doubt that I would have continued diving in those circumstances.

Bingo!

 

[Tortuga68]

Particularly if you expect to go scuba diving primarily in the company of a dive guide... [edit]

....Obtain air fills, rent or purchase scuba equipment and participate in other diving activities as long as they have the required supervision

Following PADI Scuba Diver certification, do you need to dive with a DM or Instructor?