Certification Problems...

[ucladiver]

Hey Everyone,
I'm having some problems getting my C-card and wanted to ask your opinions before acting. Here's the deal:

My girlfriend and I started a NAUI OW cert class last August (!). It was a great class. The lectures were well prepared. The pool instruction was fantastic. The Ocean dives were very useful. The class consisted of 2 1 hr lectures and 2 2 hr+ pools sessions per week for 6 weeks. The last 4 four weeks also included sunday beach dives. The last weeked was supposed to be a boat dive to Catalina.. in came the problem. The instructors couldn't book the boat (still don't know why). We of course still wanted to get certified but school started up before another trip could be planned. We still needed a boat dive or an equivalent 2 beach dives to become certified. We passed the written and pool pracitcal the first time around. Since then I have been E-mailing the instructor about every two weeks trying to find out about finishing up. We managed to go on one dive in late October, after which the instructor told us we just needed to join another of his classes when he was on the beach and go out on our own for a dive and come back and talk about it and he would certify us. I haven't heard from him since despite numerous E-mails. I really want to dive. I feel the class prepared us extremely well (far better than I think I could have gotten anywhere else around here). I would feel totally comfortable diving tomorrow given that I had a good buddy and conditions were within the limits I have training for. What do I do?

a) keep trying and get certified someday but still leave the door open for this great instructor (in all respects excpet being unavailable). not that I think I would do my AOW with him for this reason.
b) ask for my money back ($300 x 2 = $600) and go find someone else to certify us. (I can easily get in touch with the Aquatic Center who took my money -- but the connection between them and the instructor is basically non-existent). If we decide to go somewhere else, does anyone know what our options are? Do we have to re-take the whole class somewhere else? Can we show them our log books with 4 scuba dives + 1 skin dive and get credit up to that point?

Thanks in advance for the input! Take care.

-ucladiver

 

[Fishkiller]

I am not familar with NAUI but not getting certified and really wanting to is a big bummer, I have been there in my own way.

I would suggest option B insuch that you get a referal and finsh up with someone else.


I leave everything else to those in the NAUI Know.

 

[neil]

ucla,
If you have 4 scuba and 1 skin dive, you should have been done already unless you haven't demonstrated all the skills yet.
Put some pressure on this instructor to go out with you and do what's required, you paid for it.
Did he really say you should go out on your own and then tell him about your dives? If so, report him to NAUI (800-553-NAUI), get him to sign a referral stating what skills you've done and I'll take you diving to certify you!
Schedules do get messed up, and an instructor can't always take just one or two students diving because it's not economical. That's why he wants you to get in with another class if possible. Even so, I think he should make an effort to get you finished. My offer is good, get a referral, come on up to Ventura and we'll go diving. If you can't get in touch with him for the referral, call NAUI and talk to the training dept. Do it soon. Good luck.

Neil

 

[striking viking]

Get your money back. Try putting pressure on the dive shop that this joker was using. Get NAUI involved, let the dive shop and instructor know of this. It's amazing what a little bad publicity will do for a business. If things come through with this instructor, then it's all good, you get certified and can go diving, but if he continues to not finish up with your business, then at least you have your $600.00 in hand to use to get certified by another. Call the other dive shops in town and run the problem by them. They may try and push a sale, but you will at least hear various sides of what can be done for your situation. Remember, this guy has your money-or had-and you don't have so much as a piece of laminated paper in return. All of the training that you have so far and another $0.99 will get you 20 minutes of long distance time. It's the last dive you need to be called a diver, and you don't have it. Put the pressure on. Good luck.

 

[NAUTICAL NOBLE]

I agree with (neil) 1-800-553-NAUI they will contact the dive center and find out very quicky whats going on!!!

 

[ucladiver]

Hey guys,
I first have to correct a mistake I made in my original post. We have actually done 3 scuba and 2 skin dives. I forgot that on one of the dive days we arrived the beach and conditions were'nt good to dive in so we did extra "ciruits" (beach entry, rescue beyond surf, and then beach exit). This is why we need another dive.

Well I have to admit I was already leaning in the direction of plan B before I made this post, you guys have just confirmed what I thought all along. My only dilema is that this guy has really been a good instructor.

neil: I believe we have indeed demonstrated all the skills needed. that's why he said what he said about us going out and then comming back (sort of like if we were on a boat dive and we were allowed to do our second repetitive dive on our own, which i understand is quite common). As I have said we did pass the pool practicle (buddy breathing w/ underwater swim, doff-n-don, buyoant entry, tired & panicked diver rescues) and we also passed the written exam on the first try. In the ocean we did mask clearing (including a 3-4 min swim without the mask), reg toss, and rescues.

I will get in touch with aquatic center as soon as possible and find out what's going on. I'm not too eager to get this guy in trouble, I understand scheduling problems happen. I just want my C-Card. If I can get a referral, I will be in touch neil.

Thanks all.

 

[Butch103]

You may have shown your compentancy in the pool and also in the open water part of your training, but I have never heard of doing your final open water dive without an instructor present in the water with the uncertified diver............If I am wrong I am sure someone on the board will correct me....................but ........also how would you get your ari/tanks filled without a c-card ???

Option "B" is your safest bet..................

 

[Rick Murchison]

If the NAUI shop is unable to certify you at this time for any reason, ask them for a Universal Referral Packet - then blast off for Cozumel or some other warm place to finish up. With that packet you can finish your dives with any NAUI, SSI, PDIC, IDEA or YMCA shop.
Rick

 

[neil]

ucla,
It's black and white: your instructor is required to be with you every second of every dive done for certification. That includes skin dives. Anything else compromises your safety and his teaching career. If this guy has been a good instructor for you, get his attention by calling NAUI and the dive center owner.
Neil

 

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by neil
ucla,
It's black and white: your instructor is required to be with you every second of every dive done for certification. ... Neil

Any NAUI instructor (or, with the URP, any NAUI, SSI, PDIC, IDEA or YMCA instructor) will do. But you must have an instructor.
Rick