Couldn't complete OWD, distraught & lost all confidence

[bee123]

@Marie13 Thank you so much, I am glad to hear I am not the only one who's off to a rocky start. But I enjoy it so much, I cannot just give up now You've given me hope that it can be done, thank you!

 

[bee123]

Do NOT reschedule with them. Shell out whatever you have to and stay far away with them. Talk to another shop and explain the situation. Do not go back to the original one. They seem to have not listened to your concerns originally, why would they now?

Good point, thank you. I will research other shops/instructors in my area. Honestly, this whole experience left me feeling very distraught, so going back there wouldn't be a good idea at all.

 

[Marie13]

@Marie13 Thank you so much, I am glad to hear I am not the only one who's off to a rocky start. But I enjoy it so much, I cannot just give up now You've given me hope that it can be done, thank you!

Glad to help!

If you’re on FB, there is a group called Girls that Scuba. You will find a lot of gals in the similar situation as you.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Why not book some time with the instructor that you liked and worked well with? You already have a connection with them, have already paid for the class, and maybe a little more pool time will have you more comfortable in openwater.

Maybe a private OW checkout dive with your preferred instructor?

Good shop? Bad Shop? Shops are just people. This shop has an instructor that you like...use them.

Good luck,
Jay

 

[Caveeagle]

So, In most cases.. out of: Good, Fast, and Cheap, You have to compromise on one. Sounds like this shop decided to compramise on the former.

If you can book a private follow session with the instructor you liked, that might be the easiest solution. Otherwise make haste to get another instructor with references.

Stick with it! I admire your spirit.

 

[TMHeimer]

I agree with the advice(s) above. I doubt you will get any refund if you go to another shop, particularly if switching agencies. Private instruction with the instructor you liked may be best. Glad to hear you have a lifetime of snorkeling, like I did. I think you'll do fine in the end.

 

[bee123]

Thanks so much for your replies, the shop still hasn't contacted me. Honestly, I am tired of chasing them, because that's what I initially had to do just to get them to confirm my booking and register me with SSI. They said they would contact me as a matter of priority and it's now been 2 days. If they do contact me, I will inquire about the private lesson option, or possibly a refund on the last 2 dives which I did not do. I doubt they will want to refund me, but either way I am going to work on getting that certification, just have to get over this bad experience

 

[Geobound]

This is going to sound like a broken record at this point, but 100% find a new shop.

Yes it may cost you a couple of hundred dollars more than you had counted on, but this is a great hobby with serious consequences if you don’t do it right.

The alarm bells went off when I read the part about skipping tasks, giving you wrong sized equipment, and not checking your regulator when you questioned it. The instructor may recognize the reg problem as normal, but what if he was wrong?

There should have been a check no matter what. Again, we are talking life safety equipment with serious consequences should things go wrong.

Maybe there is a reason why PADI dumped them.........like not listening to their clients?

I paid for a private instructor (mainly because of time scheduling), but it was the best thing that I could have done. My instructor was super calm, well spoken, and made sure every task was completed in a reasonable amount of time.

Any questions I had were addressed right away, and any task that I felt I didn’t nail he made me do it again.

I joked about paying him extra to skip the treading water part, so out of revenge he added a few more minutes just to make sure I could do it. LOL.....

We have built a great rapour with one another, and I would without hesitation hire him again for additional training.

Here’s the best bit......he’s about 20 years younger than me too.

I know it sucks, but spend the extra I swear you won’t be disappointed.

Stick with it. I wish you all the best.

John

 

[yle]

Since I am very new to all this, so I don't know how much or how little it takes to be expelled from PADI. I am researching other shops now.

Bee, it seems the intent of your original post was to get some feedback on whether or not your experience was typical for a scuba course and if this is just what you'll have to deal with if you want to become a diver.

I think you can see from all the feedback that the answer is unanimous: your experience was just about exactly the opposite of what an entry level scuba class should be.

Your scuba class should be fun and should stoke the excitement that you initially brought to the class when you first decided to sign up. If the class takes you the opposite direction, definitely bail.

I hope all these responses help you to put your situation in perspective. Find a decent shop with decent instructors. You might have to pay a little more, but it will be money well spent. ($300 for a harsh, stressful experience... or $500 for a positive, fun and rewarding experience? No brainer.)

 

[yle]

Thanks so much for your replies, the shop still hasn't contacted me. Honestly, I am tired of chasing them, because that's what I initially had to do just to get them to confirm my booking and register me with SSI. They said they would contact me as a matter of priority and it's now been 2 days. If they do contact me, I will inquire about the private lesson option, or possibly a refund on the last 2 dives which I did not do. I doubt they will want to refund me, but either way I am going to work on getting that certification, just have to get over this bad experience

I doubt they'll want to refund you either. Sounds like the shop was offering a lower than average price, and delivering much lower than average product.

You might just have to chalk this one up to "lesson learned", write the course expense off as "educational expense" (i.e. you learned not to use that shop again, you learned what a scuba class should NOT be...) and move on to better times.