Dishonest LDS ??

[Blackrock]

HERE IS AN UPDATE TO THE STORY...

I spoke with my girlfriend to make sure I had gotten the details right and make sure I wasn't throwing mud at the wrong people.

She confirmed that the OWNER said the splits wouldn't be good to use. He gave the comment about cave/wreck diving after she asked what split fins are for (after noticing he sells them in his shop).

So I decided to call myself and get my own answers. He was a nice guy on the phone and more than willing to accommodate my questioning...but still the answers were BS. He acknowledged that people use splits successfully and after the class is over he certainly does not care what she uses.

The bottom line: He will not let her use the split fins for her OW class.
Reason (paraphrased):
1) He has had problems in the past with students being able to complete to sections of the class so they decided not let students use them.

The two class sections are: The manual BC inflate on the surface & the rescue portion. They won't give enough power when she has to tow another diver or keep her head above water for the BC inflate skill.

I don't know what rescue portion he is talking about because I am PADI OW certified. I didn't feel like arguing with him because she has paid for the class and may not be able to get her money back...I don't want to cause trouble for her if she has to actually take the class from him.

She has paid in full and we are not sure if she can get a full refund. We are booked for a vacation in early January and have little time to find other options. To be honest...I'm not sure what to do about all this. The class was $250 and it would be a shame to lose all that money.

 

[SteveAD]

The "rescue portion" of an OW course might be the tired diver tows. But aside from that, this guy is a total BS fountain. Over 80% of my open water students do their course in split fins.

 

[ReefHound]

OK, we can rant all day about what a moron the lousy owner is but the question remains as to what to do about it.

You can ask if she can get her money back because she doesn't want to buy more gear right now. All he can do is refuse and if you ask politely then this doesn't burn any bridges. That would still leave you having to find an OW class somewhere else.

You can ask what type fins he requires for the class and then borrow them from someone just to get through the class. Post here or find a local dive club, I'll bet plenty of people nearby will offer you use of fins.

But she will inevitably need fins of her own so you could buy them (if she ultimately wants to buy splits then for the class buy the cheapest pair you can find). If she buys them, be sure NOT to buy them at that shop. I'd be tempted to buy them at Leisure Pro and then announce to the class what a great deal I got and oh by the way they have great prices on regs and BCs too. But that would probably fall under "causing trouble".

Now here's the really important part. Let this be the turning point where you cease depending on your local shop for advice and start doing your independent research. Next time you and your GF go into the shop you should know all there is to know about fins, what type is best for what. Read threads on Scubaboard, talk to fellow divers, join a local dive club. Be glad this happened with small potatoes like fins, so she can be prepared when she is ready to buy a reg and BC.

One more thing, don't cut off your nose to spite your face. If you're going somewhere in January where there is good diving, be sure she gets certified in time even if she has to buy a pair of fins from this stupid owner.

 

[divingtigger]

That's almost as bad as a LDS here in Winnipeg. They make you sign a release on the equipment that you will be using for the course, they do make sure you like it though, and at the end of the course they reveal that you signed an agreement to buy the stuff if you passed the course. My cousin went through them and he reads stuf carefully before signing, he thinks that they removed a page and added the one with the stipulation on buying the equipment. He says it is his fault because he didn't demand a copy of the one he signed even though they are being dishonest about it

 

[Damselfish]

I like the idea of showing up with borrowed paddle fins, and seeing if there's a reason they're unacceptable too. Maybe you can send in someone he doesn't know and see if he tries to sell them splits.

 

[zen_man]

What size foot does she wear? My wife has a pair of Aqualung Blades she doesn't use. There in good condition and she basically wore them during her OW cert and that was it. They ended up just a little too small for her feet. AND, it just so happens my father in law is out he to visit this weekend. He lives in Fairfield, CT. I would be happy to ask him to take the fins back with him, if they will fit her foot. I'll check on the size and get back to you. I think my wife's foot is like a size 8, but I'm not positive.

 

[jeraldjcook]

First I'd call NAUI and tell them they need to update the OW book b/c split fins are unsafe since you can't tow a tired diver or keep your head above water if your bc should fail, my NAUI instructor said so. Then I'd go to the shop, ask a bunch of questions about which fins to buy, take up all his time, then tell him I'm going to buy those exact fins on LP since they cost 1/2 the price, and then find another shop to get certified at. If the owner will not give you a refund, hopefully she paid with a credit card and she can dispute it since he's scamming her into buying all her equipment from him.

 

[Gilldiver]

I see you are in Fairfield CT. I know most of the shops around there. You don't need to name the shop, just let me know what town it is in - Norwalk, Bridgeport, Mariden, Rocky Hill, or other town?

 

[MikeFerrara]

I haven't run across many wreck or cave divers who use split fins because they just aren't much good for the finning techniques that are generally used in wrecks or caves. But...I disagree with just about everyone else here on everything else.

When I was teaching I strongly doscouraged students from using split fins and eventually just disallowed them altogether. The reason is simply that I taught more than just a flutter kick and as far as I can tell that's about the only kick that split fins are good for. I've never seen anyone do a good frog kick, turn or reverse kick in them and I used to teach all those.

Diving around here, to see much of the bottom (or anything else) often means being pretty close to the bottom and a flutter kick is the absolute worst kick to use...unless you want to silt the place out and ruin diving for everyone...which is what most divers (especially classes) do.

It's also important to be in good horizontal trim to avoid silting. A diver trimmed head up and flutter kicking can be ten feet off the bottom and leave a nasty silt trail below and behind them. Unfortunately, you won't find many OW courses that teach that either.

My advice to the OP would be to find an instructor that teaches good technique. After the class, use whatever kind of fins you want, although, you may not want to then. LOL be careful, it's a mucking mess out there.

 

[MikeFerrara]

The "rescue portion" of an OW course might be the tired diver tows. But aside from that, this guy is a total BS fountain. Over 80% of my open water students do their course in split fins.

I think NAUI may include surfacing an unresponsive diver from the bottom but buoyancy control is the way to do that.