Diving lessons disappointment

[seastargf]

Hello everyone.

I recently took my scuba lessons. I was the only female in a class of ten. The instructor appeared to be very "military" - styled. I could tell from the beginning he resented that fact that a female was in his class as he was very into the "guys" and gave me absolutely no "NOTHING". He had no patience with me, gave me not one word of encouragement, moved a little too quickly for me, you know.

I passed my written exam and did all my skills well the first day. The second day of the class, he told us at the beginning of the class that he would really like to get out of there early and that if we skipped lunch we might could do so. This was the day we actually took the written test and then we went to the pool. By 12:30 he was rushing us so much, everyone looked agitated.

I had problems clearing my mask (the total clear) and he suggested a "take a break". He then got the guys in the water and came and told me (with only half the second day gone) that I should come back and do individual classes to finish up and that they would cost another 50.00 an hour. He pretty much told me I should just go ahead and leave. I feel like I got short-changed on the second day. He had the rest of the day to work with me and I had paid for the entire course.

Opinions please - am I making too much of this? Anyway, I have since gone diving in Puerto Muerlos Mexico and it was fantastic. This was the third "discover scuba" dive I have done . I sure would like to get certified! Has anyone used a personal instructor to get certified?

Thanks for the opinions and suggestions!

 

[rakkis]

Tell the shop you are not comfortable with the instructor and would like to join another class. Some instructors just shouldn't be teaching recreational diving. Good luck!

 

[EvilSlumLord]

From what you've said (and of course there are two sides to the story and we are only hearing one), it sounds like a bad instructor. A friend of mine was having trouble with mask clears during his OW cert class and the instructor spent a fair amount of time working him thru it, giving him things to try on his own time (between classes), ... At no time did the instructor tell him to give up and go for private lessons. From what I've observed (and read here on SB) mask clears and several of the other basic skills tend to give some folks trouble and it certainly isn't considered unusual. Not saying private lessons aren't a worthwhile thing to try but I would expect more effort from an instructor before going that route.

As another example, in OW class there was a woman in there that was taking it for the 3rd time. First class she had a panic attack on the OW dives, 2nd one her husband (who was taking the class with her) was sick before the OW dives (my interpretation was the panic attack hit before she left her house). As it turns out, she bailed on the 3rd OW dive in my class (too bad really since she was so close) but it was probably the right call.

I would talk to the LDS and see about getting in a class with a different instructor. IMHO, it is expected that the instructor can take some time to work with someone having difficulty with one or more of the skills.

 

[ScubaTexan]

I totally agree with rakkis -- you did get shortchanged and I am very sorry your experience was not a more pleasant one. I hope you can find one that will work with you and help you along properly. This is supposed to be a fun sport, but there are some instructors out there that cannot see this.

Best of luck in your future diving and welcome to Scubaboard! :wavey:

 

[SteveC]

Look for a different instructor/LDS

 

[Jason Ooi]

Welcome to :sblogo:
:wave-smil :wave-smil

tell the dive shop, join another class and do more you will find more comfortable on mask clearing....Good luck!

 

[seastargf]

Thank you so much for your reply. I have found a couple of people here in Tulsa who give private lessons . By the way, since your are an instructor, is there a secret to mask clearing or do you just keep practicing. Is there anything at all I can do at home with my mask to simulate the skill?

Hey, I dont' know why, but those last letters won't delete!

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

You need to talk to the owner of the LDS so 2 things can happen. First you should be allowed to take the OW course again from a different instructor at no additional charge. Second that instructor needs to have a talking to. If this was an isolated incident I can understand that everyone has bad days, but that is not how an instructor should act.

As for the problems with clearing I wouldn't let that bother you. Many of us, including myself, had problems with that. With a good instructor you'll knock that out in no time.

 

[BKP]

Congrats on finding new instructors... the original sounds like he's got his own issues...
My wife had problems clearing her mask at the beginning... Now, it's 2nd nature for her... just a matter of practice...

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

Thank you so much for your reply. I have found a couple of people here in Tulsa who give private lessons . By the way, since your are an instructor, is there a secret to mask clearing or do you just keep practicing. Is there anything at all I can do at home with my mask to simulate the skill? oau . Hey, I dont' know why, but those last letters won't delete!

One of the things I've heard works for some is to fill your mask up with water, put it on, and then breath normal. Our natural instincts are not to breath when there is water on our face and that is what you have to overcome.