Fail! Weekend Certify-

[Mattleycrue76]

Why are people here jumping all over the OP and questioning her story? Her experience was just that an EXPERIENCE. By definition it's going to be subjective. Nothing in her post suggests that she's trying to give the shop a bad name, she didn't even post the name of the business. Maybe it would do a few of you some good to remember what it's like starting out. Of course then again maybe all some of you have ever seen is gin clear 80 degree tropical resort water.

GIORia, sorry you had a crappy experience. Kudos for keeping your chin up and giving it another go.

 

[GI0Ria]

GIORia, it sounds like a bad experience. If you're the kind of person who got all the on line work done before your class, I doubt you were so inattentive as to miss all the information on logistics. This may have been a case where they've done things so often that they just didn't realize what they hadn't passed along.

I agree,

BTW, I don't know about SSI, but under PADI standards, leaving students alone in the water ANYWHERE and doing ANYTHING is a violation of agency standards.

Yeah, this is major loss of level of comfort. If nothing else thus far quite did it, this did it, being left behind.
It seems this would be some sort of violation. It's wrong beyond it being a violation. You have a certain amount (or I did) of saved confidence for being taken care of in the 'diving aspect' of this, regardless of anything else. When this confidence is broken it's hard to recover and return with the same confidence for the situation a hour later.

 

[RonFrank]

You are wrong to assume everything is 100% predictable. This dive shop did not tell me jack.

Like I said it is meant to help others.

Thanks for your response

I did not mean to upset you, but I'm also not ready to blame the LDS based on the complaint of a new non-certified diver. I've been around the industry for a while and have friends who instruct. They generally bend over backwards to ensure the students have a good experience, but not all do.

I've also been on SB for a long while, and it is hardly uncommon for new divers to have issues, nor is it rare for them to blame the shop. In some cases that blame is well placed, but more often than not it is misplaced.

If the shop was negligent in telling the students what was required, I have to question did all the students show up without gear/tanks/lunch/chairs/whatever? Just because an instructor removed a chair to show you how to properly load tanks does not indicate they intended for you to leave it behind?

I'm guessing there are two sides to this story. Most Shops provide equipment check lists, directions, times, food suggestions, etc. You may have missed a handout, or a few minutes of trip discussion, but it would appear you did miss something regardless of whose fault that was.

 

[Firewalker]

This type of program is why the drop out rate is as high as it is. Online classroom (no instructor, shop interaction), quickie pool session (no time to absorb or really learn), and then weekend dives (they have a schedule to keep, so the conditions don't matter).
Divers left on the surface alone is against everybody’s standards (if they did this in one of my
ITC they would fail)!
It comes down to trust, do you trust these instructors with your life? If the answer is no then
you should ask for your money back and go find an instructor who still knows how to teach.

 

[rstofer]

I got my butt kicked at Breakwater one day after having well over 100 dives. A whole bunch of people were having a problem over by the pier. Breakwater can be inhospitable.

As to equipment and such, shops like Dolphin Scuba (also in Sacramento) have it documented on their web site:
http://www.dolphinscuba.com/v/forms/OrientationGuide.pdf

It's all under Home->Forms Download.

Dolphin points out what you need when you get to the beach (except for a tarp and chair without which thousands of students have completed the course) and point out that they rent the reg, BC, weights, wetsuit & hood for $50 for the OW weekend. However, they don't volunteer to haul the gear.

I would think it is more common to bring 2 tanks and have them refilled over at Aquarius II (on the pier) after the day is finished. I wonder if they fill students' tanks as they aren't certified divers. Hm...

When conditions are rough, it's always better to walk away. Spend the day at the Aquarium!

Richard

 

[GI0Ria]

Hey---sounds like you got the 'hard ones' out the way early in your dive career, finish it up, & keep on a truckin'......It's all downhill from here.....

Hi, thank you. I intend on finishing it up.
Good times..!


I see you're a photographer. Not to go off topic but I'm curious if you know about casings? If so, can get a case for my digital camera/video recorder. Small handheld, palm size I guess best description. I haven't looked into it yet, but I was wondering how easy if possible to get casings for various cameras. Panasonic HDC-SD9 full HD Im not sure what numbers i read on it? near the lens it says. 3CCD Advanced O.I.S. it also says AVCHD SD HC. any help??

I imagine it doesnt have a case because of the little flip out mini screen?

 

[rstofer]

I think one of the motivators for training in less than ideal conditions is proximity. It's probably 400 miles round-trip from Sacramento to Monterey. I know it's about 320 from Stockton. There would be some incentive to not making the trip twice.

Dolphin, for example, recommends staying overnight in Monterey on Friday and Saturday nights. This adds at least $100 to the trip (or an 0400 get-up). Not knowing on Saturday that Sunday would be a mess just means that not only is another trip required but another overnight at $50. That's if you stay at a diver friendly (cheap) motel. Otherwise, it's a bit more - perhaps closer to $200/night at Spindrift. Definitely worth it!

I'm not saying to complete the course regardless of conditions but I do understand the cost of doing a second trip.

I wonder if McAbee Beach would have been a better choice for Sunday? Or maybe Lovers Point #3? It's always worth considering a move to a more hospitable location.

Richard

 

[GI0Ria]

This type of program is why the drop out rate is as high as it is. Online classroom (no instructor, shop interaction), quickie pool session (no time to absorb or really learn), and then weekend dives (they have a schedule to keep, so the conditions don't matter).
Divers left on the surface alone is against everybody’s standards (if they did this in one of my
ITC they would fail)!
It comes down to trust, do you trust these instructors with your life? If the answer is no then
you should ask for your money back and go find an instructor who still knows how to teach.

Im not understanding your post. If you're saying drop out rate in general is high because people do the online w/out the classroom or referencing my situation for epic failure is to reinforce why online isn't a good choice.

I agree if someone just takes the online without going to one single class, but I don't think that online course is geared to allow that. They require I believe at least 2 classes. Still isnt full impact. However I learned more through the online course, I got way more information then I did during class time.

Class was good for the dive charts learning them, which took less then a class to learn.
But I did not JUST take the online class if that is what you thought you read. Please re-read what I wrote. I did do the online classwork, but then went in and did the classroom work I did ALL the classes in the classroom as well as the online classes. That is why I was ahead of the classroom when I went in.
I did extra classroom classes 1 or 2 extra- So I did the class basically twice and did extra classes. I did extra pool time as well. I educated myself as much as possible through my own digging for information (so I thought) ..

 

[rstofer]

Not to go off topic but I'm curious if you know about casings? If so, can get a case for my digital camera/video recorder. Small handheld, palm size I guess best description. I haven't looked into it yet, but I was wondering how easy if possible to get casings for various cameras. Panasonic HDC-SD9 full HD Im not sure what numbers i read on it? near the lens it says. 3CCD Advanced O.I.S. it also says AVCHD SD HC. any help??

Sure, Google for 'underwater housing Panasonic HDC-SD9' and you will come up with, among others:
Equinox Underwater Video Camera Housing/Underwater Marine Case For Panasonic HDC-SD9 Digital Video Camera

There is also an Underwater Videography forum here
Underwater Videography - ScubaBoard

Richard

 

[GI0Ria]

I did not mean to upset you, but I'm also not ready to blame the LDS based on the complaint of a new non-certified diver. I've been around the industry for a while and have friends who instruct. They generally bend over backwards to ensure the students have a good experience, but not all do.

I've also been on SB for a long while, and it is hardly uncommon for new divers to have issues, nor is it rare for them to blame the shop. In some cases that blame is well placed, but more often than not it is misplaced.

If the shop was negligent in telling the students what was required, I have to question did all the students show up without gear/tanks/lunch/chairs/whatever? Just because an instructor removed a chair to show you how to properly load tanks does not indicate they intended for you to leave it behind?

I'm guessing there are two sides to this story. Most Shops provide equipment check lists, directions, times, food suggestions, etc. You may have missed a handout, or a few minutes of trip discussion, but it would appear you did miss something regardless of whose fault that was.

This isn't about blame for me.

There is no way around looking in that direction for some, but I am posting this to hopefully be helpful.
I shared my experience so maybe someone else wouldn't have to go through this.

that is all.