How to check out instructors?

[ocbeachbum]

Alright, I am stuck in the "tools to make the tools" phase of my diving career: too ignorant to know what the right questions to be asking are.

I´m not really into card collecting but I do want to continue my education past AOW.

I´m just wondering if there were a list of things you wished you´d known to ask instructors before you gave them all your money. I´m intersted in learning more theory, math and any stuff I missed out on, being certified in Ecuador. (Calculating SAC or Rock Bottom time for example). My instructor wasn´t bad, per se, just hurried. For example, he got narked during our deep training dive and called it before we did the "math is harder at depth" stuff. I feel I learned the material we covered pretty well, but I want more.

Intellectually I know I should take Rescue, just to learn more of "how to keep out of trouble" but I want to be a better diver in terms of theory, bouyancy, trim, air consumption, etc. before I jump into that. I´m blessed with a dearth of scuba schools in eastern Maryland, so I don´t know how much choice I´ll really have, but I´d like some feedback on what criteria you look for in an instructor for more advanced stuff other than just a personal rapport.

Cheers, OCBB

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Talk to them how comfortable with them are you?

Does what they are telling you make sense or does it seem like BS?

Do they listen to you? I have talked to some Arrogant divers/DMs/Instructors that will not listen to the full question or situation before they ramble off on some answer how they have done it since time began bigger better etc....

Talk to other divers that they have trained and if possible dive with them.

There should be some other responses to your question. The above are just some qualities I think of when talking about instructors.

 

[TSandM]

Intellectually I know I should take Rescue, just to learn more of "how to keep out of trouble" but I want to be a better diver in terms of theory, bouyancy, trim, air consumption, etc. before I jump into that. I´m blessed with a dearth of scuba schools in eastern Maryland, so I don´t know how much choice I´ll really have, but I´d like some feedback on what criteria you look for in an instructor for more advanced stuff other than just a personal rapport.

One of the most difficult things about scuba instruction is that, as a student, you don't know what you don't know. Attending a presentation by NW Grateful Diver on gas management was a HUGE eye-opener for me. Nothing of the sort had been discussed at all in my OW, AOW, PPB, Deep, Nav or Boat specialties, yet what he said made so much SENSE.

If your interests are what you list in the part of your post that I quoted, I would highly recommend looking into GUE's Fundamentals class. You can take it in a single tank, and it is not a technical or intro to tech class, but it focuses on precisely the things you are listing: Proper weighting, buoyancy, trim, propulsion techniques, gas management, an understanding of decompression theory, and some important safety skills.

 

[nitroxnut]

My thoughts are, generally, you know what you want out of diving in the long run. Talk with instructors that will set down and discuss a con ed program that wil meet those goals. A good instructor will add alot of meat to his/her courses, meet the agency standards PLUS. I give away PPB with every course unless the diver has had it. He who has great buoyancy can dive great things in life..everything else will follow. ASK alot of questions..ask more than one using the same question format for each so you can compare information received. You'll figure out who is going to be a great instructor and who is full of.....poop..and who, as submariner stated, want to talk about themselves and NOT YOU. Run from the me me me instructor as fast as you can. And focus on your con ed training on that which relates together and compliment one another. there can be alot of wall paper certs that dont meet your dive needs or desires.

 

[Rhone Man]

I always think that once you hit AOW there are broadly three routes you can take in furthering your education:

- Rescue Diver, followed by Divemaster and then (if you elect to do so) on into the instructor rankings.

- Do individual specialities and ultimately (if you do your Rescue Diver as well) get your Master Scuba Diver rating and stop there.

- Technical diving.

I have never done any technical diving in my life, but it seems to me that one could perfectly well do some basic Tec courses to improve the quality of one's diving education.

But ultimately, collecting qualifications rarely turns you into a better diver (although some qualifications can open up new things for you to do). Only experience will ever do that.

 

[TeddyDiver]

It's a tuff call to pick up a right instuctor.. One way to determine the dedication is to compare their time spend for the course. Avoid too "intensive" course scedules..

 

[Thalassamania]

Let's ask a hypothetical concerning the selection of an instructor.

There are skills that are not required by standards but that some instructors think are important and other think are not needed. I do not want to debate the exact skill(s), we've done that endlessly elsewhere.

The question in my mind is do you think that you could trust an instructor whom you knew thought that one or more such skills were important, but decided to not add that one or more skill(s) to your course, because it would create an additional pool expense? Would you take a course from that instructor?

 

[Thalassamania]

In answer to the OP's question: Check out the skill level of the Instructor's worst student (the best would likely be the same, regardless of the instructor or even a lack of instruction).

 

[rawls]

Talk to them how comfortable with them are you?

Does what they are telling you make sense or does it seem like BS?

Do they listen to you? I have talked to some Arrogant divers/DMs/Instructors that will not listen to the full question or situation before they ramble off on some answer how they have done it since time began bigger better etc....

Talk to other divers that they have trained and if possible dive with them.

There should be some other responses to your question. The above are just some qualities I think of when talking about instructors.

Listen to the above advice and take it with you when you go in search of a good instructor....
One other suggestion is to see how enthusiastic they sound when they are talking to you and how genuine they seem in wanting to help you reach your goals....It won't be hard to see if the enthusiasm is "I want your money" or "I want to help."