Let's Hear about Your Bad Training Experiences

[ResortDiver850]

I finished my AOW & Nitrox certs. I attended a totally different school and location from my OW training. I am getting quickly jaded by the SCUBA industry.

I conduct Public Safety training, and would never run my training like I have experienced in the SCUBA industry. Considering the life and death nature of both fields.

I really don't get the feeling that the instructors give a damn if I become a competent diver; just fork over the cash and get the PADI card.

My main complaints of both my OW and AOW courses is they both feel like they were rushed through; like the instructors just wanted to do the bare minimums to get me through the courses.

In my AOW course, the PPB dive felt completely rushed and inadequate. I was expecting yo be able to spend more time mastering my bouyancy. I saw marginally improvements but, I had unwanted ascents from a safety stop, improper weighting issues due to the gear provided that I as a student had to bring to instructors attention..

The Deep Dive was barely 60 ft. It was a quick drop to just below 60 ft. I was expecting to go to 100 ft.

There were some Adventure dives I had to take that I didn't really have in an interest in; and some of the required Adventure dives that I needed way more time spent on. Instructor definitely had a "one and done" "check this box off" attitude.

It unprofessional for instructors to be on their cell phones multiple times during a class. I am paying for the time for one on one instruction. Give your student100% of your focus.

So far the lack of professionalism by different instructors is disappointing to say the least. These experiences made me feel like a "mark". I kept thinking to myself people die doing this sport. Why aren't the instructors more serious about their job?

So how do you find a "good" instructor who cares about creating a squared away diver?

 

[KevinNM]

My solution was to go to GUE and to use instructors I found through scubaboard that had the kind of skills I want and did the kind of diving I want to do.

 

[bl6394]

I've had two technical instructors that had not paid their agency dues / insurance. When skills had been demonstrated - they were unable to issue cards. One issue was resolved in a month. The other issue took over a year.

I had a Divecon course that was never completed. The owner of the shop refused to complete the course when I chose to dive outside of his mine on my own time. (His staff are only permitted to dive in his mine exclusively - or by permission elsewhere...)

I had an AOW course where me and my classmate / dive-buddy where doing our Navigation Adventure Dive - and lost the instructor - who couldn't keep up with us in his drysuit / split fins. Each of us had 6 dives logged (inluding our OW Training dives) - and were swimming unsupervised in an overhead environment (mine). After 40 minutes of wandering around the mine (lost) - we managed to surface safely and found the instructor on the surface terrified. As an instructor myself now - I cringe when I think about it.

The vast majority of my training, however, has been professionally delivered.

 

[bl6394]

...
My main complaints of both my OW and AOW courses is they both feel like they were rushed through; like the instructors just wanted to do the bare minimums to get me through the courses. In my AOW course, the PPB dive felt completely rushed and inadequate.

I understand and agree with your complaint. Many years ago - scuba classes were an 8 week program. Now - we have a customer that expects to become certified in two weekends. Some people can become marginally competent divers: with one weekend of confined water - 5 pool dives; followed by 4 open water dives. Many could ... be a bit more polished. I would love to do an 8 week OW course. We actually do such a course for our local high schools - and it produces marvelous divers. But most consumers now would not want to pay for that course. As an estimate - I would bet that it would double the cost of your typical open water course - and I doubt the market would support it. Most of the customers I see do not want to invest that much time or money.

Also, the Deep Dive was barely 60 fsw. Isn't one of the points of the Deep Dive is to expose you to narcosis?

The Deep Adventure dive has a few skills (descent with reference / color changes / comparing gauges / safety stop) - none of which relate to narcosis. From a risk mitigation perspective - my shop expects that on that first deep dive - I take students no deeper than 65 feet. Given the environment we dive in (42 degree water / 5-10 foot vis) - I agree and think it prudent.

If you took the deep specialty - on subsequent deep training dives - we would progressively take you deeper - and you may experience gas narcosis.

Oh yeah stay off your damn cell phone when I am paying for the time one on one. I just paid hundreds of dollars for 100% of your focus. So far the lack of professionalism by different instructors is disappointing to say the least.

So how do you find a "good" instructor who cares about creating a squared away diver?

Reputation is an excellent approach to finding competent instruction. I'm sorry you were unsatisfied with the instruction you received. There are instructors who take pride in the quality of student they produce. I'd encourage you to keep looking until you find such an instructor.

 

[Bubblesong]

My instructors have all been both personable and diligent. There was some value in larger class AOW in hearing more questions from classmates, but I prefered to pay extra for private instruction Rescue to get to practice skills repetitively, until smooth execution. I prefer short duration classes, and then pay extra for private dives with instructor to help refine dives. I guess it comes down to if we want better instruction, we have to pay the instructor for exclusive attention and repetitive dives.
Now as for the students in these large classes, they vary from diligent to deranged, so instructors are not even giving attention evenly in large classes. My first open water buddy refused to descend and aborted the dive and swam for shore, while other classmates in AOW were stomping the reef like a herd of Godzillas in a place with scorpion fish and Lionfish in site.
My conclusion is that safest training is class size of no more than four, but what do instructors dive shops say?

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

My PADI Advanced Open Water. Total waste of $$$. Follow the instructor around in muck and walk away with the card. I also realized that he had doubled up on specialties which the agency standards did not allow.

 

[bl6394]

My conclusion is that safest training is class size of no more than four, but what do instructors dive shops say?

Standards define the maximum ratios the agency permits - depending upon the activity. For instance if everything is favorable - without certified assistants, I may have no more than 8 adult students in an Open Water Training Dive.

However, the diving conditions and characteristics of the student may lead an instructor to reduce ratios to ensure adequate supervision. I teach in the midwest where the visibility is frequently 5 to 8 feet - when the weekend starts - and perhaps less after divers have kicked up the silt in the quarry. I would never attempt to supervise 8 divers under those circumstances. However, if I worked in the Caribbean - with good students, 80 foot vis and warm water - perhaps.

An instructor should reduce ratios to ensure that the class is safely conducted. A dodgy student and unfavorable conditions may warrant 1:1.

With regard to group classes versus private instruction. A group class is obviously more cost effective for the student and the instructor. Some students can master skills in a group of 4 - 8 students. However, group classes are not for everyone. I will make reasonable efforts to accommodate any student who begins to lag behind in a group class; however, over time it may become clear that the student will not be able to master skills in the time permitted. Generally, when it becomes clear to the student that their continued participation in the class risks preventing the group from completing the course and there is no reasonable likelihood that they can be successful in a group class - they elect to pay for individual instruction. And frequently with addition attention and time for practice - they are successful in mastering the skills at their own pace.

 

[Diving Dubai]

My AOW, The Deep dive was conducted to a max depth of 13m (42') because that was as deep as you could go without taking a boat ride along way from shore. That said on the rest of the course, I experienced shore diving for the first time and low vis diving. My previous 20 dives had been off a boat in teh red sea, so low viz was a shock. My PPB was okay, I didn't know what I didn't know at the time.

Rescue, the practical's weren't particularly challenging. Indeed I felt that the label of the course of being the most challenging you will do was over hyped. However. This might be my fault as I'd already completed nearly 400 dives by the time I took Rescue - had I done it at the 50 dive mark I believe things would have felt different.

 

[eelnoraa]

Thinking back, my OW class (PADI) was excellent. Great instructor, almost want to name him. He is very patient, very careful and detail oriental. Granted his actual diving skill can be better, but he did his job in OW. It was to make sure we knew what to do, more importantly what not to do. He fully convey safety and conservatism in the class.

Two years after that, I took AOW from a different shop with different instructor. What a joke. In PPB, I asked him "I geel I am leg heavy, when I am not swimming, my legs sink, what adjustment I should make?" He simply said "it is OK, it is the way it is". The entire PPB dive was having us swimming in circle. He just tried to signal us to maintain same depth, kept legs straight while kicking. In the deep dive, there was not gas planning discussion at all. I had to ask him "so what is out gas plan?" He simply replied, "we ascent at 1000psi". We went to 120ft on that dive. It was an ultimate trust him dive. I wasn't happy with his instruction at that time, But later I realized how aggressive we were. He used a LP95. We, 6 students had AL80. 1000psi is 25CF in AL80 only. How can such a diver became an instructor??!!!

This disappointment made me seek training from other agency. I took three more classes from PADI after that. Rescue was pretty good. Nitrox and Drysuit were less than satisfied. PADI nitrox is basically a pay for cert class. The drysuit instructor, again, wasn't too good of a drysuit diver himself.

With my experience, I think I earn the right to bash PADI a bit.

Not complaining about the major components such as the BC. I know that ones gets what one pays for most of the time and that life preserving components shouldnt be skimped.

Yes thank god we had some Rentals.

I wouldnt have a fit about shelling out for good stuff as Halcyon for critical gears if i decide to commit & invest.

What annoyed me was that the little things as long hose, fittings, clips, line reels etc. was just over priced not by a little. Just leaves a bad taste.

For hose, fitting, clips, spool, line .... there is DGX. I think you should be able get all the items to mod your existing rig for less than $100. The only thing that I thought over price was the Halcyon 3" SMB, so I went with a $30 one for the class, which didn't work out so well. I had to finish the class with a loaner from instructor.

If you do some research ahead, asked instructors or even people here, purchase the items ahead of time, the cost for mod should be minimal. But if you show up to the class with missing items, and have to make the purchase at the spot, it can get expansive.

 

[CraigMcD]

AOW. I like the instructor and felt like he did a good job of managing the dives.

The 2 dive masters he had assisting the course were another story.

The first was a gear junkie...showed up with a re-breather rig, a doubles technical rig and a bunch of assorted other gear and tanks. Between dives, he either spent his time playing "show and tell" with his gear or letting the rest of us know that he would "quit diving if he had to use gear like ours". The beauty part: he had to scrub 2 of the 6 dives because of gear malfunctions and the instructor had to lead them in his place.

The other was having some sort of medical issue that weekend. He was 3 hours late showing up for the first dive of the day and generally seemed "out of it". Not sure what was going on, but the instructor took him to the side and ripped him a new one more than once.

As a pair, they really put a damper on the weekend. I hope the instructor got his dive master situation worked out because it kept me from recommending the course to my dive buddies...