Online Nitrox and SDA??

[ucfdiver]

If you google the site address, you'll find people saying it's a scam. I took the SSI course, take home materials, study them, and go in to take the test after a review with an instructor.

This site helped me the most with my Nitrox understanding, but covers a lot more than the SSI test.
DIR-diver.com - Nitrox Class Part 1

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks for the quick feed-back. Looks like if one wanted to do it online, it'd be better to go $120: SDI-Training

 

[ucfdiver]

Thanks for the quick feed-back. Looks like if one wanted to do it online, it'd be better to go $120: SDI-Training

Personally, I'd avoid a computer only course. I like to know the math behind the gas I put in my body, and one I know that, I have the confidence I can safely dive if my computer fails on vacation and I have to use rental gear

 

[DiverBizz]

Interesting. I called two different friends who hang at two of the dive shops listed on the referral for the SDA website and they had not heard of SDA. Tomorrow I am calling another LDS that is listed (it is just a few miles from where I live) and ask them if they would accept SDA coursework (finishing up a program) like the website suggests. Why spend the time doing this? Just because I am curious. No other reason.

 

[ucfdiver]

Interesting. I called two different friends who hang at two of the dive shops listed on the referral for the SDA website and they had not heard of SDA. Tomorrow I am calling another LDS that is listed (it is just a few miles from where I live) and ask them if they would accept SDA coursework (finishing up a program) like the website suggests. Why spend the time doing this? Just because I am curious. No other reason.

I'm curious to hear your response.

 

[DandyDon]

Personally, I'd avoid a computer only course. I like to know the math behind the gas I put in my body, and one I know that, I have the confidence I can safely dive if my computer fails on vacation and I have to use rental gear

Good approach. Not one that many will use, but a good one.

Interesting. I called two different friends who hang at two of the dive shops listed on the referral for the SDA website and they had not heard of SDA. Tomorrow I am calling another LDS that is listed (it is just a few miles from where I live) and ask them if they would accept SDA coursework (finishing up a program) like the website suggests. Why spend the time doing this? Just because I am curious. No other reason.

I've accepted that Scuba Divers of America is a scam. Since the industry is not regulated, they can offer the course and card, but that doesn't make it valid.

 

[Jorakae]

I too was looking at and comparing online nitrox courses and found SDA. I was about to sign up and get the course but then I noticed that their website was not secure on the checkout screen for the course so I sent them a message asking what their hours were as I had called a couple times and no one answered. No reply. I sent a second message stating that their website was not secure and I wanted to buy their online course before an upcoming trip but didn't want to transmit my credit card information all over the Internet, and again no reply. It was at this point I really started to research the place and pretty much determined that it would be a worthless certification. Kind of like a JD Power award.

I found one of my local dive shops offering the SDI course for $99 (Scuba Network - NYC) and went with that. I also emailed the dive shop where I was going to see if they accepted that certification and sure enough they did. Overall, I'm glad I didn't make the mistake of getting an SDA certification. I would have been really PO'd arriving at my destination only to find out they didn't accept SDA's certification.

 

[DandyDon]

Anyone know how to report them to Google? Cannot get them off the interent, but maybe can flag the sites so that Google alerts will show? Or is that on Firefox?

 

[Thalassamania]

SDA has a list of shops on their website. I called several of the shops, they'd never heard of SDA.

 

[DandyDon]

Well, I am glad I revived this thread. Now we know they're a scam and if you google: sda scuba - this thread is one of the top 10 hits, along with this one. Scuba Diving: Agencies

Anyone who has lost money to these crooks could try their Credit Card disputing. I ran a WhoIs lookup on the domain...

Registrant: Domain Discreet
ATTN: divesda.com
P.O. Box 278
Yarmouth, NS B5A 4B2
CA
Email: ad5a137d0a141151015eb721f53b9bbd@domaindiscreet.com

Registrar Name....: REGISTER.COM, INC.
Registrar Whois...: whois.register.com
Registrar Homepage: Register Domain Names at Register.com | Domain Name Registration & Web Hosting Services

Domain Name: divesda.com

Created on..............: Mon, Feb 26, 2007
Expires on..............: Thu, Feb 26, 2009
Record last updated on..: Mon, Jan 07, 2008

Administrative Contact:
Domain Discreet
ATTN: divesda.com
P.O. Box 278
Yarmouth, NS B5A 4B2
CA
Phone: 1-902-7495331
Email: ad5a13790a141151006c053687675097@domaindiscreet.com

Technical Contact:
Domain Discreet
ATTN: divesda.com
P.O. Box 278
Yarmouth, NS B5A 4B2
CA
Phone: 1-902-7495331
Email: ad5a137e0a1411510134d932e0a0fcc5@domaindiscreet.com