PADI ? The right path....

[rawls]

Finding a good instructor (great even) is far more valuable

it all boils down to the instructor.

Instructors are no doubt important, however, the program that a certain dive shop runs will most likely tell you more. If you have a shop that has a solid training program in place, a good reputation, proven track record and solid principles with regard to teaching, then you will most likely find good instructors. In other words, if the particular person who manages/owns the dive shop is steadfast in training students the way they should be trained, then that manager/owner is probably not going to settle for half-assed instructors. You can learn alot by visiting dive shops in your area and asking questions about their courses...their philosophy regarding training...how long they have been in business...how long the particular certification takes to accomplish and what they expect of students. Pay attention to how they answer your questions. Pay attention to how interested the shop is in answering your questions, etc...

 

[INFIDELxx]

I hear what all of you are saying. And I agree with all the responses. I'm no stranger to training and Im positive that to DIVE,DIVE, DIVE is going to be my key to success. I have found the right instructor. I followed the questions to ask in another thread and feel confident he is going to be a great instructor. Thanks for the encouragement.

My LDs has a Scubapro special. If you buy a BC and Reg you get a wrist computer and you can upgrade the computer for the difference in price.
I purchased all new SC mk25/g250v, nighthawk and smartcom for 1875.00. So i got about 600.00 saving on the Smartcom. Did i make a good choice for my needs? Was the price good?

 

[Sas]

I hear what all of you are saying. And I agree with all the responses. I'm no stranger to training and Im positive that to DIVE,DIVE, DIVE is going to be my key to success. I have found the right instructor. I followed the questions to ask in another thread and feel confident he is going to be a great instructor. Thanks for the encouragement.

My LDs has a Scubapro special. If you buy a BC and Reg you get a wrist computer and you can upgrade the computer for the difference in price.
I purchased all new SC mk25/g250v, nighthawk and smartcom for 1875.00. So i got about 600.00 saving on the Smartcom. Did i make a good choice for my needs? Was the price good?

I have Scuba Pro gear - I have the female version of the nighthawk and a smartcom (my regs are MK11/S555/R295 though). I like it a lot, but the BC and computer won't suit my long term diving goals (I will probably need to swap to a BP/W and wrist computer if I want to start wreck diving). But in the meantime it makes for a great rec setup. No idea about the price though as not sure what the US is like, would be a good Aussie price however.

Dive, dive, diving is not mutually exclusive to getting extra training too, you can do both. I did my OW + AOW over the last six months and soon Rescue but I dive each weekend with a buddy also. I would tend to steer clear of PADI (or SSI's) specialities, a lot of them you don't really need if you have a friend that can show you the ropes (like Night, Drift, Navigation, Drysuit, Peak Buoyancy, etc). The good ones I have found are Nitrox (I can't get Nitrox fills without a card) + Deep (teaches you a lot about gas management, etc and now the local charter will allow me to dive to 40m), and of course Rescue. If you want to go further in your diving than rec stuff, other agencies might be more appropriate later on. I think PADI is as good a start as any other if you have a good instructor. Good luck!

 

[Walter]

If i start with PADI will it get me to a place in which i can join obtain my goals?

Yes, but there are usually better paths to follow. PADI's programs are not designed to teach as much material as some others, however there are rare exceptional PADI instructors that overcome the short falls of the PADI program.

I have found the right instructor. I followed the questions to ask in another thread and feel confident he is going to be a great instructor.

If you've found a great instructor, he'll teach you everything you need regardless of his affiliation.

 

[Bob]

Greetings,

I'm new to this board and diving. In 1996 i had 5 open water dives in Tahiti. One night dive three shark dives and a reef dive. It was all through Club med so I obtained no cert. But what a thrill.

Anyway I'm Fire Captain by trade. And Im looking to become a Diver. I want to become a PSD diver and Wreck diver In lakes and rivers. I know that as i Progress i will expand to Rec. diving and would love to explore caves and wrecks and more technical types of dives.

My question is. If i start with PADI will it get me to a place in which i can join obtain my goals?

Thanks!

Find a shop and an Instructor who are interested in turning out safe, well trained and confident divers. Shops and Instructors that are more interested in quanity instead of quality, run from them as fast as possible. If you're planning to continue on to become a PSD, then you need a good foundation to begin with. The rest of your training will become much easier, if you come out of OW having been taught good habits, well educated, and confident in your skills and ability. You are a Fire Captain and know the value and importance of good solid training, would you settle for anything less in your dive training? almtree: Bob

 

[Ben_ca]

:1poke:

Unfortunately it's hit or miss out there... and until you are well along the path you probably won't notice the difference. It's mostly geared toward vacation diving and the bare minimum skills... but then again bodies aren't piling up so they equate that with "safe"

My advice is look for people who are doing the things that you want to do (Cave/Technical/PSD) and ask them what's the best route there and they'll let you know.

 

[Tortuga68]

As above:

1. Dive, dive, dive - experience is what counts, not certs

2. Instructor>affiliation

Peronally I prefer TDI to PADI, it's more 'real world' IMHO - especially since you plan on advancing beyond recreational diving - if it's available in your area/where you plan to go

 

[Peter Guy]

Simple answer -- Yes, PADI will be fine to get you started.

Tad more complex answer -- More important than the specific agency is the specific instructor -- BUT, as someone who is new to the activity, quite honestly you probably don't know how best to evaluate any instructor. I know I certainly did not when I went through OW and AOW three years ago.

More complex answer -- I have come to firmly believe that one should NOT find "an" instructor and take one's training from her. The more instructors with whom you train, the better off your training is likely to be. Each instructor has a different background, a different focus, a different set of experiences -- all of which influence the training you will receive. This is true whether the agency is PADI, TDI, NAUI or GUE (I have certs from all of them and the only single-instructor agency for me has been TDI -- but I'm convinced this applies there also).

Start somewhere with someone -- dive and get experience -- get more training from someone who is a little different from your prior instructor. At least that has worked for me.

 

[Anti-Hero]

Get your certification from your agency of choice and get some good, varied experience. Once you feel confident you can take courses from LGS (Team Lifeguard Systems - Public Safety Diving Training Equipment other Water Operations Rescue/Recovery), or NAPD (NAPD) for your PSD training. LGS is who we do a lot of our training through and they have excellent courses and reputation.