The Human Cork

[humanFish]

The instructors on this board please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't PADI require that its OW students master in-water weight removal and replacement using a weight belt rather than with an integrated system?

The reason I ask is that in both Hawaii and here in SoCal, the PADI instructors that I used had their students use weight belts even though the BC's they rented were of the weight integrated variety.

The PADI manual has specific text to deal with training for weight integrated BC's:

http://www.dui-online.com/newsite/tech_ wt_padistandard.htm

 

[geraldp]

The store really pushes the Total Dive System and I think part of the reason we use basic equipment is to intice us to buy one. The pool is very cool; the 2 guys who were without wetsuits the first night came back with them on. Of course, they bought them at the shop.

Thanks for everyone's positive comments and encouragement.

Thanks for sharing and I'm glad things are going better for you.

The "Total Dive System" push that SSI uses was the one thing that bothered me the most about my OW class. I was really struggling with finances during that time, and really felt like a loser that I couldn't afford my gear. Almost everyone else in the class jumped in with at least $2K worth of stuff, and I was there with the rental gear. To hammer it home, after I was certified they charged me $200 to rent complete gear for a weekend (including drysuit). It doesn't take very many of those weekends to realize that I just couldn't afford to dive. It was over a year before I could purchase enough gear to not have to rent anything.

Some friends who were certified with the PADI shop down the street didn't get the gear push at all, but subsequent stories that I've read here on the SB show me that PADI in general is not much different from SSI in that respect.

 

[TheRedHead]

Thanks for sharing and I'm glad things are going better for you.

The "Total Dive System" push that SSI uses was the one thing that bothered me the most about my OW class. I was really struggling with finances during that time, and really felt like a loser that I couldn't afford my gear. Almost everyone else in the class jumped in with at least $2K worth of stuff, and I was there with the rental gear. To hammer it home, after I was certified they charged me $200 to rent complete gear for a weekend (including drysuit). It doesn't take very many of those weekends to realize that I just couldn't afford to dive. It was over a year before I could purchase enough gear to not have to rent anything.

Hi geraldp,

I'm sorry you hear you were made to feel like a loser. I feel incompetent, which bothers me immensely, because I am a very competent person when not having scuba lessons. I'm glad to hear that you have your own equipment now and you can dive without paying rentals. I already had my own mask and fins (as I snorkel) and I had a diveskin. The temperature has been in the 90s here, but the pool is in the 70s, so I had to buy a 3mm suit. My hubby lent me his regulator and I just bought a BC.

I think the psychology of crappy student/rental vs. top equipment if you buy it backfired on me. My first thought was: if this is an example of your equipment, I'm not buying here.

They charged me $60 to inspect my brand new BC before I can use it in the pool.

When you did your SSI course, did you have to remove your BC in deep water in the pool? Were you wearing a weightbelt? I'd really like to know these things in advance.

Thanks again!

 

[TX101]

I'm going to the pool Saturday with my new Sherwood Luna BC and practice my skills without any pressure. That is one thing I do like about the program: the pool is available during business hours for all students (as long as you don't interfere with the class).

That sounds pretty cool and I wish I could have done that when I was learning. However I was told that I couldn't go in the pool by myself until I was fully certified. And even when I was fully certified, if I was on a course I couldn't get into the pool until a safety-diver (at least Rescue or better, but usually DM) was in the water.

Are these rules universal, or are they just for UK workplace safety regulations?

 

[geraldp]

They charged me $60 to inspect my brand new BC before I can use it in the pool.

One of my buddies in my class went out and purchased reg/BC/computer at a shop up the street after the first class. They (our LDS) really yelled at him, and wanted to charge him several hundred dollars to "qualify" the new gear before he could use it in the class. It generally gave a bad taste in everybodies mouth. After much wailing and nashing of teeth they ended up doing it for free.

When you did your SSI course, did you have to remove your BC in deep water in the pool? Were you wearing a weightbelt? I'd really like to know these things in advance.

Yes we did... I used a weight belt. We were told to get on one knee to perform the task. My feet upended as I worked with the BC and I couldn't keep stay upright. Adding additional weights for this task helped.

Jerry

 

[baltimoron]

yeah gerald thats what happened to me- in the quarry though during my OW cert. i somehow got it under control though- dont really know how though.

reading all these LDS (which i assume stands for local dive shop) horror stories, my heart really goes out. the guys at my Local Dive shop were very nice and happy to help with anything i needed. they required us to buy fins, a mask, a snorkel, and a reg mouthpiece for our OW cert class. Trying to save some money, i called up my Grandfather who is an avvid scuba diver down in Miami to send me up some fins and a mask to save some money. somehow, it wasnt there on the eve of my first pool class! i was freaking out, beacuse how was i supposed to go to my first pool class without any equipment. in an act of desperation, i called the LDS taht runs the class and the owner was very sorry for me. i asked him if he rents any of the above stuff, and he apologized and said no. NOt beacuse of bussieness issues, but simply because many people like to buy this stuff on their own or rent from the dive shop they are going to on vacation. he then said if i wanted, he could close the shop and run home to get some of his stuff for me to use until my gear came. that was a very nice gesture, but i ended up suckign it up getting my own equipment which now i really adore and glad i got it (i LOVE my stuff.) when i was reading all these LDS horror stories, i got very confused. hearing all of these, i think i am going to stick with my LDS for a looong looong time.

 

[TheRedHead]

That sounds pretty cool and I wish I could have done that when I was learning. However I was told that I couldn't go in the pool by myself until I was fully certified. And even when I was fully certified, if I was on a course I couldn't get into the pool until a safety-diver (at least Rescue or better, but usually DM) was in the water.

Are these rules universal, or are they just for UK workplace safety regulations?

My understanding that here that it is a matter of insurance. Students have insurance included in the price of the course. My husband (who is PADI OW certified) had to spend $50.00 for the dive shop insurance policy in order to use the pool to practice. And it didn't matter if he already had insurance.

The shop has classes 6 days a week and there are always people and ususally instructors in the pool at all times. The insurance regulations and rules are probably different in the UK. Your dive shop may also be more concerned for your safety than their liability.