Total newbie here to learn from Guelph, Ontario Canada

[Zoodles95]

My wife and I visit the Caribbean yearly and snorkel together. For years I have thought about taking up SCUBA diving and did one of those "discover SCUBA" dives with my wife. I loved it and have wanted to take this up. We just came back from Cozumel and snorkeled 4 out of the 7 days and it would have been great to have had the knowledge and experience to have seen some of the things that qualified divers I met saw in their dives whom I spoke with.

So, I will be reading up on the boards here to learn and to ask in a regional forum about recommened schools/dive shops in my area (there are 3 main ones I see).

PADI versus SSI? These are the sorts of things I will be pondering as I start this journey.

 

[TMHeimer]

Welcome from N.S. I've read that there is very little difference in those two agencies. Many will say that it is the instructor that makes the difference and suggest you seek out the one whose teaching style fits you best. Of course, there is distance to dive shop and scheduling convenience too. I don't know of any students who had an idea of which of the 16 instructors at are shop would be the one they got. Good luck with the course. I always advise studying up a lot beforehand, and of course finishing the e learning well before meeting the instructor if you do e learning.

 

[Dogbowl]

Welcome!

For my very first OW class, I chose "price" as my top priority because I was younger and more price sensitive. I did not complete the check-out dives and let the classroom/pool portion lapse because life got in the way.

Fast forward 8 years. For my second OW class, I chose "location/convenience" as my top priority, because I was less price sensitive at this point, and getting older, I preferred to pay extra to be comfortable. The place had nice classrooms, on-site pool, change room, showers, and it was literally 5 minutes from where I lived.

Knowing what I know now, as a relatively new diver but with just enough knowledge to be dangerous (as they say), I think I would choose "instructor/course content" as my first priority, when choosing an OW class. In fact, I think I might have gone the route of GUE Rec 1. But that's only knowing everything that I know now.

But I don't regret the learning journey. Good luck!

 

[PT4476]

Welcome! There is a very active community of divers in Southern Ontario. Tri City Scuba in Kitchener is a very good shop.

 

[Zoodles95]

Thanks for the responses and info. So far I have gotten some feedback on a GTA Motorcycle forum I frequent and from a co-worker with respect to local dive shops. Oddly enough even though they do not know one another they both recommended the same shop and also advised avoiding the same shop. LOL!

I plan to get my certificate locally and do my open water dives in whatever body of water they use. Then I may do a refresher before I head south again to set myself up for as safe an experience as I can for when I go into the Ocean.

 

[Zoodles95]

Welcome! There is a very active community of divers in Southern Ontario. Tri City Scuba in Kitchener is a very good shop.

And now that makes three unrelated people recommending the same shop.

I have already contacted them regarding their open water class in April for more details.

 

[decompression]

Welcome to the board..................the best thing you can do for yourself before selecting a scuba shop/agency is to get a copy of James Lapenta's book, A practical guide for the new diver

SCUBA: A Practical Guide for the New Diver by James Lapenta

 

[TMHeimer]

Thanks for the responses and info. So far I have gotten some feedback on a GTA Motorcycle forum I frequent and from a co-worker with respect to local dive shops. Oddly enough even though they do not know one another they both recommended the same shop and also advised avoiding the same shop. LOL!

I plan to get my certificate locally and do my open water dives in whatever body of water they use. Then I may do a refresher before I head south again to set myself up for as safe an experience as I can for when I go into the Ocean.

That's the best way to go IMO. Then when you head South you'll get to drop a bunch of weight and a thick wetsuit.

 

[Stoo]

Hello Neighbor!

I'll mentioned Tri-City as well. I am less familiar with Groundhog, but I do know one of their Instructors pretty well and he's a capable instructor.

If you are talking to Tri-City, tell them I sent you and you just might get the Special Treatment.

 

[Hoag]

Welcome to Scubaboard. I live in the "Tri-Cities" and there are a few local dive shops (LDS) in the area. I will agree that Tri City Scuba is a great place. (In fact, I will be there later today to pick up my dive computer now that it has been repaired.) Both Drew & Ross are knowledgeable and will be willing and able to answer any questions that you have. If, at some point, you get into more technical diving, there is also Dean's Sport & Dive shop on Victoria Street (although it can not be seen from the road, you would drive right past it if you are heading from Guelph to Groundhog.) If you are willing to travel a little further, Dean at The Dive Academy in Oakville is also a great guy to deal with.

All of these places also offer trips, so if you want, you would be able to do your classroom and confined water locally and your open water in nice warm turquoise water.

One final thought. Later this month is the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show at the International Centre by the Toronto Airport. There is usually a huge scuba section, and while for somebody brand new, it could become information overload, it is a great place to go and to "window shop" for both an LDS and maybe a trip.

OK, here is "one more thought" ... if you ask a couple people what agency they recommend, you will likely get a couple different answers. Go into the dive shop. Hang out for a little while. See which one you get the best "vibe" from. (Where are you the most welcome? Where will they take the time to answer your questions that they have undoubtedly heard a million times before but which are totally new for you? Which ones are more interested in guiding you, but allowing you to purchase what you want rather than which ones concentrate on selling you what they want.) Don't think of this time when you are hanging out in the dive shop as wasting time. Think of it as a very informal job interview. You are determining who you want to hire to teach you to dive, and you have to trust that person totally. As others have said, in many cases, the instructor will make more of a difference than the agency that they represent.