what were your first certifications?

[Thalassamania]

Started diving: 1956
NAUI Basic Diver: 1967
PADI Asst. Inst: 1971
Berkeley Research Diver: 1972
NAUI Instructor: 1976
etc.

 

[tangfish]

how long did you go inbetween them? did you get a few one year then wait a few years before getting any more?

I've always been a proponent of having lots of dives between certifications. When people rush through them, from certification to certification - you lose the opportunity to fine-tune your skills from the last formal training, and the accumulation of questions that comes naturally from diving. Don't rush!

 

[Basscat]

OW June 2009, Nitrox March 2010, AOW June 2010. Learned lots more from my almost 100 dives than from the AOW specialties classes (Boat, Nav, Deep, Night), as I'd already done those things, but I guess it's nice to have the card, especially if I run across an op that requires it.

 

[nhebrant]

As an instructor I personally would suggest the following if you just starting to dive:

- Complete your OW and AOW (or equivalent) one after the other. I have always felt that just 4 dives in the OW course is barely enough to get students an understanding of what diving is really about.. Just like driving - how did you feel after only driving on the road 4 times? ready for a road trip throughout europe? If you get to do the AOW straight after it means you would have had 9 dives with diving instructors. This already gives the instructor and student time to keep working together - allowing buoyancy control to really settle in (and that confidence also!).

-After that - def go fun diving before hitting the rescue (or equivalent). At least 20 or so fun dives (including some with just a buddy and not following a dive professional e.g. DM) - its all about confidence. Nothing worse than seeing a student diver going through the rescue course and still fumbling BWRAF or unable to do a proper safety stop in mid water!

-Once rescue is done, jump into the Divemaster program - from there its all about building the confidence, experience, theory, etc......

Heres a quick what I did:
99 - CMAS 1st level + CMAS 2nd Level
2002 - Rescue
2003 - Divemaster
2009 - Instructor

hope that helps......

Scuba Diving Thailand - PADI Courses & Certifications in English, French & Spanish
Scuba Diving Instructor Nicolas Hebrant | Scuba Diving Adventures & Photography

 

[oldogre]

Started with OW Easter 09
AOW August 09, BSAC Rescue Practice in Pool, CPR, O2 Admin. & Diver First Aid over Winter.( I regard these skills as essential, to be practised with buoyancy - my 2 pence worth!)
Nitrox & Deep 10
As a purely warm water Recreational Diver, there are no plans for further Courses.

 

[jnorris]

I just did my NAUI scuba diver certification this past September, then did the Nitrox certification right after that. I'm going to do some diving now! I don't know what or when (or if) I'll do anything else, but one that interests me is wreck diver. We'll see how things go, but for now I just want to have some fun diving.

 

[RTee]

NAUI Scuba Diver ...December 1978
Nitrox ...................July 2009
AOW.....................Aug 2009
Drysuit..................Nov 2009
Ice.......................Feb 2010
Rescue..................Aug 2010
DM.......................Undergoing

 

[abies]

Jr. Ow 995ish for a trip then didn't dive again until I took ow again in Aug 09
Then abbot 10 dives alone and with DM's in HAwaii and Banff
Sept 10 aow and drysuit
To come in 2011 Ice
Sooner or later nav, deep, rescue, and DM, but those are all long term with a 4 year old, job, and limited diving close by.

Ben

 

[jashaw]

I did three certs at one time. I did open water, computer, drysuit, and nitrox during my open water cert. in early may of this year. Now in progress is my advanced nitrox course.