What's training like?

[dhenke]

Hi guys i'm new to this board and i'm gonna be taking a class in the future. I'm 15 years old right now. I really wanna scuba dive. I do a lot of swimming during the summer and my dad used to scuba dive. What was a general outline of your class. Like what do you do in your open water evaluation and stuff. Do you actually go out into a lake or quarry(thats mostly whats around here in Wisconsin) and do a couple dives. I like challenges and Im pretty sure from what i've heard its challenging. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[AndyM]

Welcome to the club!!!

I took my open water classes last summer here in Michigan. There are instructors on this board who will be able to tell you with much more accuracy what all of the requirements are, but I can tell you what my experience was. Keep in mind, there are several different agencies that certify divers, and each set of requirements is slightly different. My local dive shop is a PADI shop so that is my experience.

Class actually starts before you get to the classroom with book reading, and video watching. For me this took maybe six hours. The book covers much (if not all) of what you will learn in class. There are review tests at the end of each chapter that will help you learn the material. (This is important because there will be an actual test at the end of the class to see if you remembered everything.

When class started we had something like three hours of actual class time, followed by several hours of diving in a swimming pool. You will learn about the gear, how to put it together properly and take care of it. In the pool they will teach you how to replace your regulator if it falls out of your mouth, how to clear your mask when water gets in it, how to equalize the pressure in your ears and sinuses as you go down, and a few other things. There is also a swimming test to make sure you can actually swim. Don't worry there its not that far to swim, and there is not time limit.

We then had two lake dives in a local lake. The first was just to swim around and get comfortable. The second they took us to a training platform and we preformed the skills we had learned in the pool while on the platform.

Then it was back to the classroom. We took a test on the things we had learned. Then a few more hours in the pool where we worked on skills like buoyancy control (keeping yourself "floating" in the water rather than sinking like a rock or shooting to the surface), and what to do in an emergency.

We finished with two more dives in the lake, going over our new skills, and also learning how to navigate using our compass.

This is the Readers Digest version, and I'm sure there are things I've missed. Other people will probably mention this, but the key really is to find good instructors. I had a couple of great ones who helped us feel very comfortable, and took the time to explain things well. This made a HUGE difference.

Enjoy yourself!!!! SCUBA is a blast, and you will probably be hooked for life!

 

[dhenke]

Thanks for the info! It helped. I already feel like im hooked for life and I havent been in the water yet even. I think the pictures online of people scuba diving and stuff is really neat. I cant wait to take the course and start diving!

 

[ronbeau]

Hi guys I'm new to this board and I'm gonna be taking a class in the future. I'm 15 years old right now. I really wanna scuba dive. I do a lot of swimming during the summer and my dad used to scuba dive. What was a general outline of your class. Like what do you do in your open water evaluation and stuff. Do you actually go out into a lake or quarry(thats mostly whats around here in Wisconsin) and do a couple dives. I like challenges and I'm pretty sure from what I've heard its challenging. Any help would be appreciated!

I am not an instructor but I think I can give you a reasonable summary. Andy M. gave you a pretty good summary from the PADI perspective.

Most of My perspective comes from a NAUI perspective. I have a PADI open water certification and the rest of my certifications are from NAUI.

There are probably two main difference in the open water training between PADI and NAUI.

NAUI includes some basic rescue training in their open water course which PADI does not. NAUI also sets the minimum standards for the content the instructor must provide for the open water certification course and encourages the instructor to exceed those requirements. PADI tends to be more rigid and locks the instructor into exactly what the course must contain and what should be taught on each day of the training (no more no less).

For example every NAUI written examination that I have taken my instructor required a minimum grade of 90% to pass. The NAUI minimum is 75%. The instructor would not be able to do so as a PADI instructor. One of my instructors is a NAUI, PADI and YMCA instructor.

There are good and bad instructors associated with every training organization.

The quality of the instructor is the most important criteria.

The NAUI instructor has more latitude to include more within the course. As a result if you can find a good NAUI instructor, that instructor will have the latitude to make the course as challenging as you can handle.

My experience is limited to NAUI and PADI. Two other SCUBA training organizations are SSI and YMCA.

The other thing I would recommend is to resist the temptation to do your checkout dives in Florida, Hawaii or the Caribbean. I would strongly suggest doing your checkout dives in your local area. Unless you or your parents are independently wealthy most of your diving will be done within a few hours driving distance of your home.

It is much easier to make the transition from diving in a colder climate like Wisconsin to diving in the Caribbean than it will be to do the reverse.

If you do your training and checkout dives in Wisconsin you will already be familiar with diving with a thicker neoprene wet suit, neoprene hood, diving gloves, more weight, colder water issues and lower visibility.

Transitioning from diving in Wisconsin to warm water diving with similar depths and current will be a walk in the park. A new diver transitioning in the opposite direction should require additional training from a local instructor.

I am also including an excellent post made by Walter (a long time ScubaBoard member with over 1000 dives). The post contains questions you should ask when selecting an instructor. I saved it at the time Walter posted since it was so well done.

Hopefully, you will find this helpful (even tough the post in on the long side).

Incidently, I have a daughter one year younger than you (freshman in high school) who also dives. She has a NAUI Junior Open Water, and a Junior Advenced Open Water certification and will be taking the NAUI Rescue Diver course this summer. I only mention this in case someone tries to convince you that SCUBA is too challenging for a 15 year old to learn. This is coming from a person who is opposed to allowing 10 year old kids to take SCUBA training.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have. When you are learning there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Questions To Ask a Prospective Scuba Instructor​

Take your time to research and find the best instructor in your area. Next, take time to complete the course. A good course will last several weeks. Don't rush this, it's something you can spend the rest of your life enjoying.

How do I find an above average course and how will I know I've found it?

Interview potential instructors. Most people never ask any questions beyond price. As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for." Excellent instructors will usually have a higher priced class for a number of reasons. The instructor is dedicated toward providing you all the time you need to master necessary knowledge and skills. Extra pool time can be expensive. Keep in mind; the instructor is trying to make a living. His time is valuable.

Consider alternatives. While many instructors teach through dive shops, some of the best are independent instructors or affiliated with colleges, universities or YMCA's.

Questions to ask the instructors:

How long have you been teaching? Most instructors improve over time. They learn new techniques and get ideas from other instructors and through experience to improve their classes.

Do you certify all your students? Only instructors who are in a hurry and care nothing about your safety will answer yes. You want an instructor who will require you to be safe and knowledgeable before issuing a c-card. An excellent instructor might tell you that he is willing to keep working with a student until the student either qualifies or gives up.

What skin diving skills will I learn? While there is some disagreement on this point, many professionals believe a solid foundation in skin diving will not only make you a better SCUBA diver, it will make learning SCUBA easier.

Will I learn confidence-building skills? There are some skills which have no direct application to a typical dive, but which do build your confidence as well as your abilities. This, combined with an understanding of the panic cycle, will make you much less likely to panic.

Do you teach the panic cycle? Panic is the most dangerous aspect of diving. Many instructors do not understand panic and believe there is no way to combat it. In actuality, panic is understood. It is though learning the panic cycle and by increasing skill levels that panic is avoided.

Do your students swim with their hands? This will let you know if the instructor pays attention to details. Good divers do not use their hands for swimming.

Do you work on trim? Divers should usually be horizontal in the water. Good instructors will see that students are striving towards good trim. Poor instructors often neglect it.

Do you overweight your students? Many instructors overweight students. It is not a good practice.

What method do you use to correctly weight your students? Any answer that does not involve actually getting in the water means you want to avoid that instructor.

How many people will be in my class? Small classes are better. You'll have more individual attention. Unless the instructor is using certified assistants, more than four students are difficult to watch.

How many certified assistants will you be using? Unless the class is relatively large (more than 4 students) this should not be an issue. An instructor should have a certified Divemaster or Assistant Instructor for every two students over four. There are times when divers working on their Divemaster or Assistant Instructor certifications assist with a class. This is normal and not an issue, but they do not count toward the assistants an instructor should have when working with larger classes.

Will I be learning skills kneeling on the pool bottom or mid-water? This question is not critical, but will let you know if you've found an instructor who has a great deal on the ball. The over whelming majority of instructors (even good instructors) teach skills kneeling on the bottom. Don't eliminate instructors who do. Some instructors have realized your mask will flood while you are swimming, not when you are sitting on the bottom. You need to learn skills in the manner in which you'll be using them.

Do you dive for fun or just when you are teaching? Instructors who've stopped diving for fun are burned out.

Questions to ask yourself:

Is the instructor patient? While talking with your potential instructor, you should be getting a feel for his personality. Patience is an important quality for an instructor. You want to avoid instructors with a drill sergeant demeanor.

Would I be happier learning from a man or a woman? Only you can answer that question, but in general it is not usually a serious consideration. There are excellent instructors and there are poor instructors. Men and women fall into both groups.

Walter - ScubaBoard
____________
DSSW,WWW™

No single raindrop thinks it is responsible for the flood.

 

[Bobyjimmie]

Best of training is FUN!

 

[scorpenesub]

Hello dhenke, welcome to ScubaBoard...

 

[dhenke]

Thanks for the info guys! Much appreciated!

 

[TSandM]

I did a journal of my open water class on a day by day basis, and the link is in my sig line. You might find it fun to read.

 

[dhenke]

Wow, that is long! I read more than 3/4 of it though. It was very interesting. Thanks for all the help guys! Keep it coming if you can!

 

[james croft]

The only easy day was yesterday ....