YMCA courses?

[knotical]

Wasn't the Y one of the first to offer formal SCUBA training?

From a 1999 Dive Training magazine article:
1951, Scripps Institution organized the first civilian diving course in the US, for scientific divers.
1954, LA County developed the first recreational diver training program.
1959, YMCA offered the first nation-wide program.
1960, NAUI
1961, NASDS
1966, PADI
etc.
Too bad the article didn’t discuss training agencies in other countries.

 

[Walter]

Would you reccommend I go straight for the Open Water Diver II course right away(info at http://www.ymcascuba.org/ymcascub/scuba.html ) which seems closer to the PADI equivalent of OW?

Actually, the YMCA OW is similar to PADI OW except the YMCA OW includes more pool training, more comprehensive academics and an open water skin dive that PADI doesn't require. The OW II course includes 6 open water SCUBA dives and 1 skin dive. The two extra dives in OW II can count toward your AOW or Silver Advanced course requirements. While an excellent insatructor can overcome agency shortcomings and a poor instructor can screw up any course, the agency is a very important factor in dive training.

 

[ScubaSarus]

I am willing to wager that the only reason PADI is highly accepted is because they are the Budweiser of diving "Most Commercialized"

 

[Walter]

Can you say "instant gratification"?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Oh I did hear a story about one dive boat that only accepts PADI divers but I'm not sure if that's an urban legend or not.

That happened to me in Maui ... one charter op would not accept any non-PADI card. We laughed all the way across the street, where the guy's competitor happily took us diving.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[zboss]

I can't answer your question regarding Open Water II. Never heard of it. And it seems to be only a couple more instructor led dives so I'm not sure what it would be worth. I doubt it's another certification given that.

My sister works for the Y (Aquatics Director for a local one) and she had indicated that some Y's are moving more towards PADI style instuction. This might explain some of the differences.

 

[EuphoriaII]

I just completed certification through my PADI LDS. The classes were held at the YMCA (Nearest deep pool available) and the Y required that it be taught as a YMCA certification (I paid an additional $25 for the PADI card in addition to the YMCA cert as I intend to continue my education with PADI)
From what we were told, the YMCA certification involved a swimming test (and geeze it wore my ***** out) that either Padi didn't require or was more intensive than PADI. I was under the impression that the YMCA cert had a couple minor requirements more than PADI, although I don't know how much of what we did was specific to "Y" besides the swim test and the skin dives.

 

[friscuba]

Wow. I can't believe an Op in a tourist destination would deny other certifications other than maybe a Club Med cert. This guy's doing a real dis-service to his business. I did have some Scots last year who had me run them through the PADI course because they were having troubles in some parts of the world finding operators who'd honor their Scottish Sub-Aqua Club certifications.

You likely did yourself a huge favor going elsewhere if he had that kind of attitude.

That happened to me in Maui ... one charter op would not accept any non-PADI card. We laughed all the way across the street, where the guy's competitor happily took us diving.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ChrisA]

There ARE differences between the agencies. I think YMCA covers more material in OW then the others do and I know there swim test is much harder.

LA County only seems to offer an "advanced" class and an instructor class. For anyhting else one must hunt down an instructior and work one on one or whatever as instructors teach on thier own. Thier "Advanced" class really is. It was 100 hours of classroom time and a minimum of 14 dives in asorted conditions. look here http://www.lascuba.com/adp.html
I think YMCA's adavnaced class are different too.

maybe it's not surprizing that the two programs that are different are the to oldest.

 

[emtdan]

When I did my inital OW cert, I did it at a combined PADI/YMCA shop. I was given the PADI book, and did the course on my own, did the confined water and open water dives with a PADI/NAUI instructor, and was given a YMCA c-card. So, I dont really know the YMCA course, but the PADI course....