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Learning how to scuba dive is
your ticket to the ultimate underwater adventure. The
scuba certification that you earn is internationally
recognized, never expires, and allows you to rent or
purchase your own diving equipment. You’ll soon
discover, however, that there is no shortage of dive
companies out there competing for your hard earned
dollars. It can be a daunting task trying to find one that
has a proven track record of honesty, integrity, and
reliability, while at the same time providing a positive
certification experience for both you and your family. To
help you comparison shop, I’ve compiled a list of
questions any potential certification student needs to ask
before getting certified. (There are a number of different
scuba training organizations that a dive company can be
affiliated with. This article deals primarily with
certification courses sanctioned by PADI: Professional
Association of Diving Instructors, the largest scuba
training organization in the world).
1.How Long Does The
Certification Course Last?
Scuba certification is
performance based, meaning there is no set amount of hours
required for completion. You move from one level to the
next during the course at your own pace. You will find
that most PADI certification courses advertised are based
around an estimated 3 day time frame for completion. For
the average person, however, this may not be enough time.
4 days for certification is a much more realistic goal.
2.How Much Does The
Certification Course Cost?
Lowball prices are designed
for 2 reasons.... to attract your attention, and to get
you in the door. The hidden charges for the course, such
as books and equipment rental, are conveniently never
advertised. Look for an all inclusive certification course
experience. Remember, in the end, you always get what you
pay for.
3. Are References Available
From The Most Recent Students?
Always ask for phone or
E-mail references from the most recent certification
students who have just completed the course. Don’t
settle for written quotes that are years old and taken
from some database of generic customer comments. If a lame
excuse or noncommittal answer is given, take your business
elsewhere. A quality dive operation that has nothing to
hide will be happy to provide such references.
4. Who Is The Instructor?
5. How Long Have They Been
An Instructor?
6. How Many People Have
They Certified?
7. How Many Certification
Courses Have They Taught?
Good instructors, who have
an extensive resume of experience teaching scuba
certification courses, are extremely hard to find. Dive
shops have a notoriously high turnover ratio of scuba
instructors to staff. Many of the ones who are there are
recent hires, and have very little real world experience.
They also work long hours for very little money, generally
getting paid by the activity, not by the hour. Insist on
someone who has certified at least 25 people, and has been
teaching a minimum of one year.
8. Is The Instructor First
Aid/CPR Certified?
While PADI doesn’t
require its scuba instructors to hold these important
certifications, any instructor who’s serious about
teaching a certification course needs to go the extra mile
and make this a requirement, not an option.
9. Will The Course Be
Taught Using Rotating Instructors?
This is a common practice
some dive operations use where one instructor “Team
Teaches” the course with another, exposing you to
differing personalities and teaching methods that will
only confuse you. Unless you are doing a referral
certification, where you are starting and finishing your
course in different locations, steer clear.
10. Will Both Instructor
And Student Use Similar Equipment Setups During The
Course?
When both instructor and
student are using the same brand of scuba gear, and have
similarly designed equipment configurations, it allows
students to learn faster and easier, both in and out of
the water, during the certification course.
11. Will The Course
Incorporate A Giant RDP Table Into The Academic Sessions?
Learning how to use the
dive tables is perhaps the toughest academic challenge a
student faces during the certification course. A quality
dive operation will have available a giant version of the
standard dive table, allowing students to more easily
master this important academic information.
12. Can I Get A Student
Discount After Getting Certified?
Any reputable dive
operation should give you a generous student discount
towards future diving activities and/or equipment
purchases you make from them, in appreciation for taking
their certification course.
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About
The Author
Jay
Umbenhauer has been a PADI instructor in
Hawaii for more than 12 years, and has
certified 100’s of individuals who now
travel this Earth in search of the
ultimate dive. His dive company, Scuba
Gods, based on Maui, features first class
service, professional scuba instruction,
and all-inclusive pricing. Learn more at http://www.scubagods.com
thescubagod@hotmail.com |
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