BENEATH THE SURFACE by Erin Magee
A few questions can put you ahead in dive courses
E-Mail this story
Print this story
tool name
close
tool goes here
Posted - Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:37 PM EDT
Now that I’ve stopped working at a scuba shop and am moving more toward the freediving side of the dive industry, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from friends and family as to how to pick a dive shop or an instructor when getting certified.
It can seem overwhelming when dive magazines and forums give you many different answers to that question.
The key is to find the dive shop and instructor that meets your specific needs.
Before I became a dive professional I had lots of different instructors who taught me in the basic course all the way through professional courses. Back then I figured a dive instructor is a dive instructor; no matter who I went to, I’d come out with the same certification card, right?
Well as with anything new that you learn, certain teaching styles and personalities are going to mesh better with you than others might. So here are a few ways to figure out what works best for you.
Interview dive shops
When you’re picking out a dive shop, think of the process as an interview and ask lots of questions. Even before considering the answers, observe how the staff responds. Are they attentive to you or do they seem annoyed that you’re bothering them? Whenever I’m in a dive shop I usually get a pretty strong impression within the first few minutes. I don’t know about you, but if I walk in the door and the crew seems friendly and willing to help, I’m much more likely to spend my money there than in a shop where they’re not.
So when you’re asking questions, see how much time is involved in the course. It’s pretty easy to understand why a short, one-day course won’t offer you the same benefit as several days or weeks of training might. In my experience, students that have more time with their instructor finish the class more prepared to dive on their own (with a buddy, of course) than others who were hurried through.
It may seem like a big time commitment to devote five days, or even weeks, to learning to dive, but you’ll be grateful for it in the end.
Ask questions about the training itself. How much time is spent in the classroom and how much is spent in the pool? What kinds of skills are taught? What if you have difficulty with a skill? Will there be time to address that?
Some places will tell you that you can master all the skills you need for scuba diving in a one-hour pool session. In that time you have to learn how to take your mask off and put it on underwater, how to make yourself neutrally buoyant while swimming around and even how to perform self- and buddy-rescue skills. I say the more time, the better.
Next, talk to the prospective instructors and pick their brains a bit. Get a feel for their different personalities and think about which works best for you. Occasionally when I was working at a dive shop, prospective students would come in to meet our instructors before signing up for classes. The first time that happened it struck me as such a great idea. Why not get a feel for the crew you’ll be working with during your course?
But most of all, pick someone that instills confidence in you and makes you feel comfortable. In my opinion, the best dive instructors have a good knowledge of the sport, are fun and safety conscious without being intimidating. You retain more and progress more quickly when you trust the person teaching you.
And when you’re shopping around, it’s a good idea to compare prices, but it should never be the deciding factor between one course and another. .
It’s also good to ask about the size of classes. Being in a bigger class is a great way to get a lower price, but you may feel lost in the crowd if you have difficulty with any skills.
All in all, picking a good shop and dive instructor will mold the future of your diving experience, and since diving is a sport that’s great for nearly any age, that could be many years to come.
