I'm looking to start within the next few weeks, and was looking for some advice from any experienced divers out there. Is PADI the way to go or SSI? Recommendendations for someone starting out? Thanks in advance!
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Recommended scuba certifications
- Thread starter nsx13
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Osiris_x11
Gold Member, Moderator: Marketplace
it's all good...
I've done PADI and I'm still here: in one piece, breathing, posting...!?! :biggrin:
I've done PADI and I'm still here: in one piece, breathing, posting...!?! :biggrin:
PADI has been taking some heat lately that they will certify anyone who is willing to pay. My PADI open water and advanced open water and nitrox has served me well. I do recommend doing the open water and the advanced open water as a minimum.
Maybe it depends on the instructor? Several people failed in my class, and failing any exercise was enough reason for my instructor. Sure beats hearing that former student drowned.Briank said:
Osiris_x11
Gold Member, Moderator: Marketplace
get as many dives in as you can...
Very true, relatively speaking. I suck, and I got certified! :tongue: It was "Open Water" so I guess I feel honored! Then, I suppose "Advanced Open Water", based on number of select dives I did. Miraculous, if you ask me! What I wished I would've done beforehand was a prep' or refresher course offered at Community/Jr. Colleges in large pools. For someone like myself, that would've made things a bit better. :redface:
To be frank, it comes down to the individual. I've always been quite athletic & fit, but never much of a swimmer. PADI provides more than adequate amount of teaching & exposure to diving fundamentals. There's a written exam, free-ocean swim for a certain distance that's monitored, and underwater evaluation on key skills/techniques (often the achilles for many). In order to be 'certified', all of those assessments must be completed well beyond satisfactorily. Now, whether the instructor(s) are subjective in their observations... I suppose that's something that plausably does happen.
To reiterate, I'm arse in the water. I did PADI. I've gone onto to dive in reefs, wrecks, and w/ sharks... that's like Mr. Sweetchuck doing the Nurburgring in a NSX-R!?! :biggrin:
Briank said:
Very true, relatively speaking. I suck, and I got certified! :tongue: It was "Open Water" so I guess I feel honored! Then, I suppose "Advanced Open Water", based on number of select dives I did. Miraculous, if you ask me! What I wished I would've done beforehand was a prep' or refresher course offered at Community/Jr. Colleges in large pools. For someone like myself, that would've made things a bit better. :redface:
To be frank, it comes down to the individual. I've always been quite athletic & fit, but never much of a swimmer. PADI provides more than adequate amount of teaching & exposure to diving fundamentals. There's a written exam, free-ocean swim for a certain distance that's monitored, and underwater evaluation on key skills/techniques (often the achilles for many). In order to be 'certified', all of those assessments must be completed well beyond satisfactorily. Now, whether the instructor(s) are subjective in their observations... I suppose that's something that plausably does happen.
To reiterate, I'm arse in the water. I did PADI. I've gone onto to dive in reefs, wrecks, and w/ sharks... that's like Mr. Sweetchuck doing the Nurburgring in a NSX-R!?! :biggrin:
Padi has been around for a long time.when I was certified way back when it was with nasds and they are long gone.As in life it is up to you to really learn what is taught,rather than just get by.I don't envy you though if you decide to do it in the NE.visability and water temps are not optimal,for us weenies anyway.Have fun,and remember our moto"divers do it deeper"!:biggrin:
Re: It's the instructor not the program
Compared to the importance of the instructor and the rigor of his/her personal cirriculum, the differences between PADI, NAUI, or SSI are insignificant. I was certified many years ago under PADI by a cute young female with an agenda; that training was damn near worthless compared to the rigorous but useful training I got from a hardcore NAUI guy 10 years later. Kinda like a Marine boot camp drill instructor, he pushed us to the limit; first open water dive was in a North Idaho lake with 37F and 5 ft viz. It was probably too much for a first open water, but it made us respect how brutal and foreign open water can be.
Pick the right shop/instructor and don't worry about what letters you'll get. Like driving on the track, your safety is ultimately in your hands. YMMV
Only do warm water vacations now; a walk in the park compared to cold water diving. Wanna buy a dry suit?
Compared to the importance of the instructor and the rigor of his/her personal cirriculum, the differences between PADI, NAUI, or SSI are insignificant. I was certified many years ago under PADI by a cute young female with an agenda; that training was damn near worthless compared to the rigorous but useful training I got from a hardcore NAUI guy 10 years later. Kinda like a Marine boot camp drill instructor, he pushed us to the limit; first open water dive was in a North Idaho lake with 37F and 5 ft viz. It was probably too much for a first open water, but it made us respect how brutal and foreign open water can be.
Pick the right shop/instructor and don't worry about what letters you'll get. Like driving on the track, your safety is ultimately in your hands. YMMV
Only do warm water vacations now; a walk in the park compared to cold water diving. Wanna buy a dry suit?
Being a newb myself, I really didn't know if there was a difference, or even think to ask. Reason being, my local outfit offers both SSI and PADI certs. But they do say that SSI is the "leader in quality standards for SCUBA training," for whatever that's worth.nsx13 said:
BTW, my intro was this year in Aruba, over New Years. Here's a few pics...
My son...
i've been naui certified for 23 yrs, have ~2,000 tank dives and i agree with the earlier post wrt instructor v course content. i'll take the instructor that teaches to high standards and isn't afraid to fail the student.
I did SSI, but I am sure PADI is fine too. The most important thing is your attitude and attentiveness both during the class and while diving afterwards. As long as you pay attention and approach the sport with a healthy bit of caution then you'll LOVE IT. If you just decide to jump in and worry about all the details later then you are running a high risk of something bad happening to you.
Good luck, I'm sure you'll love it.
Good luck, I'm sure you'll love it.
I've been PADI certified for almost 20 years. I have found that I am most comfortable at depths no greater than 45 feet. Once you find your comfort zone in SCUBA diving, you'll have a great time and meet fabulous people. I also highly recommend a night dive when you have the confidence. Sitting on the bottom of the ocean in complete darkness with just the reflection of the moon above you and the phosphorescence is incredible.
Of course this was 10 years ago.
I have to add one more thing. All the talk of of having a good instructor is vital. I just remembered that during my final dive for certification, the class was given the directions underwater for the compass navigation. Well, we all went in different directions and no one was able to sucessfully navigate. When we returned to the dock, the instructor made us don our gear, flippers included, and do the navigation in the parking lot. If we didn't get it correct on land she was going to fail all of us. We must have looked like a bunch of idiots, but we all learned correctly how to navigate correctly. :smile:
Got my PADI openwater in Israel. What a f.....g joke (sorry for the word, but that is how bad it is). There was a couple from switserland, which was like shooting up and down in the water like a jojo, even after 5 days off course...surface, deflate.....*boink*.... bottom...inflate...*shhhhhhh*....rocket up..surface...(30 foot)
Guess what.... even they got there openwater certification..... i mean, great, i go diving, you meet a guy you dont know, and you become buddy's for a dive, coz there's no-one else....
Then i took the advanced course at the Maldives.... bloody hell, that was even worse, that was seriously 'buying' something. I took that course to become a better diver, but i didn't learn a thing tbh.
Have to mention though the 'spanish dancer' i saw during a night-dive in Egypt.
Thats in my top 3 of most amazing things i have seen in my life. Simply amazing. Been a few years ago, but still think about it every week or so.
Guess what.... even they got there openwater certification..... i mean, great, i go diving, you meet a guy you dont know, and you become buddy's for a dive, coz there's no-one else....
Then i took the advanced course at the Maldives.... bloody hell, that was even worse, that was seriously 'buying' something. I took that course to become a better diver, but i didn't learn a thing tbh.
Have to mention though the 'spanish dancer' i saw during a night-dive in Egypt.
Thats in my top 3 of most amazing things i have seen in my life. Simply amazing. Been a few years ago, but still think about it every week or so.
i understand what you're saying, but we have a different perspective on adequately training for scuba. i'm not sure if it matters a small hill of beans whether it's padi or naui (btw, the same "padi was founded just to sell gear" thing was going on back in the early 80's, too), but i found that extensive lap swimming 2x per week, geared up, was only fair preparation for my early open water swimming & exercises.steva44 said:
me? when i'm exposed in the open ocean, dealing with currents, waves, wind and god knows what else, i prefer the more challenging training sessions and really encourage the OP to visit multiple dive stores in his area to find out about the best instructors available. OP, if you get a chance, while you're in those stores, pick up the local dive club mag and give some of the club officers a call for specific recommendations.
scuba is **lots** of fun - my entire family are certified divers - but it's not for the ill-prepared or lazy.
good luck, dive safe.
queenlives said:
As of last Sunday, I've gone through the first 'half' of padi's scuba diving curriculum, and will be completing the rest of 'open water diver' this weekend. I swam competitively, played water polo, etc, so I'm somewhat of a fish..
So far my PADI experience has been very positive. However, it seems to be largely dependant on your instructor. Mine moved 'slower' than the other instructor groups, but it was clear that the reason was because we were actually focusing on the excercises, rather than just moving through the motions as quickly as possible (clearly demonstrated by other instructors in the same pool).
The shop is called 'Eco Dive Center' on Sepulveda in Culver City.
My instructor seemed quite low key, but after our 4th dive he drove away in his Cayenne. Obviously he didn't need to be teaching, but it was clear that he enjoyed what he did. He had plenty of stories about faded, disenchanted instructors that were not so great, though.
I think the moral is to find an instructor that loves the sport.
FWIW YMMV IANAL
-Joshs
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Been diving for 25 years and worked in a hyperbaric chamber for 3 years. At the chamber PADI training was considered a joke.
There are major differences between PADI and NAUI. If you really want to get the most out of your training go NAUI or YMCA. I did YMCA and did my first 500 or so dives off NJ where conditions are pretty brutal. The YMCA course is much tougher than a PADI course and I'm glad I went through the extra training and more difficult exercises.
I would do NAUI and get your NITROX certification at the same time. Take the advanced class soon after and I recommend rescue diver as well. Your training is very important since it will give you a lot of respect for the sport and knowledge of potential dangers.
Have fun. It is a fantastic sport.
NSX-Stalker
There are major differences between PADI and NAUI. If you really want to get the most out of your training go NAUI or YMCA. I did YMCA and did my first 500 or so dives off NJ where conditions are pretty brutal. The YMCA course is much tougher than a PADI course and I'm glad I went through the extra training and more difficult exercises.
I would do NAUI and get your NITROX certification at the same time. Take the advanced class soon after and I recommend rescue diver as well. Your training is very important since it will give you a lot of respect for the sport and knowledge of potential dangers.
Have fun. It is a fantastic sport.
NSX-Stalker
Be sure to pick up some additional insurance as well like DAN. When I worked in the chamber it was $350 an hour and some that we treated for DCS racked up well over a hundred hours.
NSX-Stalker
NSX-Stalker
queenlives said:
I was also instructed by an ex-military NAUI instructor about 35 years ago and found that the lessons I learned there were far superior to the "let-me-hold-your-hand-and-help-you-assemble-your-gear" method I got in a PADI re-certification 10 years ago.
HTH
NSX-Stalker said:
Definetely. At some exotic diving spots, they charge you whatever they want for a chamber, usualy, coz they are the only one around....
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