passing my open water course

[Stesh]

Originally Posted by StephenT

Who gives a shit about what class was coming later on, you are paying for the course and should get what you deserve from the course. That is, enough time to get ready, and help if need be.

Spot on! I would hate paying money to be treated like cattle! (thats not completely true, but it wouldn't involve diving)
Oh and by the way? Well done MAKING BUBBLES

[StephenT]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

It's quite an interest thread in contrast to this one which gives a view of the other end of training.

Is this the right thread Mal , what is the actual contrast you speak of?

[Mal Bridgeman]

Originally Posted by StephenT

Is this the right thread Mal , what is the actual contrast you speak of?

The guy in the other thread wanted to learn to dive as cheaply as possible then reworded it to get good value but made the point that how was he meant to work out what good value was? At the begininng of seeking dive training he has no gauge to compare any of the training deliverers.

In this thread it seems to me there is evidence of the "economy" approach to delivering that training and a diver who is less than impressed with the training he has received .... and rightly so. Mr Bubbles may well have preferred to know that it was going to end up this way and would likely have made a different choice

I am not suggesting the two events are specifically linked but that the industry does not seem to be able to explain what quality training is or how you can recognise it when seeking it but it's easily recognised when it fails to be delivered.....by which time, it's too late.

Rgrds
Mal

[StephenT]

Ok. i tohught you meant something different :L>
I think the biggest problem as JJ descibed is, The hardest thing to do when you intially learn to dive, is who to listen too, and who to ignore.

[Scubee]

Originally Posted by StephenT

The hardest thing to do when you intially learn to dive, is who to listen too, and who to ignore.

Does that ever change? To go wildy of topic (sorry ) On another thread, there are pros & cons of manifolds/indies. Does a diver moving to twins listen to the Indies or the Manifolds? But i don't want to digress.

Certainly when i first learnt to dive, i was lucky in that the centre i chose was near to me, and I have only done one course with another one, because i could recognise that they may not be the lowest in cost, but they had the right approach.

I do get a bit concerned when I read a post from a new diver and think...'If they had come to us they wouldn't have had that issue'

[Mal Bridgeman]

Originally Posted by Scubee

Does that ever change? To go wildy of topic (sorry ) On another thread, there are pros & cons of manifolds/indies. Does a diver moving to twins listen to the Indies or the Manifolds? But i don't want to digress.

Certainly when i first learnt to dive, i was lucky in that the centre i chose was near to me, and I have only done one course with another one, because i could recognise that they may not be the lowest in cost, but they had the right approach.

I do get a bit concerned when I read a post from a new diver and think...'If they had come to us they wouldn't have had that issue'

The manifold/indie argument is easy ... it's manifold but as to the wider issue I think you are right....it's a matter of pot luck but a discerning new diver can recognise the behaviours and attitudes of professionalism more easily I think.

Mal

[Scubee]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

The manifold/indie argument is easy ... it's manifold but as to the wider issue I think you are right....it's a matter of pot luck but a discerning new diver can recognise the behaviours and attitudes of professionalism more easily I think.

Mal

Yes, I agree with that. There is a step, though, which new divers can't always take, and that is having the courage to stand up and say soemthing isn't quite right, to someone they are about to trust their life to without fear of upsetting them, wondering if they are right or overreacting.

Those who know me would be surprised to know that I would have had that worry. It is about being comfortable enough in a situation to speak up. Which I think is where DM's are invaluable. For many it is a lot easier to speak to the lovely friendly DM who has helped you sort out kit issues than the instructor who may seem a bit unnaproachable.

(p.s deffo manifold!)

[sleaford_diver]

I have encountered both ends of the spectrum. My open water course the instructor was brilliant and the DM were really professional as well. My AOW the instructor was no where near as good and did the bare minimum that weas required which led me to have a few dives with the centre i did the ow with to make sure everything was ok. I re did the deep dive with the first center because I was unsure about the depth thing and it was atotally different dive and much more relaxing even tho we went 10m's deeper than I did on my 'proper' deep dive . One thing that it has taught me is sometimes you are better off paying a bit more and getting a good experince and knowledge.



PS in the end the total out lay for my AOW was more with who I did it with than if I had done it with the 1st place i dived with. You live and learn (check the other costs involved not just the course price!!!!)

[JAG]

Seem to be hearing a lot of these types of experiences these days. With hindsight I would have liked to complete my OW abroad. I didn't really enjoy my OW course due to location and people, only thing that kept me going was the knowledge of what awaited on the other side.

That said, congratulations mate!

[flying frog]

well done mate keep going and dive safely