Scuba Certification: Questions You Need To Ask
Before Getting Certified
Jay Umbenhauer
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.
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/
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