padi vs. sdi?

[Quero]

...PADI and most other agencies are going to the video and computer style training with a limited amount of actual instructor time...to eliminate things like that.

That is certainly part of it. Another part is that scuba instructors are both teachers and coaches. Most are accomplished divers and pretty good coaches. Where a lot of them fall down is in the classroom portion of the course. Many (perhaps most) don't really know how to teach in a classroom setting and simply read powerpoint slides aloud or repeat information students are having trouble with verbatim from the manual rather than going at it from a different direction so that it makes more sense to the student. Really good instructors can bridge that chasm, but significant numbers cannot. I know that a lot of students and instructors alike dread the classroom parts of the certification courses, meaning that many students don't get much from them anyway and may actually learn better in another way. I have certifications from three different agencies in a very large number of courses, and all but one of my instructors was an uninspiring classroom teacher, and yet great role models and coaches in the water.

[amtrosie]

[QUOTE=Quero;5141]That is certainly part of it. Another part is that scuba instructors are both teachers and coaches. Most are accomplished divers and pretty good coaches. Where a lot of them fall down is in the classroom portion of the course. Many (perhaps most) don't really know how to teach in a classroom setting and simply read powerpoint slides aloud or repeat information students are having trouble with verbatim from the manual rather than going at it from a different direction so that it makes more sense to the student. Really good instructors can bridge that chasm, but significant numbers cannot. I know that a lot of students and instructors alike dread the classroom parts of the certification courses, meaning that many students don't get much from them anyway and may actually learn better in another way. I have certifications from three different agencies in a very large number of courses, QUOTE]




I could not agree more!!!! I had a partner who used his education background as a selling point for his classes. He was one of the better instructors I have observed. This very point was discussed amongst my dive team this last weekend. It was our collective agreement on this very item, that is dictating our choice of instructor for future training in the various disciplines of diving that we are pursuing as a team.

Now back to the original post. I have obtained certifications from 9 seperate organizations and the determining factor now, is what diving am I trying to do and what organization provides the best curriculum for that course of study. Now, I seek out the best instructor, period! That may mean traveling on my part. When it comes to my life, a few miles (kilometers) are an insignificant factor in my training requirerments.

How do I chose my Instructor/Agency? That is how!

[Embalmer]

Thanks to all who have added input on my question! It seems like both agencies are as good as their instructors. Another question I've got came from what "acelockco" said about dive shops. if I was vacationing and I was not padi certified but sdi or tdi would the dive shop not recognize my certification. What is/are the main purpose of the dive shops? Would I not be allowed to Dive certain places because of my certification?

Now, I perfer to go with a more technical based agency, but the bottom line is if we want a job in SCUBA, PADI is the biggest worldwide and will have the largest job availibity. I have never gone on vacation to see a ANDI or SSI or TDI dive shop, but I always see PADI.

[acelockco]

No, they are all universally accepted anywhere. The only difference is when getting a job. Generally you have to be certified by the agency that the business is affiliated with. There are times that some shops like to have the additional ability to certify divers with other agencies, but that is not usually the case.

[arbit_fire]

Hi

I am also a beginner. So it doesn't really matter which agency we choose unless we wish to go for job..Right?

And what if we want to advance the scuba courses? Like if I have the basic open water course from SDI and wish to got for the advanced one through PADI..? Wouldn't there be any restriction and/or extra charges for sure?

Thank You.

[acelockco]

Hi

I am also a beginner. So it doesn't really matter which agency we choose unless we wish to go for job..Right?

And what if we want to advance the scuba courses? Like if I have the basic open water course from SDI and wish to got for the advanced one through PADI..? Wouldn't there be any restriction and/or extra charges for sure?

Thank You.

No worries, one nice thing is when you are advancing from your basic course to Advanced, you can change agencies. That is nice as you are not locked into one agency, plus you can get an opportunity to check out the differences 1st hand. No restrictions or extra charges either!

And even if you do decide to go for a SCUBA job, your first few classes still don't matter. So go with whatever shop, agency, or instructor you feel most comfortable with as that is the top priority....well second to getting certified! You are in for an amazing adventure, glad to see another diver in the making!

[ScubaStephen]

acelockco, Thanks for answering this I had the same question. I am taking my SDI Open Water Class Saturday and Sunday.