Posted by kelphead on November 22, 2000 at 13:55:58:
In Reply to: hey, money makes the world go 'round! posted by mike on November 22, 2000 at 00:28:33:
unlike gerry's cynical p.o.v., = ; b , i have
to admit that i have learned quite a bit from other
well-seasoned divers from ALL over the u.s. and
the world who dive in all sorts of conditions.
the internet has been able to connect me to others
whom i've actually gotten to meet face to face and
dive w/them and learned from them (for better or for
worse) via a one-on-one interaction.
sure there's a lot of crap out there, but no more, i
think, than what i've found at some dive shops.
also, i have read magazines (really only one seems
to be worthwhile as it is targeted as more educational)
and i've incorporated what i've read w/what i've
learned from others and w/my own experience.
but that's not really the point: the q comes back
to the quality of instruction--or lack thereof--and
how to get the message out to other would-be
divers BEFORE they sign up for a course? how
do they do the reasearch and how can they come
to an informed decision so that certification
reqt's aren't continuously being dumbed down
for the entry level students?
you reading boards like this or reading certain
literature is all fine and well, but what about
those who need it even more? those entering
the recreation.
i think that if these people were caught before
they signed on the dotted line and advised as
to what they should look for in a course, their demands
for quality instruction will keep the bar high
and may even have an effect by pressuring the
certifying agencies.
...or not, i could be way off base and idealistic there...
= : )
it's just that i see a lot of entry level scuba
courses being marketed to those who are already IN
the diving community and who already learned what to
look for in a class, when instead those outside of the diving
community who are thinking of becoming certified
are the ones really in need of finding out what
quality instruction is and should be all about
before they commit to a class or agency.
kelphead.