Posted by Eric Frasco on March 09, 2001 at 13:08:03:
In Reply to: Who's better, PADI or NAUI ? posted by Theodore on March 09, 2001 at 11:03:53:
Ted:
Asking that question is like asking which is better, the Trojans or the Bruins? Ask that question in LA and half the responders will say Trojans, the other half will say Bruins.
Just like football, everyone has an opinion on this topic. Rather than waste your time with a lengthy explantion of the differences between the agencies, the history of each, and the current philosophy of each training organization, lets cut to the chase:
It all depends on how well you and your instructor communicate and interact and how much time he spends with you. AND it all depends on how much time you devote to coming to class prepared and ready to do the academic and confined water (pool) sessions and open water (ocean) sessions.
Instructors cannot (and should not) have to hold your hand every step along the way. The best students I've ever had are the ones that have read the entire manual before the class even starts. I know they are committed to succeeding when that happens. The worst students I've ever had are the ones that come to class without having read the materials, or are hastily writing in answers (often guesses) into the homework pages when the class starts.
I've had students that were extremely enthusiastic but had trouble with one skill or one part of the course. Some of these students improved with a little extra time from me. Others improved when I showed them a different way of doing things. And others improved by going off and doing self-study until their confidence improved.
The students that were not enthusiastic and were doing poorly, or who where just plain uncomfortable with the whole thing usually dropped out.
In short, a big part of it depends on you.
By the sound of things, you haven't been able to get comfortable with the responses you are getting from the shops you have been talking to. Perhaps you are not ready yet to get certified, or perhaps you haven't gotten an opportunity to talk to the right people yet. I can make some recommendations for South Bay and Orange County, let me know where to eMail you at, if you are interested.
But if you aren't ready to get serious about learning to dive, please don't start a course. And your instructor will figure it out for himself.
You know you're not ready to learn to dive when your instructor suggests that you take up golf.
Don't focus on the agency, focus on your relationship with the instructor and the shop. If you don't feel comfortable, go to someone else.
Ask questions about the course and what makes their course better than the competition. Look for an instructor that you get along well with. You want this person to be someone you can work with.
-Eric-