Posted by Jim Hoffmann on July 17, 2001 at 12:45:48:
In Reply to: Descent Lines; was Scuba Classes posted by Bill Johnson on July 17, 2001 at 10:26:02:
Bill, the cost of my basic scuba class is $100. It has 35 hours of instructions 4 lectures, 3
pool sessions (more if needed), and 5 ocean dives (more if needed and they have to do a
beach dive to get a cert.). I will match one of my students against one of yours any day.
My class is a bargain and it produces a self-reliant Calif. diver.
A buoy or a float is a good piece of instructional equipment. It gives the student a place to
swim to, it gives them a place to hung on to on the surface, and the descent line gives the
student a way to stabilize the descent to equalize their ears( on the first few dives the
student have very little buoyancy control, they need something). On later dives the
students are able to descend without the line.
Entry level classes are learners permits. You can’t teach them everything in the first
class, it takes time and lots of dives to become a good diver. Bill did you know
everything at the end of your entry level class? I know I didn’t (I may have thought I did,
but the ocean takes care of that).
PADI has some very poor programs out right now, the 3 day certs. and the kids programs
are really bad. The real problem is that many of the new PADI instructors think that this
is the way to teach.
Jim Hoffmann
NAUI 5888
PADI 6301