Posted by Wayne on July 28, 2002 at 22:18:45:
In Reply to: Re: It was not the stair issue that upset me. posted by strfsh on July 28, 2002 at 21:24:23:
You won't find me bashing PADI. I am a PADI member and have been trained through several agencies over the years. These include NASDS, NAUI, LA COUNTY, and PADI. Although this particular instructor was PADI, I was not inferring that it was PADI's fault.
But that being said, let me pick on the store for a bit. I am not sure which Sports Chalet this fellow was associated with. I have heard many good things about particular instructors from Sports Chalet. And I have heard my share of horror stories, too. This instructor possessed most of the traits that I associate with poor instruction and poor induction into the world of being a diver. I am even willing to assume he did no standards violations and his class met every minimum standard set forth. But the initial training has a big influence on the future of a diver. Many drop out and never dive again. I think that instructors like this one contribute to that lack of retention.
As to Sports Chalet vs other dive shops. I have some opinions on this too -- and it is not specific to diving. My feeling is that it is far better to deal with an organization that truly specializes in the sport. I can buy a new bicycle from K-mart, Toys R Us, and many other department stores. If I want a first rate bike with the service and support to back it up, I will buy it at a true bicycle shop that sells nothing but bicycles and related products. I have purchased many bikes for my family and believe me I can tell the difference in buying a quality product from a specialist.
SCUBA is even more this way, in my opinion. I want to buy from a company that considers itself a dive company. As I see it, Sports Chalet has a dive component in its business plan, but it is a small part of the overall mix. This means that diving does not drive the priorities of the company. A local dive shop is just the opposite. They know that the only way to stay alive to is to have loyal divers who love them. It just changes their approach.
Let me give an example. I bought a Quest slate (the magnadoodle thing) from Sports Chalet in Torrance. It had some problems (some of the peripherial cells leaked) in a month and I wanted to take it back for replacement or refund. I was told that they could not help me and that I needed to contact Quest. They would not help me get in touch with Quest. I was on my own. Since I threw out my receipt, there was nothing they would do to help. Wanna know what happened? I told my sad story to my local DIVE SHOP and they took my slate and called the Quest rep to come out and replace it for a customer. He did and I got a new one without the problems. That is customer service and it not uncommon with a real DIVE SHOP. I have had similar experiences with masks, cameras, and other scuba equipment. With a real DIVE SHOP, they make sure I am satisfied. I did not find this in the chain store.
Now as to the safety stop issue you mentioned. I strongly suggest you learn more about decompression issues and in particular how a safety stop relates to ascent rate. While it may be considered a good habit to do a safety stop on "every dive", on a short duration dive to 30FSW, it is not expected. As you will remember from your class, there are times when a safety stop is manditory (it is also printed on your tables) and there are times when you need to use judgement. If you are not already a member of DAN, I suggest you join. One of the benefits of DAN membership is access to their magazine which covers the latest news related to DCS issues.
One last thing. I realize you believe you received good instruction. And it may have been adequate. But as a new diver, you are in a poor position to judge the quality of your instruction compared to what you would have received at another facility or a different instructor at the same facility. For that reason, it is often a good idea to get some input from divers who have been around for a while. And it is another reason I suggested to take your advanced and rescue courses from a different place -- even if you received good instruction, just to make sure you get the benefit from multiple points of view. I have been certifed for 27 years. Many on this board are much more experienced that I in dives and years. Take advantage of the experience of divers who have been around for a while.
Wayne