Do Not Buy an Open Water Certification Course; Hire a Scuba Coach
Properly prepare yourself for a lifetime of legendary underwater experiences!
It is wise to receive proper training before going diving – not just for your safety but for your enjoyment. And to save time! Why would you want to reinvent the wheel when somebody can show you the best practices?
Yet, I also believe that imposing the bureaucratic requirements of dive certification is a bit excessive, especially when the training is typically substandard and even more so when it is presented as a “course.”
This post is part of Are You (Scuba) Certifiable? series by the Business of Diving Institute and Darcy Kieran, author of:
When I wanted to go skiing with my kids, we started by taking ski lessons on the little hill. It was logical and led to much more fun later on the big hills. Yet, nothing prevented me from grabbing a pair of skis and heading to the top of the mountain, even though I could easily break my neck and die on the way down.
And here’s the worst part: because the dive industry has made it a (pseudo) requirement that you get certified, we ended up with an industry specialized in churning out c-cards as fast and cheaply as possible instead of preparing people for a lifetime of legendary scuba diving adventures.
It’s simply human nature.
If I am forced to take a course before doing what I really want to do, then my focus is on “being done” with that course as fast as possible to then go have fun. If obtaining a c-card was not presented as a requirement, dive professionals and future divers could both focus on improving skills and comfort underwater instead of churning c-cards.
Furthermore, if you get your brain to see your entry-level scuba diving training as “diving” instead of being a course, it will be fun in itself.
And that leads me to a recommendation you will have difficulty implementing: Get a coach instead of a dive instructor.
Of course, you want the person showing you how to dive to be a dive instructor so you can eventually get a C-card that can be handy here and there. So I mean to look for a dive instructor with a coaching attitude instead of a “let’s get this course done” approach to learning to dive.
In such a context, you will be better off hiring a coach per hour or per session instead of paying a flat fee for the whole course. When you pay a flat price, dive center owners naturally put pressure on dive instructors to get it done as fast as possible. And if dive instructors want to earn more than minimum wage, they will also be incentivized to quickly get rid of you.
On the other hand, if you hire a coach and the agreement is that you will keep diving together until you are ready to be an autonomous diver, you are much more likely to be ready at the end of the process.
So, put all the chances on your side by looking for a scuba coach.
Keep reading about your scuba diving certification and open water skills in “Are You (Scuba) Certifiable?“
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Either way, I wish you a lifetime of legendary underwater adventures!
You may also be interested in The Immersion Zone (our podcast) and Scuba Diver Press (our newsletter for scuba divers).