I found that the diving instructors at Going Under Dive Center in Maple Grove to be really great.
I did my AOW with Jay on the Superior Wreckreation (Superior Scuba Center) on Lake Superior and would highly recommend him as an instructor.
Its not too late to switch to N.A.U.I. ;D It would probably require alot more studying :o Does padi really have an open book test? ??? ;D
No open book test for me when I took my OW, AOW, or Rescue. I've been PADI the whole way.
You could always go SDI, no tests... :o
No tests, but how much money and do you have to get wet
I dove with someone who was SDI certified and she said she wasn't supposed to go below 30 ft. That sounds more like a resort course to me!
You can come down to Rochester and visit MDC Sports, they are excellent instructors and you have the option of using DIR setup (i.e. long hose, backplate etc.) for your class. Most of the AOW students that want to continue diving eventually configure their gear this way and we have a large group of divers that range in experience from AOW to Full Cave to Advanced Trimix that will dive with all level of divers.
John Preston
Since when is DIR an option?
All my students dive with backplates.
DIR, is that something like political correctness? I'll pass on that, I'll dive any way I want. ???