Dive instructors

[mcdiver]

You will soon learn that not all dive instructor's are of equal ability. They may all carry the little card in their wallet, but they are not all created equal.

Many dive Instructor's are just that, they are Instructor's, but do they really dive? Are all their dives a result of doing just classes? By that I mean, is there experience just in doing instructing in ideal conditions? I have met Instructor's who claim to have 500 dives, yet the vast majority of them have been in a classroom environment. I have met divers with only an Open Water Cert who I felt more comfortable with than an Instructor.

Just because an Instructor says he has certified 200 students does not necessarily make him a better diver, all it means is that he has certified 200 students. Now think about this, when instructing, you are usually in ideal conditions, how will this Instructor react when all hell breaks loose underwater for your deep dive? When you have a silt-out and you can't see your hand in front of your face? When a mask strap breaks at 60', will he beat you to the surface? What about a free-flow?

I do a lot of deep solo diving, mainly as a way of testing my abilities and to keep my skills at their peak. I run through various "what if's" when I dive. I have had my mask kicked-off my head while doing deep dives with buddies and I have had a mask strap break at 160' while on a solo dive. Not knowing ahead of time what you would do is not a good way to dive, I don't care if you are only in 30' of water.

So be careful how you choose your Instructor, you are paying for an education, not just a certification card.