What Agency Should I Use

[tpscuba]

I've watched discussions on who is better and some have come back with and I agree with a comment that I found on



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Who's got the best course?

Some basic facts: All certification agencies in the United States meet the same minimum standard for entry-level scuba instruction. All basic open-water courses must include the same syllabus of diving skills, physics, physiology, etc., must have classroom or home study instruction, must require pool or confined water instruction, and must require the completion of at least four open-water dives. The standards also specify age, water skills and health minimums for all students. Companion standards regulate the training and performance of instructors.
For these minimum standards we can thank, believe it or not, the government and lawyers. Fear of ham-fisted regulation as well as the "sharks that swim on land" has forced the certification agencies to school around an industry standard, called ANSI Z-86.3 (soon to be revised and reissued as Z-375.1). It was written by the Recreational Scuba Training Council (RSTC), whose members are IDEA, NASDS, PADI, PDIC, SSI and YMCA. The standard is blessed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a nonprofit organization that certifies an industry standard has been arrived at through open discussion and with due process. Although only six agencies are members of RSTC, as a practical matter all have to meet the RSTC/ANSI standard in order to buy liability insurance and defend themselves from lawsuits.

So, regardless of the agency, your basic training will be at least this good. Might yours be better?

After surveying all the agencies that offer a basic open-water certification, our conclusion is ... maybe, but it's likely the instructor who makes the difference, not the agency's published standards. Minimum standards are floors, but they have a way of acting like ceilings, too. More training costs more money, putting the agency who insists on it at a competitive disadvantage when many students want the fastest, cheapest C-card.

Some agencies (IDEA, NASDS and YMCA) require a minimum number of hours of instruction, typically 24. NAUI has no classroom minimum, but requires 17 hours of "practical application," including 10 hours in the water (pool and open water). PDIC requires six lectures and six pool sessions.

Other agencies require that students meet performance standards, and leave the number of lecture hours and pool sessions up to the instructor. This flexibility allows small classes to finish the course requirements quickly and makes it possible for courses to be compressed into weekends. It also makes it easier for instructors to rush students, some of whom may be shy about admitting when they don't understand. That's not the agency's goal, of course, but it happens.

Another indication of whether your agency has stiffer training minimums is the number of open-water scuba dives it requires for certification. The RSTC minimum is four: NAUI, PDIC and YMCA require four scuba and one skin dive. SSI recommends one skin, but requires five scuba dives. NASE requires four scuba and recommends one skin dive; it says it will make the skin dive a requirement next year. IDEA requires four for its "Basic Open Water" certification, but encourages its students to go for its "Open Water" certification requiring six. IANTD requires 90 minutes of bottom time to be performed in four to six scuba dives. The others require at least four, but may recommend more. Obviously, these ceilings are not far above the floor.

Of course, individual instructors can exceed an agency's minimum standards, and many do. The bottom line: Your best chance of getting the best instruction is not to worry about the agency but to find the best instructor for you.