Was anyone scared to scuba???

[kev374]

I did the PADI course 18th and 19th and my experience is the same as b1brown - a disaster. I have snorkeled before and perhaps not a strong swimmer but I did manage the 200m swim. I am comfortable above the water but a bit nervous underwater of course because it is a new experience.

 

My class was moving so fast I just did not have any time to absorb, figure out or get comfortable with any of it. I failed the course this time and lost the $400 it cost. In addition I had to buy $900 of required equipment (wetsuit, snorkel, fins, gloves, mask, booties, gearbag).. I am going to attempt the pool work again so hopefully all is not lost :)

 

The shop is offering me a upgrade to private one on one instruction for $220, I will see if I want to do that. But end of May I will be in the Cayman Islands so I may first try to do a resort dive there.

 

I felt if the class was SLOWER I could nail it down. I think instructor intimidation by pressuring the student to perform within 5 minutes of demonstrating something causes more anxiety than the act itself and leaves a really bad experience. This is just sad because I felt with the proper approach the underwater exercises can actually be fun!

[Moostang]

Never been scared to scuba I wanted to jump right in and hit the bottom even though I am a bad swimmer and hate other water sports.

I have to admit it feels awkward breathing underwater, but soon that becomes amazement, especially the moment a fish swims by.

[scubadiver888]

kev374, your experience makes me wonder about this instructor. Is he rushing the class just so he can charge people for private lessons?

 

Let's double check the facts:

 

- 200m swim: okay, this is a requirement

 

- two days? The classroom work can be done on the same day as the confined water (pool) portion. Most instructors tend to do it Friday night and leave the pool work for Saturday/Sunday. This does not include the open water portion. You require two ADDITIONAL days for that.

 

- $400? Plus $900 in equipment? I've seen this trick. A couple of dive shops around here use the lessons to sell equipment. There is NOTHING saying you have to own all the equipment. You should have been able to rent the equipment for around $80 for the weekend. Around here $475 would cover everything including rental equipment. For $400 I hope that includes the open water portion as well. My shop charges $300 for the class and pool work then $175 for the open water portion.

 

Some things you didn't mention:

 

- How many students were there? PADI requires a ratio of 1 instructor to 8 students. If there are CERTIFIED assistant instructors you can add 2 students for each assistant up to 12 students maximum.

- Each student must receive DIRECT supervision from the instructor. After initial instruction students may receive subsequent training from an assistant.

- For $400 you should have received the PADI Open Water training manual and the Recreational Dive Planner (RDP), also called your dive tables.

- How much time was spent in the pool? My dive shop spends 2 days, 4 hours each day in the pool. The MAXIMUM is 8 students but they generally have 6 students, 1 instructor and 1 assistant instructor.

 

Realistically, there is no set price for the training, he doesn't have to rent you gear and you are not guaranteed to pass but around here this guy would be out of business in weeks with crap like this.

 

If you try to return the equipment he either say no or claim it is now used so he'll give you a partial refund.

 

I would guess that this individual is a business person. They see an opportunity to make money. They are not someone who is passionate about diving and decided to open a dive shop to feed their habit. You want to find someone who is passionate about diving and looking for a longterm customer. Sadly, even a good dive shop will hope to sell you your first set of equipment so they can keep the price of training down and stay in business. Regardless, if you came to my dive shop, Candace would welcome you with open arms. If all you need is a little time, Candace would give it to you. She would not charge you for private lessons.

 

Find a scuba diver who owns a dive shop rather than a business person who owns a business.

 

You might want to complain to PADI Quality Assurance. Don't say you were ripped off. Just write telling your experience and how you are terribly disappoint. Talk about how you hope that this is not typical of how PADI dive shops operate. Give them a chance to help you repair their reputation. If you are diplomatic enough about it they might be able to either (a) get this guy to give you a second group lesson for free, (b) a partial refund so you can take your business somewhere else, © the name of a dive shop that will give you a discount.

 

Stuff like this makes me mad. :mad:

[G'ma]

I've tried scuba several times with a good friend of mine who is an expert. While I love the experience of swimming with the fishes (heehee), I simply don't like all that "stuff" on my body.

 

I much prefer to snorkle where all you need is a mask, a tube and maybe some swim fins and a small floating vest.,.....

[CruisinCrow]

G'ma, I know exactly what you mean. This thread had me thinking about what exactly it is about scuba that scares me. I'm not afraid of deep water or sharks, I'm a good swimmer and I love snorkeling. It's all that stuff on me. Especially the weight belt - it feels it's just going to suck me down to the bottom. Is that like claustrophobia?

 

Also, I don't seem to have the ability to close off my nose so everytime I had to take off my mask for scuba class, I'd suck up water. Removing my mask freaks me out.

 

I've done almost 40 dives and I don't seem to get any more comfortable. I really wish I did because my family loves it so much and they want me to love it too.

[Wspinelli]

All I can say is Wow about the bad experiences. I was originally certified as a diver in 1977 and fell in love with diving. I eventually became an Instructor and Instructor Trainer, as an instructor I took great pride in the fact that if you wanted to learn how to dive I would teach you and having certified almost 2000 divers I think I did a pretty good job. It is important to talk with your dive shop and the instructor, to make sure you are comfortible with both. Ask about required equipment, the time you spend in the classroom and the pool. Ask about spending extra time in the pool if you want it, if you need it. Don't hesitate to tell your instructor you don't feel comfortable or you want more practice. I don't believe in a quick one -two weekend courses. People don't retain the information or learn the skills effectively. There needs to be a progression of skills and the chance to repeat them frequently. If you feel uncomfortable with the equipment talk to your instructor the mask is you most important piece of equipment when it comes to comfort level. If you don't like the water in your mask shop to find one with a purge, if you don't like the weight belt try a weight integrated BC. If you don't feel comfortable with a dive before you get in the water, you don't need to go; give yourself a good predive plan. Dive the same dive site a few times so you feel comfortable with a site, work on your skill set at that so you feel more confident. Then you can venture out to more diverse dives sites.

 

I've used the word comfortable quite a bit, it's your responsibility as a diver to be comfortable. If you sign a contract to take SCUBA lessons it's the responsibility of the shop and instructor to teach you the skills so you can be. While you may have had bad experiences in the past give my favorite sport another chance.

[kwfl]

to the original poster:

yes, i was terrified to learn to dive! i grew up in FL and in the water. i used to surf and at one point i refused to get back in the ocean due to an irrational fear of sharks!!! (i'd been bumped while on my board a few times):(

but a friend convinced me i wouldnt be scared of them if i just saw one once while i was diving... he was right!:cool:

i didnt go with an instructor, but a divemaster who told me she was qualified to take me. it was fun and i saw a shark on my first dive off of salt key in turks and caicos. but, a dm is NOT qualified to take someone out their first time and i now realize that was very dangerous- i wasnt taught anything prior to the first dive, not even told not to hold my breath!:eek:

i quickly got certified and said how i would never do a night dive or spearfish. ha! now two of my favorite things!!!! and i love seeing sharks while diving heres a video from a fun dive with dh 2 weeks ago

and strangely enough im now a full time padi/naui instructor here in key west.;)

i love introducing new divers to the sport, but i especially love helping my less confident students overcome their fears and become passionate about diving (some are afraid of drowning, ive even had two who were terrified of fish!)

some people take to it like fish and have no fears at all. wish it had been that easy for me!! they are the less memorable of my students...:rolleyes:

 

 

to the other poster who had an impatient instructor:

try try again. im sorry your guy sucked and i would definitely let the padi quality assurance people know. :mad:

if you get a good instructor, let them know as well! its always nice to hear that!

[2Ports]

I became certified in a quarry which was merky, cold and pretty deep for my first real test.

 

Sounds like Lake Wazee to me...

[Scuba Laura]

Was I scared? Heck yes I was scared! I got certified in Lake Tahoe, where the water was clear but very very cold. I was in a large class with an Instructor (who is my husband) and a Dive Master. Kneeling on the bottom and waiting for my turn to do skills was horrible. I sat there shivering and scared to death. Not once, but twice I went into a full blown panic. Kudo's to the Instructor and Dive Master for handling things the correct way. Long story short - I was determined to beat it, and now am an Instructor and I own a Dive Center in the Caribbean and LOVE it!

 

Make sure you do your homework. Find a good shop with high reviews and great reputation. Ask how many people are in the class, the smaller the better. We usually do private lessons and have excellent success.

 

As for the poster who had the horrible experience. I'm so sorry to hear that. I would contact PADI for sure. There are special guidelines they are to follow, and from what was written, they did not do it correctly. That's too bad because the course is taught in a manner that you should be comfortable before you go the the deep end to practice the skills you do in your Open Water Sessions. I encourage you to try it again. Do not let the failure of one shop to ruin a beautiful underwater experience!

 

Great thread, thanks!

[georoc01]

In a word..yes!

 

I was doing a Western Caribbean cruise and my friend asked me to try it. And being someone who is willing to try anything once, said sure and signed up for a discover scuba class in Grand Cayman.

 

They did a 45 minute lecture. Afterwards we got into our gear and in groups of one instructor to 2-3 students, went into the water. We then had to do a couple of skills one was take out our reg, drop it, retrieve it and put it back in our mouth. All while exhaling bubbles.

 

Dropping down into the water the first time with scuba gear kicked in an irrational fear at first (subconciously thinking you can't breathe underwater!). Then the idea of dropping the reg really was tough. It took me three times to do it. The instructor was impressed that I eventually did it. He could see the fear in my eyes and never thought I'd be able to do it.

 

The dive was cool and we did another one in Cozumel which was beautiful. A few years later I became certified and now 150 dives later dive whenever I can.

[satxdiver]

I snorkeled for a few years before I was certified to dive so I was not afraid to dive. I was a lifeguard as a teenager and eventually earned a WSI as a young man. As a certified divemaster I sometimes help out with certification classes at the dive shop particularly with the pool part. I have seen students dive without a care and adapt immediately and I have seen others who had trouble adapting. I have also seen students who never adapted and were not able to complete the certification class. Diving is for some people but not for all. You have to be comfortable in the water and trust your equipment.

[ehfl]

I've always been comfortable in the water. If you're not comfortable in the water, then stick with snorkeling. SCUBA diving is really amazing, but you really have to be comfortable. You have to be able to deal with your mask coming off, or regulator falling out of your mouth, and not panic.

[Patay13]

To answer your original question - no I've never been afraid of scuba - but I resisted for a long time because my friends showed me their dive tables (those plastic charts with lots of tiny printed numbers on them) and I thought you'd have to memorize all those numbers to get certified.:rolleyes:

 

I eventually got certified and was so relieved to find out that you use the charts for dive planning, no memorization required.

[BuzzF117]

I did the PADI course 18th and 19th and my experience is the same as b1brown - a disaster. I have snorkeled before and perhaps not a strong swimmer but I did manage the 200m swim. I am comfortable above the water but a bit nervous underwater of course because it is a new experience.

 

My class was moving so fast I just did not have any time to absorb, figure out or get comfortable with any of it. I failed the course this time and lost the $400 it cost. In addition I had to buy $900 of required equipment (wetsuit, snorkel, fins, gloves, mask, booties, gearbag).. I am going to attempt the pool work again so hopefully all is not lost :)

 

The shop is offering me a upgrade to private one on one instruction for $220, I will see if I want to do that. But end of May I will be in the Cayman Islands so I may first try to do a resort dive there.

 

I felt if the class was SLOWER I could nail it down. I think instructor intimidation by pressuring the student to perform within 5 minutes of demonstrating something causes more anxiety than the act itself and leaves a really bad experience. This is just sad because I felt with the proper approach the underwater exercises can actually be fun!

 

My goodness were are you guys doing your certifications? We have two dive stores here in Elkhart IN one is PADI the other is NAUI. The store I was certified in was the PADI store and they charged me $325 which included all gear minus my personal gear i.e. mask, fins, boots and snorkle. The price also included all pool sessions and the open water dives. The insutructor was up front and said if your not getting it in the pool you won't go to the lake and you will spend more time in the pool. I was never preasured or pushed beyond what I was able to do. You shouldn't "lose" your money you purchased a certification course and you should be allowed to finish it unless there are other problems.

[BuzzF117]

I had no fear of scuba diving but my wife suffers from claustraphobia and struggled. She talked herself out of the class while I was doing my certs and was disappointed she couldn't dive while on our cruise. She was certified in the summer of 08 and it took her a liitle extra pool work but she did great and now is my dive buddy.

[kev374]

Happy to report that I finished my pool work this weekend successfully with a different instructor..YAY! and next weekend I finish up my Open Water dives in beautiful Catalina Island, i'm excited! :D

[Baileysmom]

My husband and I have been diving for a year now. I think I have 22 dives and he has many more but I still get very nervous at the beginning and once Im in a down I get better. We dive in the lake mostly so I get very apprehensive when I go through the thermocline. But its a great hobby if its something that you are comfortable doing. Just dont let anyone pressure you into it.

[tinkherbelle]

I was very nervous at the beginning of discover scuba. Just getting over the fear of breathing under water was a big hoop. WHY? Because it just isn't natural. Like a lot of things we do, we LEARN to do it. I kept getting up in a panic. It took me about 20 minutes to actually stay under. If the instructors were not PATIENT, I never would have taken the cert course. The pool part wasn't a problem, it was the wetsuit and a hood that made me feel like I was being choked. After I switched to a beanie, I was golden. (btw that was not offered as an option when we were made to buy gear that will NEVER get used again...I agree with pev poster, all they wanted was my money over 1000 with cert) I have absolutely NO desire to cold water dive again.

For one thing...cold water diving is NOTHING like warm water ocean diving!

The 7mil wet suit and hood are VERY confining. :eek:

 

I went to Negril and did 2 dives, no wetsuit...awesome. Not the greatest place to dive, but confirmed my suspicion. I was not born to wear a wetsuit! I hate anything tight so what the H### was I thinking! Just think of it this way. You aren't scared of scuba, it is something you want to learn how to do. Just like when you learned to walk. Some people learn slower,or by different methods. A drill sargeant is not for you. Maybe you need a female instructor. I bet when you try you will like it. I would definately reccommend you try a discover scuba BEFORE you sink a boatload of money into it.

 

Congrats Kev try it in warm water with no wet suit...a much freer experience!:D

Tink