So you have decided to take up the sport? Congratulations and welcome to the world of SCUBA diving! The question now remains, how do you choose a SCUBA instructor? While it is no secret that I am not an instructor yet, but my commitment to the sport will be a good indication of what kind of instructor I will become. I have been through at least 3 SCUBA agencies in my training and have had different instructors for my various certifications. I have seen the good, the not so good and the excellent. To that end, I present to you my guide to choose a SCUBA instructor. If you follow this guide, I guarantee that by the time you are issue your certification, you will not only be a confident diver, but also a skillful and safe one.
Video showing excellent buoyancy, trim and control
Do you think they are really learning to dive as the promo touts or are they just learning to use SCUBA equipment?
Do you overweight your students? Many instructors overweight students. It is not a good practice.
What method do you use to correctly weight your students? Any answer that does not involve actually getting in the water means you want to avoid that instructor.
How many people will be in my class? Small classes are better. You'll have more individual attention. Unless the instructor is using certified assistants, more than four students are difficult to watch.
How many certified assistants will you be using? Unless the class is relatively large (more than 4 students) this should not be an issue. An instructor should have a certified Divemaster or Assistant Instructor for every two students over four. There are times when divers working on their Divemaster or Assistant Instructor certifications assist with a class. This is normal and not an issue, but they do not count toward the assistants an instructor should have when working with larger classes.
Will I be learning skills kneeling on the pool bottom or mid-water? This question is critical and will let you know if you've found an instructor who has a great deal on the ball. The overwhelming majority of instructors (even good instructors) teach skills kneeling on the bottom. Great instructors however will teach you to master your buoyancy and trim before moving on to skills; they know your mask will flood while you are swimming, not when you are sitting on the bottom. You need to learn skills in the manner in which you'll be using them - in midwater.
Do you dive for fun or just when you are teaching? Instructors who've stopped diving for fun are burned out.
Questions to ask yourself:
Is the instructor patient? While talking with your potential instructor, you should be getting a feel for his personality. Patience is an important quality for an instructor. You want to avoid instructors with a drill sergeant demeanor.
Would I be happier learning from a man or a woman? Only you can answer that question, but in general it is not usually a serious consideration. There are excellent instructors and there are poor instructors. Men and women fall into both groups.
