St. Cloud State University Diving Class

[mcdiver]

I recently graduated from SCSU and during the years I attended, I heard more complaints from fellow students regarding their experience with the Scuba class offered at school. The students think that this is a good way to learn how to dive and get excited when it nears spring break and they can take these skills and go diving. Problem is, they have been "setup to fail."

The class is offered through a local instructor, representing an agency that has little supervision or him and his teaching habits. It is common knowledge that this instructor has been unable to pass the PADI or NAUI exams.

The equipment is subpar, that is too say, the equipment leaks air on a continues basis, to include 1st stages and BC's. In some cases, the plastic cable-ties hold gear together.

I have had friends who have taken the course and they have told me that the final exam is an open-book, one of my friends told me that she was even allowed to take the final exam home with her to finish over the weekend. Another friend told me that he wanted to complete his "check out dives" during his spring break in Florida, but the Instructor told him, "Ah, you did pretty good in the pool, if you just pay me the check-out dive fee, I will just sign-off on those dives, then you will have your certification card before you go."

The fee that this Instructor charges for the class is so low that other Instructor's in the area can not, nor will not, compete with his offer to the school to teach this class. The sad part is, that these kids are coming out of this class not knowing any better and believing that they are ready to dive. I recently spoke with a couple who were taking a Nitrox class at a dive store in the cities and they told me about there experience with this Instructor at SCSU. They just shook their head regarding their expereience with this guy, saying how unhappy they were and how little did they actually learn.

I guess this is nothing more than a "Scuba Mill" who is pumping-out so called certified divers who are not prepared for the real world of diving.

You get what you pay for.