Scuba site persuades divers to ‘go pro’

Blame it on Curacao’s Technicolor coral reefs that stretch as far as the eye can see underwater.

Fault Catalina Island’s famous kelp forests undulating in the emerald currents of the Pacific. Or Bermuda’s mysterious shipwrecks, like the Constellation and the Hermes, which look more like watercolors painted in shades of blue than sunken vessels.

Then again, maybe it was the Web site that made me take Scuba diving to the next level, figuratively speaking. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors wastes no opportunity to plug its professional programs – in its literature, classes, but perhaps most effectively, on the Internet.

It didn’t take much to hook me. How could I not click on a banner ad that screamed “Six months as a diver? 100 Logged Dives? Go Pro!” I was already curious, but that did it.

(To be perfectly honest, I also had a dive buddy who wanted to become an instructor. For those of you who have been following this feature, she’s the same person who caught the flats “slam” in the previous column.)

The PADI site doesn’t mince words. It touts its professional programs as an adventure of a lifetime, “[a] chance to explore nature’s fascinating underwater creatures, and the opportunity to share your professional knowledge and experiences with students who want to learn.”

The image of a diver splashing off a boat leaves you with the feeling that going “pro” is beyond cool. Just to remove any doubt, the narrative drives home the point. “Dive professionals are envied for the lifestyles they lead. Divemasters schedule and plan dives on yachts, as do instructors, who also get to teach. Instructor trainers travel to the world’s most exotic locations.”

Does the rhetoric match the reality? As someone who became a diving instructor, I say the answer is a qualified “yes.”

It’s an adventure, to be sure.

The instructor development course, a rigorous month-long class that’s capped by an instructor exam lasting an entire weekend, isn’t without its challenges. There were times when I thought that growing a set of gills would probably be easier. You must be certified as a professional diver – in other words, you’re a “divemaster” – have at least 100 logged dives, and show proof of CPR training, to mention only a few of them. And that’s before the big test.

The exam requirements make the SAT seem like a pop quiz. Get a score below 3.5 out of a possible 5 points on certain skill evaluations, and you’re sent home. Bomb the written standards exam, and you’re outta there. Screw up on a rescue evaluation — all you have to do is lose count when you’re administering rescue breaths – and they send you packing.

Our final skills evaluation took place at the Bainbridge Sportsmen’s Club in Lancaster County, PA. We ran drills in a 27-acre limestone quarry where the water temperatures ranged between 74 degrees and 48 degrees, depending on the depth.

The 20-foot dive platform was dead in the middle of a thermocline, so with visibility at a scant five feet, pockets of warm and cool water battered our group. A Navy SEAL would have felt right at home.

Now, about those yachts …

I haven’t been on anything resembling a luxury vessel yet. Since becoming an instructor, I’ve led half a dozen students on dives in the same quarry. I’ve taught several large classes of United States Naval Academy Midshipmen, and I’ve informally led dives in the Cayman Islands.

But, dammit, no yachts.

Is the virtual adventure better than the actual one? I wouldn’t say so. If you dismiss the hyperbole, including that mention of “exotic destinations,” as the promotional copy that it is, the PADI Web site offers a fairly accurate description of the “going pro” adventure.

And it’s hard to argue with the numbers. PADI issues more diver certifications than any other agency and it remains the fastest-growing organization of its kind.

You don’t get there by ignoring the Internet.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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