Starting Diving

Steve.N

I'm based in Trim, Co-Meath and am planning on joining a club over the winter months to start diving.
This may seem an open ended question, but what qualification is better in terms of training etc - Padi or CFT? looking at some club websites and most use the Padi qualification - why is that?
Can anyone recommend a good club?


Thanks

Benny-c

Steve.N wrote: »

but what qualification is better in terms of training etc - Padi or CFT?


Thanks

Here we go again:D (OP opens can of worms)

I have seen both sides (I'm originally PADI but am now CFT)

In relation to cost it's swings & roundabouts (i.e. Club membership vs PADI course costs).
It's fair to say in PADI you will be 'open water' diving much quicker than CFT-where you will be doing alot more pool, classroom & snorkel work before actual diving. Most CFT clubs will be running courses over the next few months so your timing is good.

PADI is a professional operation & CFT is voluntary club set-up where you will be expected to get involved in alot of out of water Club activities (eg helping with boats & other equipment) whereas in PADI the Divemasters seem to run this in most Centres.

Re. specifics (gear availability, costs etc)I suggest talking to your local club.

http://www.cft.ie/clubs.htm

& your nearest PADI centre, (I hope this is not too far from Trim!)

http://www.adventurediving.net/

before making a decision-hope this is a help

Benny

Steve.N

Thanks Benny for the information.
Yeah I saw that a few of the local clubs are starting their pool training sessions next month.
A colleague of mine is a Padi advanced open water diver and actually advised me to go for a CFT club as he says their basic diving qualification is as good as the advanced Padi but says the training is more intensive and gives you a better grounding - Is he correct?



Thanks
Steve

yankinlk

Steve.N wrote: »

A colleague of mine is a Padi advanced open water diver and actually advised me to go for a CFT club as he says their basic diving qualification is as good as the advanced Padi but says the training is more intensive and gives you a better grounding - Is he correct?

Ill try throw myself onto this grenade. They are equally good ways to learn how to dive. What you do with that training after is the important thing. With PADI - you can pay your money and after a weekend you can walk away with a cert. You can tell all your freinds and family you are diver now - look here's the paper to prove it. With CFT, you won't get the paper to prove it for a year or two.

Experience is key to learning and enjoying diving. Just go do it, again and again and again. If you stop for a couple years, you need to refresh, or you can forget things. Take two people trained sperately in PADI and CFT - let them both do 100 dives. Then try and guess how they got certified - you probably can't.

CFT Club diving versus PADI "consumer" diving are like comparing apples and oranges. It depends on what is available in your area, whether you intend to arrive and dive, or do you want to "give back" to a club. It also depends on how many dives you intend to do in a given year, it can be cheaper to do 30 boat dives in a club - but more affordable to do 8 dives with a PADI center. It depends if you have your own gear or not. You can start out one way, and change to another if you like. The only important thing is you learn to dive safely.

(personally I'm CFT trained and in a club)

Visuelle

I use the guys at adventurediving , they are based in Bettystown. I would definitely recommend them as they also have there own pool purely for diving.

You could pop over to them and check out their facilities and have a chat with them, nice bunch of people.

Steve.N

I was originally looking at the place in Bettystown but then noticed that the club in Mulingar was a CFT training organization - I like the idea of joining a club and getting involved as well as a having a bit of craic rather than just paying some training facility. Think it will be a great way to learn the sport by diving regularly with the same core group who will keep me right. Only snag is that I work a 12hr rotating shift pattern and Mulingar Sub Aqua club start training every Tuesday (starting Oct) so can only make it every second week until Christmas when my shift changes.

What is the usual course of CFT training?


Thanks guys for the advice and opinions so far!

yankinlk

Steve.N wrote: »

I like the idea of joining a club and getting involved as well as a having a bit of craic rather than just paying some training facility. Think it will be a great way to learn the sport by diving regularly with the same core group who will keep me right.

My 2 cents: If I never joined a club all I would ever do is talk about diving. The club keeps me honest - keeps me helping with planning events and scheduling dives. If I was to tie my interest in diving down to just one person, and they dropped out - that would be me done too. Lazy? I suppose maybe I am - but the club helps me NOT be lazy.

As far as your availability goes - we get that issue all the time. Ask your club what they do to help people, ususally they combine missed lectures into a weekend to help people out. The pool work you may miss is also important - but depending on your ability and aptitude - it may not be a big issue.

Good Luck!