I took scuba diving for PE in fall 06 and completed the open water dive, but I didn't get certified because I neglected to do the paperwork and Webassigns. I feel like I got pretty good at diving and I could pass a test to get certified.

Anybody know of a way I can get certified without paying $texas? just like rent some gear and go on a certification dive or something?

5/15/2007 4:13:48 PM

should have filled the paper work out and done the webassigns. You still have assignments to do and paper work to fill out if you do a SCUBA certification outside of your school. there is no easy way out of it.

5/15/2007 4:15:25 PM

Talk to a dive shop. Have you already done your checkout dives? Did you fail 226 or 229?

5/15/2007 5:08:28 PM

^^ it's not like I can change the fact that I didn't do the class work. I just don't want to pay a million dollars, it's ok if I have to fill out some stuff.

^ I passed 229 but failed 226

5/15/2007 5:10:25 PM

You should still be able to get your certification through State. Talk to Matt. CharlesHF passed 229, but failed 226 (because of webassigns) and still received his certification. He's currently a TA, I believed he helped you out a bit when you were in 226. I'd send Matt an email, and CharlesHF a PM. You should still be able to get your certification.

[Edited on May 15, 2007 at 5:20 PM. Reason : ]

5/15/2007 5:13:14 PM

did you atleast do the final exam webassign?

5/15/2007 5:19:48 PM

no I forgot to do the final exam

5/15/2007 8:14:21 PM

is there any way to get my advanced nitrox card

i emailed coach brown but never heard back from him

5/15/2007 8:16:34 PM

goddammit. double post.

[Edited on May 15, 2007 at 8:33 PM. Reason : GODDAMMIT]

5/15/2007 8:32:50 PM

Quote :

"no I forgot to do the final exam "

Are you fucking related to me or something?

5/15/2007 8:33:21 PM

Quote :

"is there any way to get my advanced nitrox card i emailed coach brown but never heard back from him"

...why would you want to get Advanced Nitrox right after PE226?
226 is the BASIC OPEN WATER class. Advanced nitrox requires a good deal of experience and covers much more than what's taught in PE226. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to brand new divers. You'll do fine for years with OW and Nitrox.
What is your reasoning for wanting Adv. EAN?
Sounds like a case of "too far, too fast" syndrome to me.

Nerdchick--as was said earlier (...thanks... ) I didn't do 3 1-page webassigns (this was back when we only had 3 webassigns to do) and they were ~30% of my grade. I took it for credit only so it didn't hurt my GPA, not that it can get any lower anyway...but I did take the final and obviously got certified. Working towards AI right now.

[Edited on May 15, 2007 at 10:06 PM. Reason : ]

5/15/2007 9:51:29 PM

ive already taken pe 227

i have the certification

i just want the physical card and since there was already scuba discussion in this thread, i figured i could get some answers

5/15/2007 10:07:21 PM

For the original question--
If you have all the paperwork you might be able to go to a local dive shop and get them to sign off on stuff. Although, your cert is NAUI and most people around here are PADI or SSI. Not sure if that would cross over or not.

Perhaps the easier thing to do would be to talk to Coach Rever and come to class next semester. If you do, just make sure you actually do the assignments and the final exam...
Since you already have the gear, it wouldn't be as expensive the 2nd time around, right?

5/15/2007 10:07:49 PM

^^ When did you take 227?

Coach has a lot on his plate right now. Just moved out of his old office into something else so I'm sure all his stuff is in complete disarray. He's working with the scientific diving class right now and is scheduled to do a 10-day instructor training course right after that. He'll be quite busy for awhile.

5/15/2007 10:10:55 PM

a few semesters ago

im getting ready to move to atlanta and i wanted to pick it up so i have it

ill just send him another email then and schedule a time to come to raleigh to get it

i was swamped my final year and was way too busy to get it

[Edited on May 15, 2007 at 10:15 PM. Reason : 

5/15/2007 10:12:26 PM

why would you have wasted all that money on 229 if you knew you hadn't done any of the other work up until that point?

why didn't you do the webassigns? They are quite easy and don't take long.

5/15/2007 10:35:12 PM

In my case, I just completely forgot. We only had 3 the entire semester and since they weren't regularly scheduled like they are with today's classes...just forgot about 'em.

Nerdchick's case....pure laziness?

5/15/2007 10:40:00 PM

Figured I'd use this thread to find out some information:

It's looking like the last semester of my senior year is only going to be like 3 hours, so I'm thinking of taking some (a lot of) PEs. What's the difference between PE 226, 227, and 229? Since I'll only have one semester, of course I'll be taking 226, but I may take another the summer after I graduate if I have time. What are the costs associated with the classes?

5/16/2007 3:15:14 AM

If you are not already certified you cannot take PE 227, it is a rescue diver course. PE 226 is a basic Open Water course. Here's the website: http://courses.ncsu.edu/pe226/common/ You have to buy your own mask/fins/snorkel/booties, and then pay the fee for the class ~$75. You also have to sign up for PE 229 if you want your certification. That is the class you'll do your Open Water dives with at the end of the semester. I can't specifically recall the fees for that class, and they're changing it around a bit anyways. So, what you'll need to do is sign up for 226 and 229, and it'll be 3 hours of PE. (226 is 2) If you can look through the website I linked, before they take it down for the summer, it's got a ton of information, and should answer all of your questions.

5/16/2007 7:06:15 AM

didn't read but ScubaSteve sounds like the man for the job!

5/16/2007 8:43:23 AM

You can consider PE229 to be the lab for PE226, if that makes any sense.

5/16/2007 3:31:28 PM

I'm getting my PADI certification in a month when I go to Belize. I thought about getting it in advance so I'd be prepared, but when I saw that it would only cost me about 325 bucks and I'd be doing my open water dives in Belize, I figured why waste my time in a pool and at best the beaches near Wilmington.

5/16/2007 4:57:54 PM

Because PADI certs are, in a word...worthless. Yes PADI is the largest certifying agency and the most widely-recognized, but their programs have the lowest standards of any (thus, why they're so popular).
PADI's success is mainly from their marketing department and their "anyone can dive" slogan. Trust me, there are zillions of people who shouldn't be diving, but somehow managed to get a card.

I'd say 95% of the students coming from NCSU's open water course look better than your average PADI open waterinstructor. The other 5% are just boneheads who thought they'd try and skate through.

5/16/2007 6:21:24 PM

there is no substitute for the scuba courses at ncsu

they will prepare you for anything

5/16/2007 6:22:24 PM

Quote :

"I figured why waste my time in a pool"

Because getting lots of practice in the pool is very important to your diving in the real world. If you don't have good buoyancy and trim (...something that isn't mentioned in a PADI course...) you'll kick up the bottom and silt the place out, you'll lean on and hit the coral (destroying/killing it) and generally suck at life.

PADI's "anyone can dive" slogan is a serious detriment to people's safety. I've read way, way too many accident reports from idiots who didn't have any freakin' clue what they were doing and ended up dying for something stupid, like not being able to breathe underwater with their mask off.

SCUBA is a fairly safe activity if you know what you're doing. Practicing and spending time in the pool is a good way to develop the skillset needed to dive safely. Let's face it--you're underwater with a limited supply of air. Unless you know how to effectively manage it, there could be serious issues. Why you'd want to brush off practice in the pool for an activity that allows you to go where you can't breathe is totally beyond me.

5/16/2007 6:25:18 PM

Do you seriously think you can learn in a weekend what we cover in an entire semester in the classes here?

5/16/2007 6:28:13 PM

im about to do NAUI (and it would be awesome if i could get my boss to pay for some of it)

5/16/2007 7:14:45 PM

Good...NAUI has a great program. Who/where are you taking it with?

5/16/2007 7:56:39 PM

Thanks for all the information. I figure I may as well ask the dumb question now. Is it a problem at all that I wear contacts? Do you use a mask for everything? Would pressure with some dives ever come into account?

5/16/2007 7:59:46 PM

In the classes at NCSU, or in general?
Here at NCSU we do a lot of mask-off work. We feel that you need to be totally comfortable breathing underwater without a mask on. Kinda stupid to go somewhere that you know you can't breathe if something happens, right? Too many people have tied because their mask was kicked off, or had a small leak...and they couldn't breathe with water around their face.
Lots of people out there dive with this attitude: "As long as I have my mask on, everything's ok. Otherwise if it comes off, I'll freak out." WTF...:rolleyes:

It will depend on who you take the class with. When I took 226 with Coach Rever, he requested that I use prescription lenses in my mask, and don't use my contacts. Coach Brown doesn't have any issues with you wearing contacts.

I used prescription lenses in my mask for awhile but got tired of it. I wear my contacts on all dives now. Haven't had any issues yet.

[Edited on May 16, 2007 at 8:05 PM. Reason : ]

5/16/2007 8:04:24 PM

Quote :

"Would pressure with some dives ever come into account?"

When we're under and I take my mask off to do maskless drills, I haven't had my contacts come off yet. I'm under the impression that the water pressure holds them in place (that plus they're vacuum sealed to your eyes, right?)

As to normal diving with contacts and pressure issues, there aren't any. As long as you don't have an airspace underneath the lens you'll be fine--and if you did have an airspace under the lens you wouldn't be able to see, right? I've never personally had issues with it. Most of your body, including your eyes, is made up of water and for all intents and purposes on scuba, water is incompressible. Contact lenses (at least the soft variety; I'm not sure about semi-rigid gas-permeables...), are mostly liquid as well so there aren't any pressure issues.

[Edited on May 16, 2007 at 8:10 PM. Reason : ]

5/16/2007 8:08:53 PM

Thanks, I didn't read your last post before I pmed you. You answered a couple of the things I asked in the pm.

5/16/2007 8:13:40 PM

Replied...
Anyone else have questions? I'd be happy to answer them.

5/16/2007 8:29:15 PM

how many dives do you have under your belt now?

5/16/2007 8:44:33 PM

Me?
Just over 100.

5/16/2007 8:45:10 PM

how long have you been certified?

5/16/2007 8:47:56 PM

2 years as of the end of this semester.
Kinda hard to get in a lot of diving during the school year--things due so that you have to study/work over the weekend or late at night, plus not a lot of good water around here (Fantasy Lakes gets old after awhile...). I'm hoping to get in a LOT of diving this summer. Probably going to go jump in a few rivers...
Might take a cave course too, depends on $$

[Edited on May 16, 2007 at 8:54 PM. Reason : ]

5/16/2007 8:54:06 PM

Can I borrow your bottom timer on Saturday?!?!

5/16/2007 8:57:29 PM

You're the one with the job making serious $$, time to buy your own.

5/16/2007 9:00:40 PM

They're too expensive

5/16/2007 9:02:15 PM

~$150...
edit: Saw one go for $35 on TDS, and an "almost new" one go for $55. Gotta watch those deals!

[Edited on May 16, 2007 at 9:05 PM. Reason : ]

5/16/2007 9:03:13 PM

Quote :

"Who/where are you taking it with?"

Carolina Dive Center

5/16/2007 11:39:35 PM

if you don't think $350 == $texas, you could try down under scuba in cary...you'd get your PADI open water

5/17/2007 2:33:59 AM

Just an FYI Guth:

I took 226/229 at state with Matt Rever (who is awesome btw) as a continuing education course. I was working full time and did the class during my lunch hour (12:25-1:30)

Total cost ended up being about $500, plus 300 to dive down in the keys. It was absolutely worth it over the cost at a local commercial place. I got 10x the time in the water, at least 4x the classroom time and Nitrox cert.

Also, just to back up what CharlesHF is saying about PADI versus NAUI, he is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. When we dove in the keys, one of our dives was alongside another group of experienced PADI divers. It was scary how unsafely they were diving, kicking up sand, hitting objects, not maintaining trim or staying with their buddies.

It was an amazing class, because once we got into open water, I was so relaxed and comfortable that I wasn't ever stressed out or worrying about the dozens of constant checks, it was all instinct at that point, so I could really focus on the sea life and wrecks.

Also, I wore contacts all through Rever's class (except for the first day underwater swim). Never had any problems with removing my mask or having them fall out. Never had any problems in the ocean either. As long as they are soft contacts you should be fine, hard contacts you should REALLY use prescription goggles instead.

5/17/2007 2:56:46 AM

Unfortunately the Keys trip will no longer be offered.
The class can definitely be expensive but I believe it's completely worth it.


In the PADI vs. NAUI thing, part of it has to deal with the agencies and part has to deal with the instructors.
PADI is a for-profit company. Their presentations are slick and pre-made for the instructors so they don't have to do any work at all. They have a set of standards that says "You can teach this...and only this." Thus, instructors aren't allowed to go beyond what's in the course or have higher standards for pass/fail. Personally I see this as just following the lowest common denominator. PADI gets a lot of people diving due to cheap weekend courses but unfortunately those people usually have a bad time--they have no buoyancy control so their ears get a real workout as they go up and down everywhere, they have no control of themselves in the water, they're scared and nervous...and usually just hate the experience so they don't continue diving.
The humorous thing about PADI is the arrogance of their divers and most of their instructors. Their standards say that students should have "mastery" of a certain skill, but the divers never ever truly master the skill...but they believe they did, so now they have a great attitude about how they're the best divers ever. Same for their instructors--they teach what they were taught in OW...their instructors teach what they were taught in OW, etc. It's a vicious cycle. But you can't tell them how sucky they are, because they're an instructor!! and they know everything...funny how they always complain about low vis (due to the silt they kick up themselves)...
Most PADI instructors also don't have a clue about how to teach since all the presentations are pre-made. PADI says "This is what we want you to teach, and this is how we want you to present it" so they don't understand certain tenets of teaching and learning. Once the students have managed to somehow perform the skill (but are far from true "mastery") they move on to the next skill. Since most PADI instructors have never seen the skills truly mastered...passing the lowest common denominator isn't a problem.
Why haven't they seen someone who's fantastic at diving? I'll cut them some slack--they probably can't see people who are good at diving because they're too busy standing on the bottom and kicking up silt. Non-silting kicks and gas-management aren't in PADI's curriculum anywhere. Neutral buoyancy is essentially introduced in a later class called "Peak Performance Buoyancy" after the open water course...


NAUI is non-profit. Their classes are set up so that instructors are encouraged to have higher standards than what's required to pass the class. The "freedom to teach" principle is a core concept of NAUI classes--the instructor is allowed to add anything to the class they want to (obviously within reason). This is why NCSU certifies through NAUI--because we want much higher standards from our students. As a small technicality, scuba at NCSU is actually an NCSU class (with it's own set of standards) that happens to certify through NAUI since it meets all the qualifications. Personally I feel the average NAUI course, while much shorter than NCSU's class, will be better overall than your average PADI class. This does depend on the instructor though...if your instructor is a bonehead the agency you took the class with won't matter.


The problem then is the free market. People are lazy and suddenly remember that their upcoming once-in-a-lifetime vacation has the possibility for scuba diving. They run to the local dive shop and find out there's this course that will certify them to dive over the weekend for $99 each...or they go to the other dive shop and find a course that's a few weeks long and costs $350. Who are they going to choose, being the uneducated consumer and knowing zilch about diving? PADI unfortunately isn't going away any time soon...they bow down to the almighty dollar and put profit in front of student safety. >90% of most new students don't ever dive past their open water cert dives or past a few open water dives. Kinda sad, really...

I've found that most brand new open water students from NCSU's program look better in the water than your average PADI instructor. Hopefully that tells you something.

[Edited on May 17, 2007 at 10:22 AM. Reason : ]

5/17/2007 10:12:14 AM

Only a few people in our class completed "ditch & don" with no breaths. And only two people got all the points - one of them was me, and the other one was my buddy!

And I definitely understand what CharlesHF was saying about the difference between being able to perform a skill and mastering it. For example, I always had trouble with removing and replacing the BC underwater. I could struggle through it, but I wasn't comfortable and was afraid of doing it. It seemed like I would never get it right. But by the end of the semester I could take my BC on and off with ease, and I was much more comfortable in my equipment.

My mom took a PADI course and they didn't even teach frog kick No wonder they always stir up the bottom.

5/17/2007 1:59:22 PM

Congrats on the ditch and don. That is one skill I've had difficulty with, but removing and replacing my equipment is something I can do pretty easily. When I took 226, I did the ditch and don a grand total of 3 times (Matt kept telling me to do it again), but it was nowhere near perfect. After 227 I would say it's still pretty terrible, but because I'm so bad at it, I'm afraid of practicing it, and I tend to psych myself out of doing it. I know, I know, a stupid reason to avoid a skill.

5/17/2007 2:11:10 PM

Quote :

"I took 226/229 at state with Matt Rever (who is awesome btw) as a continuing education course. I was working full time and did the class during my lunch hour (12:25-1:30) Total cost ended up being about $500, plus 300 to dive down in the keys. It was absolutely worth it over the cost at a local commercial place."

I cant work the class in to my schedule with work and class. I'm happy to pay the money (especially if I can convince my boss to pay for it) and even though PADI would be more than enough for a lot of the diving I would do NAUI seems like a much safer bet.

5/17/2007 8:47:49 PM

honestly, after seeing one dive group of PADI people, I honestly wouldn't set foot in the water with a PADI diver by my side. It's not really an issue of "good enough", it's more an issue of "you aren't being safe"

5/17/2007 9:40:16 PM

^^what kind of diving would you be doing for work?

5/17/2007 10:53:55 PM