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Answer:
Every person learns differently and individual schedules vary widely. PDC understands this, and has the academic freedom to meet the needs of each student to help them achieve the standards. PDC will work personally with you to set up and develop a course to meet your learning needs and fit your schedule. We will help you complete each phase of the course in your time, and be available to help you succeed every step of the way.
Answer:
PDC courses are not watered-down nor easy. But that doesn't mean our training is impossible or too difficult for you either. To grow the best, you have to challenge people to rise to the occasion, to thrive outside their comfort zones, and we accomplish this by teaching, coaching, mentoring, and guiding to the needs of each student, while continuously challenging them to grow. From over-learning knowledge to skills progression, from challenging environments to positive and constructive feedback, when you complete a PDC course, you will find your comfort in the water increase, your knowledge and skills driving you to learn more, and diving highly enjoyable.
Challenge yourself in training, and enjoy diving with ease thereafter, because exceeding the standard is "The Standard".
Answer
Section 1: Academics
Section 2: Practical Instruction
Academics consist of online learning, quizzes, and your final exam. This phase is completed either online (entirely at your pace), or formally with your instructor. Regardless of how your academics are administered, help will always be readily available.
Formal instruction is used to supplement academics. Its purpose is to help students better understand theory and practical application of diving KSA's, to help clarify concepts and answer questions, and to mentor students by offering better insights into the world of diving. Formal instruction will take place throughout a course, and may be in a classroom, at the pool, or even beach or pier-side.
You don't have to be the greatest swimmer, but you do need to know how to swim. You have to be able to prove you are comfortable and can survive in the water. No way around it, some courses will require a swim test. Additionally, some courses will even require learning and applying some basic and intermediate Skin-Diving skills and rescue skills. Yes, even your basic Open Water course. For continuing education courses, leadership courses, and the like, an evaluation dive is a requirement. Assessment will be made to determine a students current knowledge and skill levels in order to understand how best to help you succeed.
Before you can start diving in the open ocean, you first need to learn to dive safely in a puddle. Confined-Water or Contained-Water training always starts in a shallow water location (like a pool or a shallow and contained body of water), before moving on to applying learned skills and procedures in deeper water.
Finally, after skills are learned and demonstrated safely and effectively in a controlled environment, we put them to the test in open waters, where new skills are introduced, and courses become increasingly challenging with each dive. Typically, each dive includes a specific agenda, learned, practiced, and tested skills, mentorship and guidance to improve those skills, and an After-Action Review (AAR) to discuss the dive afterwards. Your final dive of the course is your "Certification Dive", where you will be directly responsible for putting it all together and evaluated objectively.
NOTICE!
All courses have a required minimum number of dives that must be completed satisfactory to earn certification. Unlike other operators out there, yes, you can fail a course with PDC. You are not guaranteed to get a certification just because you pay to take a course. Certifications are earned. However, PDC will not give up on you so long as you are willing to train and motivated to succeed. If, for some reason, you can not pass a skill or your course, fail to demonstrate Confidence, Competence, Capability, and Safety, or fail to meet standards, PDC will continue to work with you, mentor and guide you, and help to build you up in every way possible to pass and earn your certification.
So NEVER QUIT! Because we will not quit on you.
Answer:
Once certified, your certification is good for life, valid internationally anywhere you travel, and well-earned. Remember, however, that it is only the beginning. After certification from each course, it is paramount to get back in the water as much as possible to continue your progression, practice and hone your skills, and master what you learned. This is where PDC staff change roles from being a teacher to a mentor. All former students are highly encouraged to join PDC in diving either informally or on scheduled trips and events, where diving and growth as a diver are a never-ending process.
However, if you complete a course, yet do not dive and put your skills to practice for a long period of time (6-months, a year, multiple years, etc.), it is highly advisable to take a Refresher Course to get current before attempting to dive on your own once again.
Answer:
For entry your level course (OWSD), PDC will supply the equipment you need to complete your course (unless you already own your own, which must meet all safety requirements). For all other courses, if you do not already have your own dive gear, or access to equipment, PDC will either rent you gear, or help you acquire the gear you need, and/or even help you obtain your own personal equipment all together. All PDC rental equipment is typically new, well-maintained, and serviced by a certified technician.
Some students choose to buy all of their own gear, or some of it, before or after their course. If that is you, PDC will gladly help you acquire the best gear for the best prices to meet your needs and your budget.
Some students are not ready to buy their own gear, and need to rent instead. Here too, PDC will work with each student to help them acquire what they need.
Answer:
Course costs are broken down into three parts:
Pinnacle Diving Company has a reputation for growing the BEST divers on earth, and it is the mission of PDC's Training Division to provide a world-class education to all divers, anywhere on the planet. We want our divers to be the best educated, highest trained, and most skilled divers anywhere. True to our mission and motto, we refuse to sacrifice standards for economic gain, but we also want to provide our training to all for the most affordable price possible. Therefore, PDC has adopted a split-billing structure.
PDC works both locally and internationally, and because markets are always fluctuating, our operations are directly impacted by exchange rates and economic changes. A split-billing structure allows us to continue providing the highest standard of education and training possible without sacrificing anything. Zero skimping on course content, absolutely no corners cut, no dives sacrificed, and no instruction glossed over. Dividing the costs of instruction gives us the ability to maintain the absolute highest standards in the industry, directly impacting our ability to meet our mission. Split-billing also allows for the greatest possible flexibility in training, saving our students as much money as possible in obtaining their certifications. And finally, it provides full transparency. Our students know exactly what they are paying for. No ambiguity, no hiding, and no wondering. We want our students to know for a fact what they're paying for, and split-billing provides that QA functionality.
It is truly a "win-win".
All courses have an estimated schedule for completion based on each course's minimum training standards.
For training in our local area, costs to enroll in a course and receive practical instruction are divided into two payments:
For training outside our local area, costs to enroll in a course and receive practical instruction are divided into two payments:
Any additional costs or overruns beyond the scheduled training days will be billed separately as incurred. Please note, PDC will attempt to minimize costs to students as much as possible at all times.
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Below are the Cost Breakdown Descriptions for a more in-depth understanding of the split-billing structure.
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Enrollment Cost:
All courses have an enrollment cost, which will be charged before the course starts. This cost is what the certification agency charges us to enroll a student in a course. This is only the cost of course enrollment. It includes registration, account setup, access to online academics (if any), access to student course materials (sent to the student), and final certification fees.
Instructor Daily Rate:
Next, all courses include the instructor's daily rate. This is the cost per day that it takes for our instructors to be present and to facilitate the course, and includes all instructor-provided academics, lectures, exams, practical instruction, and training.
For recreational courses and VA courses conducted in our local area, this covers the fees the instructor is charged to conduct a course at a designated facility. The total amount estimated is based entirely on completion of each course within the estimated scheduled number of days/dives, which are based on course standards. Students must understand that any days or dives extending beyond the scheduled timeframe will be billed separately as a per-day rate.
Facilitation Costs:
Finally, the costs for facility use, tank rental, weight rental, dives, gases and fills, boat fees, rental equipment, any expendable items, etc., are calculated.
Answer:
Unless otherwise stated or agreed upon by your instructor, payment for all courses is only good up until six months after the course enrollment date. Additionally, course costs only cover the intended course for the dates scheduled. Once official course training dates have been set, if any student fails to complete a course within the scheduled period of time, or misses their training dates, any new dates or additional training requirements will be billed per session until the student passes. PDC will make all efforts to ensure student success, and will work with all students to help them achieve and exceed standards. So long as any student is willing to train, PDC will help them grow and succeed.
Military members, DoD civilians, and contractors, who pay for a course (with exception of SDRC), but are deployed or sent TDY / TAD on orders before or during their course dates, will have their seat reserved upon their return, provided they inform us before their course date, and before they depart. Additionally, for these individuals, and their dependents, if PCS'ed to another duty station before or during the timeframe of their course, please maintain communication with us and PDC will transfer your course to the nearest NAUI or IANTD instructor proximate to your new duty station upon arrival.
If any student becomes ill or suffers from a medical condition that precludes them from training before or during the time of their course, their seat will be reserved upon a medical authority's determination they are fit for SCUBA diving activities. They must notify us as soon as possible of their absence due to medical reasons, and provide us with a medical clearance afterwards.
If, for any other reason, you can not complete your course within six months from date of enrollment, you will need to re-enroll for the course.
Answer:
It is highly recommended for divers to spend considerable time studying, practicing, and developing all KSA's taught during each course to a point of mastery, before moving on to more advanced training. A diver who moves too quickly may soon find themselves over their head in training they are unprepared for, struggling to keep up, or worse, somehow managing to obtain certification without the KSA's to match. It is estimated that the vast majority of divers are carrying advanced-level certifications beyond their capabilities or experience, and many put themselves or others in danger as a result.
A list of Core KSA's all divers should maintain includes the following:
Dive Science
A thorough and in-depth understanding of physics, biology, decompression theory, safety, environmental hazards, and more.
Dive Medicine
A well-developed understanding of decompression illnesses (DCI), including decompression sickness (DCS) and arterial gas embolism (AGE), air spaces and barotraumas, types of emphysema, immersion pulmonary edema (IPE), mechanisms of increased risk, factors that decrease risk, etc.
Dive Planning
Ability to thoroughly plan a dive from start to finish, including all logistics, expectations, SAC, gas needs, gas management strategies, communication, equipment needs, emergency procedures, backup plans, etc.
Equipment Identification and Function
Complete ability to identify all dive equipment, and describe each components use, characteristics, and functions, both individually, and as a part of a complete system, and how to properly inspection, assemble, and test it.
Water Entry and Exit Techniques
Ability to use the most appropriate entry and exit techniques for the environmental conditions, method of diving utilized, and type of diving performed.
Breathing
Ideal breathing within mid-range tidal volume for Open-Circuit, and full-range tidal volume for Closed-Circuit.
Buoyancy
Maintaining neutral buoyancy within +/- 1m for recreational standards, and within +/- 0.5m for technical diving standards.
Trim
Maintaining proper trim within no greater an Angle of Attack (AoA) of + 30 degrees, and/or that is appropriate for the environmental conditions.
Finning
Flutter, modified flutter, frog, modified frog (and variations), helicopter turns (while remaining in position and in trim), and back finning (while in trim).
Water Confidence
Ability to perform skills from an in-trim, neutrally buoyant position, with minimal drift and movement, with or without mask, and ability to address problems or emergencies calmly, with deliberate movements.
Situational Awareness
Ability to maintain awareness of the surroundings, environmental conditions, teammates/dive buddies, dive time, depth/MOD, equipment, gas monitoring, phases of the dive plan, thinking and planning ahead, and more, throughout the dive.
SMB Deployment
The ability to launch an SMB within 45 seconds or less from the time first starting to reach for the SMB to the point of letting go to send to the surface, from neutral, with minimal drift and movement.
Equipment Removal and Replacement Underwater
From neutral, without touching the bottom or raising to the surface, in trim, with minimal drift.
Navigation
Ability to perform both terrain association and dead-reckoning navigation in a limited to no visibility environment.
Emergency Procedures
Self-Rescue skills, Buddy Rescue skills, problem recognition and solving underwater, recognition of emergencies and applying appropriate emergency procedures in a calm, deliberate, and timely manner, ability to perform the essentials of a surface or underwater rescue or recovery of another diver, etc.
Answer:
First: Diving is an inherently dangerous activity. It is not some “sport”, and it can cause grave harm if done incorrectly or if the wrong decisions are made or if it is approached from the wrong frame of mind. Children simply do not yet have the developed personality traits necessary to dive safely. Diving requires a cautious mentality, strong self-discipline, environmental awareness, conservative decision-making, and more. It is not an activity for the adventurous, thrill-seekers, the immature who will push boundaries, nor those who feel it should be all fun and games. Safety is our paramount concern here, children simply don’t understand these things yet, and this has resulted in many tragedies around the world over the years. We care extremely deeply about the health, welfare, and safety of all, including children and young adults who have an interest in diving in their future, and despite what some agencies may say they offer or support (which is almost always driven by money and not good conscience), we stand on the logical and scientific side of the argument that says it’s best to simply wait until they grow a little older for diving.
Second: Diving literally affects our bodies and minds. Increased atmospheric pressures have been proven to directly affect the behavior of gasses in the human body, as well as the body's own chemical processes, and this has an effect on us physiologically and psychologically. Children are still developing, a lot. Not just mentally, but physically as well, and diving is an activity with a lot of “unknowns”. The reality is, we simply don’t yet know how increased atmospheric pressures and altered chemical reactions in the body could affect children at the peak of the growth stages of their life.
Third: Diving equipment is heavy, and so are other divers. All divers are taught and trained from day one in their very first course to be “self-reliant”, and they are also taught to be able to rescue themselves and another diver in their basic Open Water course. They need to be physically capable of lifting and carrying their own dive equipment, assembling, testing, inspecting, and operating their own equipment too, both on land and in the water. This weight is very often far too much for children to handle, and even many teenagers struggle just picking up and moving a cylinder, let alone all their own equipment fully assembled. Additionally, they need to be able to safely bring another diver from the bottom up to the surface, to manage that diver at the surface and support them, to administer in-water rescue breathing, to physically push/pull and move that diver across a distance, and even pull them out of the water. Children simply don’t have the developed strength yet to be able to perform these tasks. Rescue is an absolutely essential skill all divers must know how to perform, even at the most basic open-water level, and a physical inability for them to pick up and move, manage and use their own equipment, and/or to be able to perform a basic rescue of another diver in the water, puts themselves and others around them at an increased risk.
There are a number of other reasons, but these are the big ones.
We know there are other dive agencies, and indeed, other “instructors” out there who will happily and readily tell you “yes” and put a 12-year-old in the water in dive gear, but this is wrong. They’ll teach the child on their knees on the bottom and tell you it’s perfectly fine, and this is wrong. They’ll manage all the equipment for the diver and say it’s “ok”, and as a result, the child will learn “dependency”, which leads to the cultivation of a mass array of bad habits, bad frames of mind, and instills these things as Primacy, and this would all be wrong. And they will all do this because they are motivated by one thing, and one thing only… Money.
We care more about safety and producing the absolute best divers on the planet. Money is not the core reason why PDC exists.
Again, we are very sorry, but we don’t have “youth” courses listed because we don’t support teaching people to dive before they are mentally and physically capable of learning to dive safely and dive well.
Answer:
Most "Diving Instructors" from most diving agencies are simply "instructors" in title. Their instructor qualification education and/or training program was very short, often a week long, in some cases a little longer but less than a month, and all they were taught was the "business" of diving and selling courses, and how to perform demonstrations of skills. While there was a little amount of "instructional methodology" they had to learn in there, unless they were an educator in some capacity outside of diving, they were never taught anything about actual education or the science of education. They were never taught learning psychology, do not know anything about the various methods and principles of instruction, were never taught anything about curriculum development, or academic standardization, or even evaluative techniques and processes, etc. They simply know what they were shown, and how to demonstrate that to get you to mimic them and do the same.
Qualified Educators, on the other hand, are qualified through a lengthy formal and informal academic process lasting months or years, depending on the program. For programs such as aviation and diving, the average is anywhere from six months to eighteen months of progressive education and training to qualify entry-level instructors who are Qualified Educators. Qualified Educators have in-depth knowledge in learning psychology, methods and principles of instruction, curriculum development, evaluative techniques, and more. They understand how to develop and structure learning requirements and academic curriculum to promote the best possible learning environments for their students. They are capable of evaluating and understanding an individual students' learning needs, and then knowing how to adapt their training methodologies and curriculum to meet the learning needs of each student. It is because of these qualifications, and the trust placed in them by the body they represent, that they have been granted Academic Freedom, which is the very same principle most accredited higher educational institutions--such as universities--abide by, and educators within those institutions--such as university professors--have been granted.
What is "Academic Freedom"?
Academic freedom is the freedom of teachers, students, and educational institutions to pursue knowledge and express ideas without undue interference. It encompasses the liberty to teach, learn, research, and publish findings without censorship or control from external entities. This freedom is considered crucial for the advancement of knowledge and the well-being of society, and absolutely essential for promoting and maintaining the highest possible quality and standards in education.
In short, Academic Freedom ensures an educators ability to present knowledge and ideas freely, without being controlled or dictated by the agency, organization, or institution they belong to, or any other outside entity, thereby allowing for the highest quality and standards, and exposing students to a wide range of perspectives and ideas, fostering critical thinking and intellectual development.
All NAUI Instructors are Qualified Educators who have been formally peer-reviewed and granted Academic Freedom.
Why does it matter?
The quality of your education and training determines your own attitude, approach, mentality, knowledge, skills, and abilities as a diver, and these things ultimately impact your safety as a diver too. Diving is an inherently dangerous activity, and making the right decisions when it matters most is critical to both enjoying diving and being safe as a diver. A highly educated, highly trained, and highly skilled diver, is a safer diver as a result.
Conclusion?
It matters because a Qualified Educator is capable of providing superior education and training.
Answer:
Class 3 Swim Test Standards
The Class 3 Swim Test is intended for initial Open Water training and basic water confidence/survival evaluations.
Class 2 Swim Test Standards
The Class 2 Swim Test is intended for Advanced level evaluations, Rescue, and Occupational training programs.
Class 1 Swim Test Standards
The Class 1 Swim Test is intended for Leadership level training programs, evaluations, and PDC staff APART exams.
Answer:
Class 3 Physical Fitness Assessment Standards
The Class 3 PFA is intended for entry-level leadership programs (AI), and as an initial-entry evaluation for DM candidates and above.
Class 2 Physical Fitness Assessment Standards
The Class 2 PFA is intended for DM programs and above, and is the base-standard for PDC staff to maintain.
Class 1 Physical Fitness Assessment Standards
The Class 1 PFA is not a requirement for any program, but instead, is used as a "goal" for any training program, and is strongly encouraged as the standard for PDC staff to achieve or exceed.
*NOTE: These are bare minimums. It is STRONGLY encouraged for candidates to exceed these standards and put forth their absolute BEST efforts at all times. PDC Staff Members MUST be tested semi-annually, and annually (as a part of their APART), and must pass to retain active status.
Answer:
Students or participants who refuse to train, exhibit attitude issues toward instructors, staff, hosting operators, or other students/participants, or exhibit disciplinary problems for instructors, staff, hosting operators, or other students/participants, may be Dropped from Rolls (DOR), and removed from a course.
This is not concerning students or participants with apprehensions, anxieties, fears, stresses from training, frustrations, or the like. PDC cares deeply about the health, welfare, safety, growth, and success of all students, and takes great joy in encouragement and positive reinforcement of students with legitimate struggles, and satisfaction in their ability to overcome these issues to achieve certification.
Instead, this matter is concerning students or participants who simply refuse to participate in training, are rude or disrespectful toward instructors, staff, operators, or others, are disruptive, pose a danger to themselves or others, violate safety standards or instructions, or who have otherwise become a disciplinary problem toward PDC, hosting operators, and/or the learning environment.
PDC reserves the right to offer warnings (verbally or written, private or public), or to take adverse action, or both, at all times, in order to maintain a safe and productive learning environment, and this policy exists to protect the learning environment, other students and/or participants, PDC staff, hosting operators, the individual themselves, and all other parties involved either directly or indirectly.
Depending on the severity of a situation, instructors and staff have the right to correct behavior or attitudes, postpone an individual's training at the individual's expense, repeat an individual's training at the individual's expense (recycled), and even DOR a student or participant at any time, all the way up to certification.
Individual's who have had their training postponed, or who have been recycled into another repeat course or training session, must pay for the new training dates at their own expense.
Individual's who are DOR'ed are not entitled to a refund of any kind, and may even be permanently black-listed from not only PDC, but also the training agency, if the situation is severe enough.
Answer:
Please feel free to reach out to us any time via the Contact page.
Are you ready to begin a course?
Please click on the course on the training page you're interested in (or use the menu bar), review the information on the course page, download and fill out the medical form just before the contact form, and fill out the contact form at the bottom of the page. Be sure to ask any questions and let us know if you have any concerns. You can enroll in any course immediately and complete your academics and exams at your own pace, then schedule the practical side of your training for a later date that works for you. Once you are ready, hit send, and we will reach out to talk to you shortly to help you get started.