Hello all you lovely people! :inlove
What an amazing thread. So interesting and full of information...
What I find interesting, above and beyond diveoceanos' suspected lack of forum etiquette (remaining anonymous, etc...), is the general resistance and suspicion of his motives and those who feel threatened by being asked to share information.
First, though, is it our moral duty to ensure that no "unqualified" people pose as instructors? Perhaps. If it will prevent a bad freediving accident. I guess it is his fault for not sharing his qualifications and identity. But as Nikkey points out, it sounds like he's doing research and not intending to teach himself. Market research is not just numbers, it is about gathering as much information about your competitors as possible, including their instructor manuals, if possible. If you were competing with other restaurants, for example, you'd eat their food, look at the menus (and the paper they are printed on), inspect their washrooms, and look up the nose of the servers to see if there's any hair. Not unusual at all.
As for qualifications, who verified Kirk's qualifications as an instructor in the early days? I guess the only people who did were Tanya Streeter and Mandy-Rae Cruickshank. I remember when Mandy was diving to 30m and knew very little about freediving. Come to think of it, I remember when Kirk knew very little about freediving! He just happened to know more than most. Yet, most of you on this thread are promoting PFI and similar organizations as if they are the establishment! PFI is enjoying great success, but it's only been 6-7 years or so.
Sure, most people took it for granted that someone who taught a world record holder or two would be the person to teach them how to spearfish better or more safely or enjoy freediving. As it happens, Kirk is a great teacher and motivator. But he had to build up a reputation first. In the beginning, it wasn't easy for him!
To answer your question, Sam, about why would anyone want to start a completely different agency and not become an AIDA instructor, I think the answer is quite simple: to do things differently. It sounds like diveoceanos, whoever he may be, has in mind what has been done in other sports and activities like yoga, windsurfing, swimming, etc... Videos! Perhaps they will have problems with this in terms of liability. But I can purchase a paragliding video no problem. So there are precedents. And the proof will be in the pudding.
I also find it interesting about those of you who are instructors not wanting to share instructor info. Perhaps diveoceanos rubbed you the wrong way. I've encountered this before in the freediving world and find it mystifying. Perhaps it is a hold over from the great marketing wars between the scuba agencies? I really don't know. In my view, you promote your courses by the content and your skill as an instructor and happy testimonials, not just by the name of your agency. Maybe my point of view is too small time. But that's how I make purchasing decisions on that sort of thing. I want to know the details of what I'm getting into.
The reason I mention it is that I am a certified teacher/coach of the Total Immersion swimming program.
Total Immersion Swimming What's interesting about this best-selling and rapidly growing approach is that the training outline is available everywhere. It is so readily available in books, on the internet, on youtube, on the TI forum (not restricted), that many other swim coaches and triathlon coaches use the same terminology and drills in their own teaching. They don't always give proper credit, but the end result is that most people in the target market (ew, yuck, a marketing term) know that it all comes from Total Immersion. I've made a bit of an assumption, but in terms of my own marketing, it has held true.
The question is, why don't you AIDA instructors publicize your methods and course content? It would allow potential students to get a better idea of what's in store for them should they take your course. Umberto's got it figured out. Put all of his course content into a book! Now I can read the book and assume that much of it would be covered in a course. Cool. And then I know that Umberto and his AA instructors will add something extra to the course, giving it even more value.
So, yes, diveoceanos needs to fess up for the edification of DB forum denizens. But I think what he is doing is fundamentally sound. If he is misleading us about the qualifications of his team, then he'll probably fail, anyway. So no big deal.
And you guys, the freediving market potential is HUGE! I just don't think anyone has found the right marketing approach. For what it's worth, I don't think diveoceanos has found it either.
But I could be wrong.
Pete
We could start a juicy rumour