Nothing against Ched, cuz I think he's great, but this is your life we are talking about here.

IMNSHO no one should be taking something this serious with a grain of beach salt. Scuba is a safe sport, but only when done after proper training and proper retention and implementation of that training.

People learn and retain that learning better when it is taken over a bit more time, like the 6 week courses. I am not a proponent of the weekend courses either. Nor do I particularly care for resort courses.

The reason that I recommend that people complete their training at home is threefold. First, you will complete your training with the instructor with whom you have already been working. Second, if you learn to dive at home, considering where most of us live and the dive conditions near us, you will have had more exposure to worse conditions than you will likely encounter at your travel destination. Third, it's less expensive.

A fish and a bird can fall in love, but where will they build their nest?