Just as bikers will advise you to get the best bike you can afford, or guitarists will advise you to save up for a decent instrument, your instructor will be your gateway to the underwater world, and you shouldn't scrimp on him or her either. The good news is that unlike a bike or a guitar, your scuba instructor won't be coming off an assembly line at the factory, and price isn't going to be the deciding factor. A bad guitar will be difficult to play and won't be capable of showing you how far your talent will go, so you might just chuck it and forget it, and the world loses another potential guitar god. With scuba, a good instructor will ensure that your first foray into the deep (or the shallows, which is nice too) will be a fun, memorable experience that will make you want to dive as often as you can.
At the risk of being too simplistic about it, we can group scuba instructors into two: those who work as scuba instructors to make a living and nothing else, and those who do it because they genuinely love to scuba, and want to spread the knowledge and win new converts, with the money just being icing on the cake. We are assuming that whatever instructor you pick will know what he's talking about at least, it is your job, no, your duty, to make sure whichever school you choose is duly certified and legit.
Shop around like as if you were shopping around for a new pair of shoes. You wouldn't spend your footwear-money until you find the pair that's just right, right? Scuba diving is very popular, and if you look at a directory for your area, you might be surprised at all the available schools within a reasonable radius.
Research on the dive certification agencies. PADI and NAUI are just two of many others. Try to find out the differences in their methods, and pick the one which seems to suit your needs best. If you want to become a professional diver, doing technical dives and deep water with special breathing systems, your needs in a scuba instructor and school will be different than if all you want is to take it up as a relaxing leisure activity.
You may also find a scuba instructor who's affiliated with a university or college, and this way you'll possibly be able to ask friends how he or she is. Never underestimate the opinion of others who have taken classes before you. You can also search for reviews on the Internet; the first-person experiences people post in the review sites are very valuable.
When you've honed in on the school, don't be afraid to do a bit of face-to-face time with the instructor. How comfortable are you talking to him? How long has he been teaching? Does he look like somebody who is happy in his work?
Finally, ask if you can sit in on a teaching session. This will be your best gauge of how he conducts class, and if you will fit in it.
There's no sense to suffering through classes with a bad teacher in what is supposed to be one of the most pleasurable activities you can ever hope to experience. Your scuba instructor will make or break beginning experience, so choose well!
