Suspended Course Director

[leapfrog]

I suggest that your analogy is misplaced

Ted, I agree my analogy was far off. Officers are not instructors, SNCOs are. However, officers are leaders. This man was in a senior leadership position. Having said that, you are right and I am wrong with regards to the analogy. I am perhaps becoming a little overheated on the issue. Why? Simply because as you yourself say The real problem in this is that the agency only publishes a list of suspended members in very few locations. Your average diver will probably not even consider looking for this information, especially if the CD comes highly recommended. Now what I am trying to get across here is that it BEHOVES the agency to make sure that this does not happen. This being that a guy becomes a Platinum CD before he is suspended. Ted, please take my word on it that this guy was breaking ALL THE RULES and I mean ALL.

Whether we like it or not agencies effectively endorse OWSI and higher as being trustworthy, i.e. PADI has placed their trust in them and so you, the guy new to diving should do so too. I am not blaming the agency. I happen to support this particular agency (they also support me, right?) What I am saying is not what might have been done but what can be done from now on to prevent it happening again. Or perhaps nobody cares?

 

[ReefHound]

Reef, I didn't mean economic responsibility. The OP is diving with PADI in Mexico with another instructor. So that's fine. I meant political or ethical responsibilty. Somebody made this guy a CD. He even became a Platinum CD according to what's been posted here. Don't you think somebody in the agency should be making a statement of some kind. This CD had instructors who he had "taught" who were not Staff Instructors teaching and training IDC candidates!

PADI suspended him. That is making quite a statement. I haven't the PM info you have so are you saying that PADI knew for sure he was breaking all the rules and for the longest time ignored it? If not, they can only take action when they are aware of a problem. It's not like PADI has secret spies out there watching over instructors.

 

[ericzwa]

Hi All,

Indeed, padi suspended me. The reason of this action was that I was running Alternate Location IDC's in Manzanillo.

The first one was in May 2007, for which I got approval. The second one was in July 2007, for which padi have used the same Alternate location format to obtain the approval, again the IDC approved. From there together with PADI I have set up the dates for another 4 IDC's. Last March they mailed me that those IDC's weren't authorized..

My argument was that, since they used the first Alternate location application to obtain approvals for the next 2 programs, have sent the examiners specifically for those IDC's and that I have been told during DEMA to continue with these Alternate location till April until we got the 5 star idc status approved, that the IDC's where authorized.

Also on the other hand, if they only tell me, almost 8 months later, that the IDC programs where not legit, then somebody in PADI doesn't do his or her job. In the meantime they have received fees for exams,applications and materials for more then 40 idc candidates... you do the math...

I admit, the problem was, since I was running the IDC's in Manzanillo almost on a monthly bases, that I couldn't really take care of the business here, which did affect the customer service here from my site, not from Mayan Aqua Dive. They have been great and have backed me up with my students 110%...Thanks Ben!!!

Since I got used to the Platinum stuff, I might try time share for the next 6 months!!

Just kidding... I am signed up for a online marketing course in University, this will take 9 months, also in the meantime I want to work on becoming a rebreather cave Instructor...have lots of time on my hands the next 6 months!

I have seen a lot of guessing on what might have been the reason of my suspension, trust me its not easy to deal with this. I have been working hard the last years to try to make a difference and the students that did trained with me know that I am very hard on standards and diver safety, especially as a cave and trimix intructor..

As for Dwnunder, please give me call or mail me, since you are in Cancun....

Saludos,

Eric

 

[Missdirected]

Thanks for taking the time to address this thread.

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

Eric, I will give you that it takes guts to stand up publicly and admit what happened. But I will say that if that center in Manzanillo was Neptune's, then you should have seen the suspension coming for quite a while now.

Neptune's, now a 5* Gold Palm Resort has been advertising that it was offering full instructor courses even since it was a mere PADI Dive Center. The first alarm bell should have been when PADI Americas legal forced Neptune's to change the wording of its website to accurately reflect that it cannot offer IDCs itself and that another IDC center was actually responsible for the IDC. And, of course, PADI QA had to step in again to have Neptune's remove the altered PADI logo Neptune's had crafted in violation of the IRRA Agreement and PADI's own trademark usage policy.

IDC centers like ours and many others invest lots of time and money into getting the proper facilities and credentials to rightly offer and advertise all-inclusive instructor internships and training. It took a long time and more than a few e-mails and complaints from us and a couple other IDC & CDC training programs, but I'm glad to see that PADI finally took some substantive action.

 

[Kim]

It took a long time and more than a few e-mails and complaints from us and a couple other legitimate IDC / CDC training programs, but I'm glad to see that PADI finally took some substantive action.

Are you part of the reason why this CD, on the other side of the world, is suspended?

 

[grazie42]

It´s a global marketplace, why shouldn´t he want everyone to play by the same rules?

 

[leapfrog]

Also on the other hand, if they only tell me, almost 8 months later, that the IDC programs where not legit, then somebody in PADI doesn't do his or her job. In the meantime they have received fees for exams,applications and materials for more then 40 idc candidates... you do the math...

Dear Eric,

Thank you so much for coming out in public and clarifying things. This honors you and it honors our community. I have been trying very hard over this thread to say that somebody in the agency didn't do his or her job. Your comments seem to support that. I've done the math, sounds very nice for someone....

Please don't take anything that's been said here personally. It is the situation that I have been attacking, not the person.

I'm glad you also spoke out for Ben because he obviously needs support to get back on his feet.

I wish you the very best. Good luck and blue seas. Gotta go get in the water for the rest of the weekend. BFN.

 

[Kim]

It´s a global marketplace, why shouldn´t he want everyone to play by the same rules?

Oh....I'm just asking.

I've seen some of the fights involving this op already. I was curious if they were even more widespread than I knew about.

I don't dive in Pattaya, so I don't know their scene at all - although it seems to be full of friction.

 

[ReefHound]

It all sounds like a lot of political BS to me. So are there any allegations of substandard teaching or is it all just paperwork and technicality issues?