How to verify if someone is PADI instructor

[vladimir]

Your instincts are probably correct, but who cares? If you're not going to train or dive with him, what does it matter? There are a lot of people who lie constantly in an effort to prop up their flimsy egos. I just feel sorry for them.

 

[BarrelRoll]

I say you water-board him until he breaks.

 

[idocsteve]

If you catch your friend in a lie, press charges and have him arrested.

PADI Instructor impersonators are not treated well in prison, in fact they are kept out of "general population" along with the child molesters. The prison system has it's own style of justice to deal with those who pass themselves off as Scuba Diving Instructors.

It's not going to go well for that guy.

 

[Diver0001]

Your instincts are probably correct, but who cares? If you're not going to train or dive with him, what does it matter? There are a lot of people who lie constantly in an effort to prop up their flimsy egos. I just feel sorry for them.

If the guy is actually giving courses but isn't qualified then I'm sure they'd like to know about that at the mother ship.

You're right though. If he isn't actually training divers then aside from the amusement of exposing him, it really doesn't matter.

R..

 

[Peter_C]

I am surprised I didn't see this fool proof test publicized before. Remove wallet from pocket, and pull a little bit of money out. If he starts foaming at the mouth and talking about a class for pencil sharpening or whatever happens to be on his desk, then he truly is a PADI instructor. If he calmly asks what you are doing and says great you can buy lunch, then he is neither a PADI instructor nor a representative of PADI.

I say who cares if he is or isn't and instructor. Have fun with him. Ask him questions about diving, that are above his level, and let him either make something up, or just stumble over it.

FWIW I am PADI OW certified.

 

[surfsidedav]

I like the idea of saying that too bad you missed his training opportunity for OW, but once you're finished you'd like to do AOW. How much are classes and books? How soon can you get the books to start reviewing them? Which pool will you be training in? Those ought to sufficiently set the trap. Or maybe even simpler. Take your dive tables to him and ask for help in preparation for your final exam. PADI maybe be getting away from tables, but I don't think any instructors have forgotten them yet.

 

[drbill]

We ran into a situation similar to this. The woman who was to replace me when my shift was over on a cruise ship claimed to be a PADI instructor. When she couldn't even put the strap on her own mask or her BCD on her tank properly, I became suspicious. On the first two dives with us she had zero buoyancy control on the first (crashing into table coral, breaking it in half) and couldn't even descend on the second dive.

She actually had a PADI instructor card but when she showed it to us she was inactive. How she ever got it in view of her demonstrated lack of skills is a question I would have loved to have answered. Go figure.

 

[RhinoGuy]

I know you can't just throw a red flashing light on your car and get a fake badge and start pulling over hot chicks and strip searching them, but is someone gonna through you in jail for "Impersonating a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor?"

I can be put in jail for that? What if the hot chicks enjoy it?

 

[northen diver]

FWIW I am PADI OW certified.

Prove it........

 

[Rescue Diver68]

I thought this was going to be a joke like "how do you know when a Polititcian is lying"

Pro Check is now easy and believe or not I have ran in to many who really are instructors who I simply can't believe are.