PADI Advanced Open Water: Did you learn anything new?

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I know instructors who prefer the e-learning for the simple fact that it requires the student to do the bookwork before the class. In the all-classroom days, many students would come to class not having cracked the book at all, I’m told.

I did all my recreational classes through SDI. E-learning for OW and Nitrox (Advanced and Rescue were book-based). I can still access the e-learning from three years ago. Sounds like after the fact access is not an option with PADI.
 
We've heard it a thousand times but I'll say it again, it's all about the instructor not the agency. I believe the opposite, PADI is fine for OW, AOW, Nitrox etc but for anything tec then TDI is the go.

I have done TDI and PADI tec classes, some from the same instructor. Why would you prefer TDI over PADI? I'm asking because TDI materials are quite dated compared to PADI ones and I found no difference in minimal requirements, except that a path to full trimix trough PADI will take you more time as both the tec 50 and Tec Trimix take longer and have stricter requirements than Deco procedures and Hipoxic Trimix.
 
I think it is a shame that the there is such a wide spectrum quality of instruction under the umbrella of PADI's name. It is as if there is no real standard.

The first course I took under PADI was Rescue Diver.....there was no class instruction. For whatever reason our crew packs did not come with the video but the instructor had the disk. All he did was insert the video and hit play, the rest of the classroom time was spent with him read looking over our knowledge review answers.

In the pool and in open water he just walked us through the scenarios as listed on the instructor cards/slates he carried. There was zero experience, zero instruction, nada...it was **** class but it fulfilled a need of obtaining the certification card to move on to other training.

There was nothing covered in the PADI rescue class that was not already covered in much more detail during both my NAUI AOW course and my NAUI Master Diver course.

My problem with PADI is that the knowledge side of things is significantly dumbed down and the quality of the whole program is too dependent on the instructor....the quality of the instructor is going to be almost entirely based on the quality of their experience and their instructor training.

I hold professional certifications as an Alpine Ski instructor, as swim coach, and as a dive professional. For skiing and swimming, I have to do continuing education at regular intervals to maintain my credentials. For PADI, there is no required continuing education, no periodic evaluation, nothing...as long as you pay your dues and have professional liability insurance you are good to go. PADI seems to have nothing in place to ensure consistency of training or that instructors are providing quality instruction except if a student complains. Seems kind of shoddy given the high risk nature if Scuba is done wrong.

-Z
sounds like a major standards violation for your instructor if it went down like that.....
 
I think your level of unhappiness should be directed at the dive shop(s) involved. Manuals are still being produced by PADI, they are readily available for those who wish to use paper instead of digital manuals. Yes, more and more divers are expressing a preference for digital rather than paper, and PADI - and virtually every training agency - is responding to that demand, by increasing digital offerings. But, why did the shop, through which you did AOW, not provide a manual, if that is the format you wanted? Why did the shop through which your GF completed OW not provide a manual, if that is the format she wanted? As you note, your GF 'had to fight with the dive centre'. That is where the issue resides, and is not related to a 'new PADI'.
agreed - caveat emptor.
 
look for books, CD's. etc used on amazon. Neatnicks threw some of mine out, Marie Kondo is the devil. Replaced for about $8US shipped to my door.
 
I have done TDI and PADI tec classes, some from the same instructor. Why would you prefer TDI over PADI? I'm asking because TDI materials are quite dated compared to PADI ones and I found no difference in minimal requirements, except that a path to full trimix trough PADI will take you more time as both the tec 50 and Tec Trimix take longer and have stricter requirements than Deco procedures and Hipoxic Trimix.

Are you serious? PADI materials from a Tec40 class a friend took in 2016 still show divers in drysuits kneeling on the bottom of a pool trying to do a valve drill upright. Saw it with my own eyes. Talk about dated materials!

TDI Trimix book was redone in 2017 or so. Deco Procedures book maybe 2011-12. Don’t remember exactly. I’ve just begun AN/DP/Helitrox.

TDI is a heck of a lot more respected than PADI “tec,” My instructor does both. He says the only divers who come to him for PADI “tec” are divers who are hardcore PADI and did PADI for all their rec classes.
 
I am very unhappy with the "new PADI". When I did my OW in 2012. I received a student pack which included the OW manual and RDP.
Now my GF did the OW she received nothing and I did the AOW and received nothing.
I had to fight with the dive centre afterwards and they eventually sent a code for AOW but it is not even printable or in .pdf format so I can't read it at home. My GF still has no material for refreshing or further study .
I feel there is too much cost cutting now and it's producing unsafe divers. Divers are completing courses having only completed half of the total possible sections and have no way of refreshing their knowledge or completing the other sections.
I was rushed through 5 review sections in 3 days including 2 dives a day and only learnt 2 sections fully. This is why I feel we should still get student packs including manuals with each course.
What are your thoughts ?

You are supposed to get eLearning with both OW and AOW. Instead of the traditional erdpml, they have the app or desktop version with the programme now. You should be able to view the material offline except the exams and can log back in for futur reference even upon completion.
Online the content is always up to date so thats fun. The problem I find is when you are somewhere you d'ont have internet or electronics..
Book version crew packs will always be available for places where internet is not easily accessible I guess..
 
You could cut a lot of costs by eliminating a lot of the superfluous crap in the classes. I mean, who needs to know the history of diving? Since everything is going DIN, why bother with yoke? How often do your really have to clear a mask or recover a regulator? Almost never! Why spend time on sea snakes and boats when you dive in a quarry? Perfect buoyancy is really for the anal retentive, isn't it? You could trim a lot of costs out of a class if you try.
 
I am very unhappy with the "new PADI". When I did my OW in 2012. I received a student pack which included the OW manual and RDP.
Now my GF did the OW she received nothing and I did the AOW and received nothing.
I had to fight with the dive centre afterwards and they eventually sent a code for AOW but it is not even printable or in .pdf format so I can't read it at home. My GF still has no material for refreshing or further study .
I feel there is too much cost cutting now and it's producing unsafe divers. Divers are completing courses having only completed half of the total possible sections and have no way of refreshing their knowledge or completing the other sections.
I was rushed through 5 review sections in 3 days including 2 dives a day and only learnt 2 sections fully. This is why I feel we should still get student packs including manuals with each course.
What are your thoughts ?
If you received “nothing” how did you meet the academic requirements? Was it eLearning? If you had elearning you will always have access to it for review. So you did get something.
 
I know instructors who prefer the e-learning for the simple fact that it requires the student to do the bookwork before the class. In the all-classroom days, many students would come to class not having cracked the book at all, I’m told.

I did all my recreational classes through SDI. E-learning for OW and Nitrox (Advanced and Rescue were book-based). I can still access the e-learning from three years ago. Sounds like after the fact access is not an option with PADI.
Students have access to elearning forever. Can review material and videos.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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