There is no law that requires maximum depth limits. PADI only reccomends that new divers stay shallower than 60ft untill they gain experience. How the industry chooses to enforce this is up to the industry. PADI does not run dive boats. The only thing they can control is their professionals and dive centers running courses according to standards. This means, for example, not taking 10-11 year olds below 40ft. If a charter boat takes them, however, there is nothing PADI can do. PADI provides training and guidance. They do not plan your dive for you or dive your plan for you. You are ultimately responsible for how you apply your training. This goes for all agencys.diverdowndh:Along these lines I have a couple of questions. I am only OW certified but have over 140 dives. I'm currently enrolled in the AOW, so I can proceed with Rescue and the DM. I've never ceased to be amazed at showing up on a boat, how many newbies on the boat and the first dive is somewhere b/t 100 and 80 feet. Personally, I don't care if the vis is Caribbean stds, or the water temp is around 80 degrees (although I TOTALLY agree with the minimal vis and temp statements!), I am very nervous about some of these divers. I have been fortunate to not have seen anything more than minor incidents/accidents, no deaths for sure but I KNOW there have been more than several close calls. I've asked around about PADI standards, the one that comes to mind is the 60foot supposed limit for an OW diver. I laugh at that, because I always take my logbook on my vacations, and only twice in my long diving experience have I ever, and I said ever, been asked by a dive outfit to look at my log for my experience. To me, that is a thing PADI teaches, but using the word enforced doesn't even come close. I am very surprised there are not more accidents by students that are not ready but willing to follow the DM of the boat right into the very deep.
While I somewhat agree about being and Instructor and bashing PADI, I agree that if something is wrong, say something! Especially if you are a DM or Instructor!
So, to the questions.... why do more outfits not ask to review dive logs? Why don't supposed PADI DM's even ask obvious newbies or newly certified OW divers if they're comfortable going deep? I know, I'll get the retorts about "you should dive your own limits" or "it is YOUR responsibility" but let's face it, there is definitive peer pressure on a boat - your first time, it is really exciting, all the equipment, don't want to disappoint the other divers on the boat, maybe nervous and simply not thinking clearly enough to ask or question the depth of the dive.... I've seen some pretty questionable divers get in the water and flail around with their equipment (I counseled one on my very recent trip to Belize - him and his wife needed to calm down, and I gave them some tips about their bouyancy and the workings of their brand new computers). They agreed that they were nervous about some of the dives, but were too nervous and caught up in the moment to say anything on the boat.
I didn't want to rant too much but an Instructor who questions something wrong is a good thing to me! Nothing is perfect and I'm not bashing PADI, I have had a GREAT experience with my diving and PADI is directly responsible for most of it. I would guess that some of these Instructors with "incivility" have had to deal with some form of accidents that would've/could've/should've been prevented by different standards...
My 2 cents, please don't kick me off the forum <grin>!
As for whether its good for members to point out problems with the agency, I agree, but it has to be done in the proper way, which is not publicly. This is how PADI runs their business, and they do not force people to become their instructors. If you choose to become one then you have to follow the rules.