No it doesnt. Is this a typo? The Divemaster Candidate is not a certified and renewed Divemaster... therefore, not a certified assistant, as per the PADI definition.
Right. Where did I say otherwise? The DMC cannot be used as an assistant. He is considered a student. As I said before, he counts
against Instructor to student ratios.
In fact, there is no actual or formal designation of a Divemaster Candidate. They are a Rescue Diver (or whatever other higher qualification they hold).
Exactly.
Maybe it's different at your LDS... but everywhere I've been, people pay to take a Divemaster course. That makes them customers.
The Divemaster Course is the Divemaster course. Internship is not necessarily what the DMC/
Certified Rescue Diver is paying for. At the point the DMC/CRD becomes a liability to the Instructor during an
Open Water Class, the DMC/CRD is no longer a customer.
What right? Can you quote a PADI standard that gives an instructor that right?
There are plenty of rights that we individuals have that are not quotable PADI standards. We all have the right to practice prudent decision making in order to avoid being negligent in the event of a lawsuit. I do believe that PADI makes that very clear.
I can quote several PADI standards that list
exactly what the equipment requirements for DM training are. None of those standards prohibit BP&W configurations.
In fact, I even think it is debatable whether insistence on certain exact equipment set-ups could be considered a
breach of PADI standards.

Instructors aren't allowed to set their own standards for courses.... and, in effect, insistence of specific equipment configurations would be setting personal standards, contrary to the PADI ones..?
Nowhere in my argument do I infer that the problem is a BP/W setup, or any other setup. I stated and inferred that the Instructor has the right
to limit his liability and demand an equipment change if he sees something that he considers unsafe. I stated that it would be interesting to hear the OP Instructor's side of the story. Maybe he was aware of something specifically that was unsafe..not merely the BP/W, long hose setup.
If a student is wearing fins that are too large and continually fall off during skill development in the pool, which causes distraction and slows the progress of the class down, it is not unreasonable for the Instructor to insist that the student wear fins that fit appropriately. This is not an example of an Instructor setting a standard. It is an example of an Instructor being in control of the pace and the safety of his class.
Students/Customers also have the right to:
1. Contact PADI directly and seek a definitive answer about whether their gear is prohibited and/or unsuitable for DM training.
2. Complain publically or privately if their purchased training course does not meet their expectations due to personal or professional issues caused by the instructor.
3. Expect a full refund if they cannot complete their training course, because the instructor has imposed non-sanctified standards and/or imposes additional and unofficial requirements that cause additional expense to the student... or if the instructor refused to teach the student because the student could not, or would not, meet those unofficial standards.
Sure. But PADI would want to hear the whole story before any reprimand would take place. If the Instructor repeatedly dismissed students who were wearing something other than a poodle jacket, traditional primary 2nd and octo, and a weight belt, then I agree that the Instructor should be dismissed.
I'm pretty sure that we are barking up the same tree here.
