Cert diver never took a course

[TX101]

One of the Egyptians working on the livaboard I was on in the red sea earlier this year had done his OW checkout dives but hadn't completed his classroom work.

He completed his 200th dive in January.

The PADI Course Director who works as the "english guide" on the boat didn't seem too worried.

 

[WellBelowH2O]

Uh... Yes they do. Because your instructor didn't give it to you does not mean it is does not exist or is not required. If you want to tell your instructor to contact me, I'll be more than happy to forward him the Advanced Exam - or tell him where it is on the CD that comes with his Instructor Advanced Manual.

Sorry.. I should have clarified that I was referring to a required written test. My understanding from my LDS has been, and I confirmed that his morning with NAUI, is that they do not require a written test for AOW but leaves it up to the instructor's discretion whether to have a formal exam.

You're right. Testing is required. But having it in a formal exam format is not.

 

[Lead_carrier]

NAUI does not have a test for AOW. They test for OW and Master Diver, but not for advanced. I just went through it--no test.

Uh... Yes they do. Because your instructor didn't give it to you does not mean it is does not exist or is not required. If you want to tell your instructor to contact me, I'll be more than happy to forward him the Advanced Exam - or tell him where it is on the CD that comes with his Instructor Advanced Manual.

Sorry.. I should have clarified that I was referring to a required written test. My understanding from my LDS has been, and I confirmed that his morning with NAUI, is that they do not require a written test for AOW but leaves it up to the instructor's discretion whether to have a formal exam.

How refreshing, a NAUI debate instead of the other guys.

 

[simbrooks]

How refreshing, a NAUI debate instead of the other guys.

Now the instant diver was a laugh, but this was a coke alert moment

BTW i was a CD self-taught OW diver, since then its been all class work for my certs and a bunch of self-taught background so i can quiz my instructors beyond the basic texts.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

I can relate to having lots of self-taught time in addition to what's required for the classes. I read everything I can get my hands on related to diving and still feel that I'm just scraping the iceberg.

As to Doc Intrepid's comments, they're well-taken. I guess I'm trying to understand the PADI approach before becoming too critical (I'm up for IDC/IE next month, and I'm trying to align a little more with their mindset in preparation. It's an interesting exercise, since I do things very differently in practice - much more safety-oriented, BP/W with long hose, no snorkel, etc...)

What's really in question is just what the minimum standards should be for each cert level. I mean, do warm water reef divers need to be DIR-F and have certs in Cavern and Trimix? I like the populist approach, all the while acknowledging that it left me pretty hungry for more theory and practical application, which I've done on my own at each certification level. I think the committment to continuing education is part of the process of professionalization, and I'm not really sure that replacing some of the more arbitrary components of basic scuba training would be helpful in that regard.

Interesting thread. Lots of issues and as many opinions as there are members reading it.

-G

 

[naked diver]

The home study courses may be dumbed down a little from what was taught 10 years ago, but the role of the instructor in the classroom has or should have changed because of it. Besides added back some of the information not in the home study, one of the big benefits of the classroom time is that the instructor can add local and practical knowledge rather then just reiterate what in the book / DVD.