Cozumel Incident 9/4/11

[DiverG]

I've been in contact with a Cozumel dive shop and asked the question " are dive guides in Cozumel required to have divemaster certification." the answer was yes to be able to guide in the marine park.

So unless they showed fake credentials then yes they were both dm's.

 

[WSOPFAN]

Ok so PADI customer service said:

1) Dive shops can have an official affiliation and pay for membership. This shop was not a member.
2) Dive shop owners do not need to be instructor certified. If they use instructors that person needs to be certified.
3) Opal is not listed as a professional or non-professional diver in their records.
4) Asked about Gabi if his name is right(Wilian Gabriel Silva Borges) No record either.
5) Heath Hood is certified PADI Rescue Diver/Nitrox.
6) 3 and 4 do not mean they have no certification only that it may be other than PADI.

It would appear by that information that Heath is not a divemaster. Any former or future posts indicating he is would be incorrect.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

I've been in contact with a Cozumel dive shop and asked the question " are dive guides in Cozumel required to have divemaster certification." the answer was yes to be able to guide in the marine park.

So unless they showed fake credentials then yes they were both dm's.

$$$$$$$$$ :shocked2:

 

[c0r3yz]

2) Using the word "professional" when referring to any of these divers about this incident is a mistake. It appears one of them had a professional affiliation as an owner but most certainly did not act like it in this incident.

So, because someone made a mistake, they are not longer considered a professional?

pro·fes·sion·al/prəˈfeSHənl/
Adjective: Of, relating to, or connected with a profession.
Noun: A person engaged or qualified in a profession.

Considering what these individuals do for a living...

 

[WSOPFAN]

I've been in contact with a Cozumel dive shop and asked the question " are dive guides in Cozumel required to have divemaster certification." the answer was yes to be able to guide in the marine park.

So unless they showed fake credentials then yes they were both dm's.

Now that you mention that I remember some years ago being told they were pushing for all the employees to have some sort of official certifications so maybe that did happen. BTW I was talking about Gabi and Heath.....not Gabi and Opal......

 

[DandyDon]

It would appear by that information that Heath is not a divemaster. Any former or future posts indicating he is would be incorrect.

Did anyone ever say that he was? If so, I missed it.

 

[DiverG]

I haven't seen Heath referred to as a divemaster. Of course with the number of post on the different thread I may have misse it.

 

[WSOPFAN]

So, because someone made a mistake, they are not longer considered a professional?

pro·fes·sion·al/prəˈfeSHənl/
Adjective: Of, relating to, or connected with a profession.
Noun: A person engaged or qualified in a profession.

Considering what these individuals do for a living...

Actually it has now been verified that the shop does not have a professional affiliation with PADI. Also me along with many many other posters have commented how the actions during this incident were not professional.

 

[Texas Torpedo]

Actually it has now been verified that the shop does not have a professional affiliation with PADI. Also me along with many many other posters have commented how the actions during this incident were not professional.

I'd hazard a guess that quite a few of the smaller shops don't have professional affiliations with PADI since their instructors can do it on their own and that would save them money.

 

[boulderjohn]

Actually it has now been verified that the shop does not have a professional affiliation with PADI. Also me along with many many other posters have commented how the actions during this incident were not professional.

They don't need to be affiiated with PADI or any other agencies, and their web site does not say they are. It says that they offer PADI instruction through independent PADI instructors, and it says they also offer NAUI and SSI instruction.

There are dive shops I know in my area that offer tech instruction. When you ask them about it, they all refer you to the same independent tech instructor. There is nothing wrong with that.