How To Choose A 5-star Padi Shop

[Hawkwood]

I'm about to get my PADI Open Water Diving Certification completed next week and then head to Hawaii, Guam, and Okinawa for work. While at each, I'd like to do some diving. How do you choose which 5-Star PADI shops are the best to work with at each location?

When I look at TripAdvisor, rarely are the highest rated Dive Shops 5-Star PADI shops.

Have a look here for the explanations about what the "branding" means: About PADI Dive Centers and Resorts | PADI

It's all about the level of instruction that is offered, the services provided, the facilities, among others.

 

[MikeDDives]

Thanks, everyone. Very helpful.

 

[MikeDDives]

When are you headed to Guam? My course director is moving back there for work. Will be there mid April.

And what islands will you be on in Hawaii? If Oahu, check out Kaimana divers.

Are you in the navy?

While I'm not in the Navy, I do trainings for the Navy and so that is why I'm on this tour from Hawaii to Guam to Okinawa.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

While I'm not in the Navy, I do trainings for the Navy and so that is why I'm on this tour from Hawaii to Guam to Okinawa.

I figured. My course director was in the navy, currently contracts for them at Bangor. He was in Guam before. You will love it there. I'll ask him what shop he'd recommend

 

[Tug]

While I may not have your experience, this is not exactly common from what I've seen. At least not in France, Switzerland and Oz, so I wouldn't go and tell a beginner that this is the norm. It may be in the US, but doesn't seem to be the worldwide.

I haven't been to any of those locations so that's good to know and something to keep in mind for future travels!

 

[CuracaoJ]

I don't own or work at a Padi 5 star shop, but I watched a youtube video, stayed at a whatsit hotel last night, and also drink lots of cold ones after work with people that own and work at Padi 5*s.

I'm not aware of any auditing that Padi does directly or regularly for the quality of equipment, air or safety. Obviously, if there were complaints etc. Padi would stick their nose in it, but it's not like they are coming down once a year and doing IP cracking tests and air checks on their 5* resorts. As mentioned it has a lot more to do with the extent of what is offered and other marketing considerations.

Personally, if I were traveling (and knowing some of the ins and outs of the Padi rating system), I would put a metric butt ton more weight on Trip Advisor reviews than the Padi rating system.

As for why a PADI Shop, I've simply been taught 5-Star PADI Shops are the best for guaranteeing the quality of the equipment, safety, and professionals. Keep in mind I'm new and am naive.

 

[kelemvor]

As for the reports, I personnally wouldn't trust TripAdvisor or that kind of junk. If you're on a mainstream destination, you'll most likely find reports on scuba forums. Those are more likely to be fair imo.

I look on scubaboard but give more weight to tripadvisor. There are far more divers out there who don't use scubaboard but do use tripadvisor, so they don't automatically come here to share if they've had a bad (or good) experience.

 

[boulderjohn]

A scuba instructor I know previously worked in marketing for a large company. One of his primary jobs was writing reviews for sites like Trip Advisor, writing about places he had never seen and products he had never used

 

[PACKRMAN]

I do a search on Scubaboard and come up with a list of names people like.
Then I go to Tripadvisor and look at the total number of reviews. The higher the number the better, i feel it evens out the false reviews. I spend a fair amount of time looking at the submitted pictures, it gives me an idea of how things work day to day. Things like is the boat crowded, is it in good shape, do I see smiles in the background, how does the diving look.
I will read the worst reviews just for grins.
Then I go to their website. Does their schedule fit mine? Do I like what I see? Are they easy to contact or is it a third party scheduler?
The biggest thing for me is how do they respond to an email inquiry, several good questions and at least one silly request like "Do you guarantee baby humpbacks". Are they prompt? Are they pleasant? Do they have a sense of humor? The shop that responds with " we have two trained to come when we whistle" gets my credit card.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

For Guam, my course director recommended MDA (Micronesian Divers Assoc)