Is PADI non-profit?

[Greg Di]

I am taking a wild guess that PADI is a FOR PROFIT organization based on the cost of their course materials and seemingly never-ending "pay to earn a certification" system. Not in that you can "buy" any given certification level (although I bet some will disagree), but that everything that PADI requires has a relatively huge price tag on it.

I looked around and couldn't find PADI listed as a 503c non-profit. It's kind of scary to think that any EDUCATIONAL organization is more concerned with making a buck than educating its students...isn't it? What's even more shocking are the typos and contradictions in some of the manuals. I am NOT bashing PADI. I think it's a good system. I am just making an observation.

 

[salty]

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Actualy from what I have heard there teaching materials are better then average. Some of the old TDI books I have are garbage

 

[pipedope]

Agency bashing is not suitable here on SB.

I don't think it matters if an agency is non or for profit.

BTW how many scuba agencies are non-profit?

 

[Greg Di]

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I've heard the joke before...

So where does all the money go?

 

[norcaldiver]

They are not "Not for profit", but it's not really getting anyone rich. They put a lot of that money back into diving in one form or another...the $50 referal program, advertising, program development, they donate buttloads to different groups i.e greenreef, catalina deco chamber, project aware, make-a-wish. I found a list of all the grants that they did in 2002 and 2003, but can't find it on the web now. It was a pretty big figure, in the range of 250K each year, if I remember right.

 

[Mako Mark]

I know that PADI Austrailia had a problem as there, any Professional Association had to be non profit, so they are oficially called PADI inc.

yep PADI is a profit making organisation, they are a business. Blame the babylonians for inventing commerce. ....

"Buy something and then sell it for more"..... shocking! it shouldnt be allowed should it. Except that would make us all communists or socialists and that wouldnt do either would it?

What a conundrum... We all aspire to wealth and success, but see the process of gaining weath and success as rather unethical.

I think I will remain poor and self-righteous to solve the dilema.
.

 

[d33ps1x]

Do pigs fly?

 

[NEWreckDiver]

I am taking a wild guess that PADI is a FOR PROFIT organization based on the cost of their course materials and seemingly never-ending "pay to earn a certification" system. Not in that you can "buy" any given certification level (although I bet some will disagree), but that everything that PADI requires has a relatively huge price tag on it.

I looked around and couldn't find PADI listed as a 503c non-profit. It's kind of scary to think that any EDUCATIONAL organization is more concerned with making a buck than educating its students...isn't it? What's even more shocking are the typos and contradictions in some of the manuals. I am NOT bashing PADI. I think it's a good system. I am just making an observation.

Welcome to Scuba. This is not an inexpensive sport. But the pay off is great.

There isn’t much these days that is not for profit, nothing in Scuba training as far as I have ever seen. You just need to smart about what you want and how you get there.

 

[norcaldiver]

They are not "Not for profit", but it's not really getting anyone rich. They put a lot of that money back into diving in one form or another...the $50 referal program, advertising, program development, they donate buttloads to different groups i.e greenreef, catalina deco chamber, project aware, make-a-wish. I found a list of all the grants that they did in 2002 and 2003, but can't find it on the web now. It was a pretty big figure, in the range of 250K each year, if I remember right.

 

[rab]

Do pigs fly?

If properly launched they can sorta fly. :11:

Seriously, I think that's a question for the TSA.

-Rob

(OK, still not serious!)