Is PADI really the same all around the world?

[Knut]

I took the Rescue Diver course a while ago and now I'm going for the Dive Master after I get some experience.

Is the course different in different parts of the world? Padi is supposed to be the same, as the books are the same, right?

My LDS here in Norway tells me I should take it with them. I've done lots of courses with them and they are ok. They tell me I should take it in Norway because apparantly according to them I will get a better "education" with them than going to, say Australia.

They say I will be acknowledged as a better diver and it would be easier to get a job when travelling.

I get that the conditions are rougher than in Australia with colder water, lower viz and we will probably be using dry suits. But more than that, is "the padi" more serious some places?

What are your thoughts? Would you rather employ a DM (or maybe an instructor when time comes) that did his training cold water in what I call "normal life" than in a "tropical paradise" while on vacation?

Or simply, what would you do?

Looking forward to hear your thoughts on this.

Knut

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

There are very few training locations that could run the same DM course as any other training location; all the course directors are different, all the master instructors are different, all the staff instructors are different, all the boats are different, all the dive sites are different. If you go to a different place, things are different.

I would never employ a DM, but I would employ an instructor who had what it takes, no matter where she got her credentials.

 

[Cave Bum]

PADI standards are the same worldwide. Different instructors/shops implement those standards differently. PADI, even more so then the other agencies, has maximums as well as minimums for to their standards. They frown on teaching too far over the standard.

What I usually recommend to my students and my friends is to find an instructor that they are comfortable with and with whom they work well and stick with that instructor.

Choose the instructor, not the agency!

 

[Mike Manthe]

Hei Knut,

I second that PADI as an agency sets the training standards which are the same world wide. Sometimes local laws set additional standards e.g. in Norway one need more open water training dives than in Germany. The instructor is responsible to close the gap between the minimum information found in the manuals and the additional information needed for local dive conditions.

I have no problem to employ a PADI Pro who did his training in warmer waters - as lond as he has also cold water experiences. For someone who had never dived the waters of the Baltic Sea the conditions like low temperature and bad visibility could be very tough. On the other hand a local guy who has no experiences with masses of guests will face problems e.g. in Egypt. So for me it's best if the Pro has dived as different places as possible.

Med vennlig hilsen fra Tyskland

Mike (ex Tvedestrand)

 

[DevonDiver]

As others have said, PADI has a formal lay-out for how courses should be run and what skills or performance requirements should be included within them.

However, I have noticed that the quality of a course will differ noticeably depending on the experience and motivation of the instructor...and the type of location.

Firstly, choose your course based on the genuine enthusiasm (not sales pitch) of the instructor concerned. They will be your mentor, so you must have a good feeling that you can work together. All PADI instructors are 'qualified' to run divemaster courses - however, some instructors have more breadth of experience than others. A tech instructor will teach you more in terms of decompression theory and deep diving. An instructor who is a qualified service technician can offer you more insight and experience into the care and maintanence of diving equipment. An instructor who is a qualified Dive Medic will take your rescue skills to a higher level. An instructor with 500 student certifications will teach you how to look after divers in training better than an instructor with 50 certications......

Second, choose your course based on the quality and reputation of the dive school. Some big dive centers are nothing more than a 'sausage factory' for certifications. Find a dive center that will treat you as an individual and attend to your course with the care and attention to detail that it deserves. Some small dive centers are just plain 'shabby'. Find a dive center that continually teaches a full spectrum of diving courses and has a good reputation and customer feedback.

Thirdly, choose your course based on location....

A center in temperate waters will provide training that will give you experience diving in cold water (drysuit diving), bad visibility and rougher seas. However, they will not have a high volume of student flow (you will assist with less courses) and you not get to experience working within a tourism setting. Whilst you gain experience in less inclement conditions, you will gain no experience of working in the mass-market dive industry. Many dive centers/divers in Northern Europe/USA beat their chests about the value of training in harder conditions, but they fail to understand the experience they lack...dealing with 'holiday' divers, high-volume diving operations, development of marine life identifcation skills and other experiences more common in tropical locations, such as down-currents. In addition, you probably won't have dives that are as enjoyable.

Training at a center in tropical conditions will ill-prepare you to return to work in temperate waters. However, you will gain more valuable experience of how the industry works in holiday locations (and this is the vast majority of the industry). If you intend to travel/work as a divemaster, then this option (I believe) makes you more directly employable. You will gain more skills as a dive guide - because of your increased familiarity with the local marine ecosystem. As a good dive guide, you will be able to locate and identify marine creatures to your customers.

For me as an employer in the tropics...I would rather employ a divemaster who is expert at leading dive activities in tropical waters..who can offer customers real value through their knowledge, enthusiasm and professionalism. Who knows the local hazards, can navigate the dive sites, can identify the marine creatures and is attuned to proving for the needs (and keeping safe) the divers, of all experience levels, who come here for holidays. A drysuit qualification or experience of low viz has little impact on that.

 

[TEArrington]

In my very limited experience, it seems each instructor interprets and administers the PADI standards slightly different than the next guy. I've learned something different every where I go, so the more folks I train with the more I learn. The more variety in my dive experiences, the better equipped I am to handle things when they go wrong.

I've attended classes or completed training dives with 3 different dive shops, and more than one instructor at each location, and every single person had different thoughts and rules about the amount of time it takes to get to an appropriate skill level for a certain certification. Some didn't even cover skills that others told me were required. I just wish I had the instructor's manuals so I could see for myself what the expectations were.

 

[Katamuki]

Hei Knut,

I second that PADI as an agency sets the training standards which are the same world wide.

PADI sets the standards for PADI instructors or for all instructors?

 

[DevonDiver]

PADI sets the standard for PADI Instructors. Most instructors are PADI instructors. SSI instructors are copied from PADI instructors. BSAC instructors are like PADI instructors, but poorer....

 

[Apecks]

PADI sets the standard for PADI Instructors. Most instructors are PADI instructors. SSI instructors are copied from PADI instructors. BSAC instructors are like PADI instructors, but poorer....

Can't wait to see the response to that one

 

[I Dive]

PADI sets the standard for PADI Instructors. Most instructors are PADI instructors. SSI instructors are copied from PADI instructors. BSAC instructors are like PADI instructors, but poorer....

Time to cook some and get ready for the big show!