My 3-day certification (VERY LONG)

[Mako Mark]

quality control is a three way street Pug, you know that.
PADI actively send questionares to their students, and in the cyber age, this is vastly improving the numbers of responses,

students write in on their own accord:

"yeah, I know I am only a resort diver, but going to 150' on a night dive was WAY COOL, Mr PADI I reckon (joe instructor) should be given a pat on the back!!

the third way that PADI hears is from the dive professionals themselves who witness standards violations themselves, or find documentation of them and send them in.

I guess threads like this is a fouth way, someone mentions a bad experince and dive pro's help them contact the agency.

I think one thing is very important when discussing QA, that bad customer service should NOT be confused with standards violations, (with the exception of ethical standards), "the customer is always right" is not a standard in any agency that I know of. It is good business practice, but not a standard..

JM2C

 

[Uncle Pug]

You are right Mark about QA being a three way street...student feed-back is important.

Does PADI censure, remove or otherwise penalize PADI instructors or dive ops that violate PADI standards?

 

[Mako Mark]

does PADI censure, remove or otherwise penalize PADI instructors or dive ops that violate PADI standards? ?

Absolutely, they use a standard format, it doesnt matter whether you are a a DM or CD, a dive resort or a five star CDC, precedent is used, fair warning is given and councilling or retraining is always the first option, (with the exception of certain zero tolerance situations like neglegent death or sexual misconduct). Decisions are based on four questions presented to a 7 or 8 person comittee, these questions are:

Is it true
Is it fair
Is it best for all involved
Will it build good will.

Sometimes there are bad apples, but they will be cleaned out, maybe not the first time, but eventually. We all make mistakes, particularly when we are newbies, but failing to learn from them is what gets people expelled or suspended.

If in fact, with the advent of the computer age, reporting has increased... has there been a corresponding decrease in stories like this one?

I trully believe so, I have seen a vast improvement here in Mexico over the last few years, and I am sure that it is the same in many other places that in the past were "out of sight out of mind". With the internet, the world is just a keystroke away.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Thanks Mark.

 

[jeremyrfoster]

I just have to give another shout out for the 3-day course.

I had every word read twice before the class started and felt like I was given all of the tools. A great instructor was likely much of the difference. I actually did my OW classes and pool session one weekend, AOW classes (brief) an evening the week after, and then all 9 OW and AOW dives in one 3 day weekend at Blue Hole in New Mexico. I have gotten some flack on this board about it already, but I never once felt uncomfortable, unprepared, or unsafe.

I would be the first to admit, however, that I was by no means an "advanced diver" at the end of the weekend... not after 9 dives logged!

It's not for everyone, but it is for some.