Need SSI Check-out Dives

[MMM]

but with the Temp Residency thing, I think it's a hassle for her to come into the country and leave without completing the Temp Residency process

Don't interrupt that!

 

[Christi]

Yes, exactly!



SSI no longer issues universal referral forms. I suppose there could be extenuating circumstances that might require such, but all SSI documentation is done electronically, and is transferred through their network. Students are not given any paperwork and the only way to access the students' progress is via the SSI database (which is quite slick I might add!). This of course ensures that a student beginning as SSI, finishes as SSI.

Additionally, unlike PADI where their dive instructors can work alone and not under a dive center - they are essentially sub-contractors - any SSI instructor in teaching status must be assigned to an SSI dive center. I know above you alluded to one of your staff being an SSI instructor. I'm just guessing, but suspect your staff has an expired SSI teaching status?

We actually just had an SSI a few weeks ago with Universal Referral that Arturo signed off on. But he is not SSI - he is PADI and NAUI.

 

[loudives]

I have been all over the caribbean with just an Open Water cert. and have had no problems. Never been refused due to limited cert. I've also met and have been underwater with divers having all sorts of advanced certs. who I would not want as a buddy. Some had Divemaster and Instructor certs. and they only had the required number of dives to qualify for them. They didn't have a clue how to dive properly.
To me diving the right way is more important than getting an advance cert just to say you have an advanced cert. I personally don't see the need. Christy to her credit whom I've been with several time asked me only 1 time if I wanted to upgrade and I said no and that was it. She never pushed me and respected my wishes. By all means if you feel that foreign travel especially some liveaboards and places like Truk, may require an Advance cert. get it. BTW I did the Blue Hole off Belize on the second dive day after divemaster saw my skills.

Don't forget that all the cert agencies are in the business to show a profit. While they instruct you on dive safety and Dive Shops require the cert. to satisfy their obligation to provide tanks to only cert divers for there own protection. (you know insurance requirements and local laws) the agencies love for you to take Advance and Specialty courses as they get part of the course fee. Hence the advertising and suggestions from their shops and dive instructors for you to take the advanced course.

 

[Sloeber]

We went the "foolish" route, 24 dives plus 4 specialties = AOW.

I wouldn't say that is the foolish route. It's making her a better diver, but yes, you could have simply done the 5-dive Advanced Adventurer, which is what I think you wanted.

But that also changes things. That's not one class - it's 4 separate classes. So if she has completed 3 of them thus far, she does not need a referral. However, to qualify for the SSI Advanced Diver you will need to finish that last class with an SSI dive center. No transfers needed, or referrals. Just reserve the class at any SSI dive center and once they process the certification you will get auto-upgraded to Advanced Diver.

Don't forget to do the Rescue Class. Adding the Rescue as the 5th Specialty will upgrade her to Master Scuba Diver.

 

[tursiops]

The catch is you will be paying twice for the certification as you have technically already paid the original dive center for the certificate.

Not necessarily; it depends on when and how she did her original AOW work.

 

[Sloeber]

I have been all over the caribbean with just an Open Water cert. and have had no problems. Never been refused due to limited cert. I've also met and have been underwater with divers having all sorts of advanced certs. who I would not want as a buddy. Some had Divemaster and Instructor certs. and they only had the required number of dives to qualify for them. They didn't have a clue how to dive properly.
To me diving the right way is more important than getting an advance cert just to say you have an advanced cert. I personally don't see the need. Christy to her credit whom I've been with several time asked me only 1 time if I wanted to upgrade and I said no and that was it. She never pushed me and respected my wishes. By all means if you feel that foreign travel especially some liveaboards and places like Truk, may require an Advance cert. get it. BTW I did the Blue Hole off Belize on the second dive day after divemaster saw my skills.

I disagree with most of what you wrote, but I'll simply state that IMHO every diver, regardless of experience, should take at the minimum the Rescue Diver class.

Don't forget that all the cert agencies are in the business to show a profit. While they instruct you on dive safety and Dive Shops require the cert. to satisfy their obligation to provide tanks to only cert divers for there own protection. (you know insurance requirements and local laws) the agencies love for you to take Advance and Specialty courses as they get part of the course fee. Hence the advertising and suggestions from their shops and dive instructors for you to take the advanced course.

First, what business is not in it to show a profit? Second, what's wrong with wanting to make divers, better?

 

[ChuckP]

I have been all over the caribbean with just an Open Water cert. and have had no problems. Never been refused due to limited cert. I've also met and have been underwater with divers having all sorts of advanced certs. who I would not want as a buddy. Some had Divemaster and Instructor certs. and they only had the required number of dives to qualify for them. They didn't have a clue how to dive properly.
To me diving the right way is more important than getting an advance cert just to say you have an advanced cert. I personally don't see the need. Christy to her credit whom I've been with several time asked me only 1 time if I wanted to upgrade and I said no and that was it. She never pushed me and respected my wishes. By all means if you feel that foreign travel especially some liveaboards and places like Truk, may require an Advance cert. get it. BTW I did the Blue Hole off Belize on the second dive day after divemaster saw my skills.

Don't forget that all the cert agencies are in the business to show a profit. While they instruct you on dive safety and Dive Shops require the cert. to satisfy their obligation to provide tanks to only cert divers for there own protection. (you know insurance requirements and local laws) the agencies love for you to take Advance and Specialty courses as they get part of the course fee. Hence the advertising and suggestions from their shops and dive instructors for you to take the advanced course.

I couldn’t agree more and most dive ops will test dive you if you haven’t dove for some time no matter your card - I don’t believe that’ll be the problem living there though. It’s all about the live aboard thing really.

Living in Cozumel, diving in Cozumel - once you’ve proven yourself, I’d think cards didn’t mean too much other than tech stuff maybe.

 

[ChuckP]

I don't want to keep harping on it but thinking about something here - I do my OW classroom and pool work here in Holland, MI planning to complete OW dives elsewhere - local guy is SSI, very popular thing here. Now I want to go to Nassau to complete my open water dives - two dive ops, Bahama Diver and Stuarts Cove - neither one is SSI......so I can't complete my dives? I'd have to do some resort course or start over?

Not stirring anything and certainly value all the dive ops for all the things they do but is that the way it really is now and in the future? I gotta believe that's not good....

Blanca (PADI) did my wife's (SSI) referral last June, no problems. My sons (SSI) referral was missing something (our fault) and she could not complete it - she instead started him fresh with PADI in August.

Again - for us, this is purely to make future live aboard trips easier and gain the educational experience.

How's it work with TDI and tech training? Our local SSI guy can and will certify you in TDI tech. Can Liang, Blanca or Christy as PADI or Henry as SSI get crossed to TDI and whatever else is needed to teach TDI tech?

 

[ggunn]

I have been all over the caribbean with just an Open Water cert. and have had no problems. Never been refused due to limited cert. I've also met and have been underwater with divers having all sorts of advanced certs. who I would not want as a buddy. Some had Divemaster and Instructor certs. and they only had the required number of dives to qualify for them. They didn't have a clue how to dive properly.
To me diving the right way is more important than getting an advance cert just to say you have an advanced cert. I personally don't see the need. Christy to her credit whom I've been with several time asked me only 1 time if I wanted to upgrade and I said no and that was it. She never pushed me and respected my wishes. By all means if you feel that foreign travel especially some liveaboards and places like Truk, may require an Advance cert. get it. BTW I did the Blue Hole off Belize on the second dive day after divemaster saw my skills.

Don't forget that all the cert agencies are in the business to show a profit. While they instruct you on dive safety and Dive Shops require the cert. to satisfy their obligation to provide tanks to only cert divers for there own protection. (you know insurance requirements and local laws) the agencies love for you to take Advance and Specialty courses as they get part of the course fee. Hence the advertising and suggestions from their shops and dive instructors for you to take the advanced course.

This is well traveled ground, but valid. I have been diving for more than 25 years on an OW cert. Someone with 20 dives and an AOW cert is in no way more "advanced" than I am; no amount of short term training can substitute for experience. That's not to discount training in general, only the way certs are looked at by some ops.

 

[Charles2]

I don't feel a need or obligation to.

Your decision is certainly OK with me. The only reason I ask is that my entire family has been certified by NAUI. They are already familiar with their e-learning and other procedures. The fact that a shop offers instruction with NAUI is one of the factors that we use to select a provider when we travel. It seems to me that you may be missing out on some business by not listing all of your affiliations. Listing of all the affiliations does not seem to be an issue in Florida, but then again, maybe there are PADI operations there that do not include other agencies in their advertising.