PADI Bashing

[H2Andy]

i would like to observe that, at least as of right now, your poll shows PADI has gotten more people diving than all other options combined.

for what that's worth

 

[gj62]

i would like to observe that, at least as of right now, your poll shows PADI has gotten more people diving than all other options combined.

for what that's worth

Not surprising, when you realize that PADI has certified the majority of the people diving... Of couse, this could be good or bad, depending upon how you look at it

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

My first was Naui in the 60's. Then Padi for some specialties and eventually I did SSI for Instructor.

I honestly don't think it's nearly the agency as the instructor that really matters. There are flakes everywhere.

Padi has some interesting tactics to increase their enrollment. Not the least of is taking a student doing their open water dives as a referral. Instead of coming back with the paperwork after the open water checkouts in a tropical location they quite often come back with a Padi card instead.

 

[gj62]

Padi has some interesting tactics to increase their enrollment. Not the least of is taking a student doing their open water dives as a referral. Instead of coming back with the paperwork after the open water checkouts in a tropical location they quite often come back with a Padi card instead.

You mean a student did the CW work at an SSI shop, but the OW work at a PADI shop? I would think the OW instructor would have to validate all of the PADI requirements (and vice-versa, if the reverse happened). Makes sense that the OW instructor is the instructor of record. Or did I completely mis-read your post?

 

[Chummer]

SSI...OW and AOW

But I give support to the opinion that its the instructor that makes the difference when dealing with the big names listed.

 

[H2Andy]

You mean a student did the CW work at an SSI shop, but the OW work at a PADI shop? I would think the OW instructor would have to validate all of the PADI requirements (and vice-versa, if the reverse happened). Makes sense that the OW instructor is the instructor of record. Or did I completely mis-read your post?

yeah, i had the same thought. dude walks into an SSI shop,
hooks up with an SSI instructor. it's the SSI instructor that does the dives with him and certifies him. SSI instructor has no power to certify someone PADI or NAUI. All the SSI instructor can do is certify the student SSI.

i don't see where the issue is either, or what is wrong with this.
if the student wants an XXXX card, he needs to do his checkout
dives with an XXXX instrctor, not with a YYY instructor who
can only issue YYY cards.

 

[Firefyter]

YMCA - though they didn't have any OW, etc classifications back then.
"Somebody" figured out that if they just taught half a course they could charge twice (or more) for it.

This is the same thing I was telling my wife. My Y course was about twice as long as hers and covered twice as much material, in both classroom and pool sessions. I don't know if this is done just so they can charge twice, or because everyone wants it done faster now, or a combination of both.

 

[HammerNoMore]

yeah, i had the same thought. dude walks into an SSI shop,
hooks up with an SSI instructor. it's the SSI instructor that does the dives with him and certifies him. SSI instructor has no power to certify someone PADI or NAUI. All the SSI instructor can do is certify the student SSI.

i don't see where the issue is either, or what is wrong with this.
if the student wants an XXXX card, he needs to do his checkout
dives with an XXXX instrctor, not with a YYY instructor who
can only issue YYY cards.

The issue is that PADI does not participate in the Universal Referral Program and at least some of their shops flat out lie about it. That's what happened to me, I trained YMCA and specificly asked the shop where I did my OW if they participated in the URP. They said they did, however when I got there I was handed a PADI test and when I was done I was handed a PADI pic card. It still ticks me off and given the choice I would have nothing more to do with PADI. Unfortunatly the only two non-PADI shops here are somewhat less than stellar.

 

[H2Andy]

The issue is that PADI does not participate in the Universal Referral Program and at least some of their shops flat out lie about it.

oh i see.. yes, that would piss me off. but it's the shop that
is lying, not PADI.

did you report this shop to PADI? was anything done?

 

[HammerNoMore]

did you report this shop to PADI? was anything done?

No. At the time I didn't know about that option.