PADI Inadequacies

[ElectricZombie]

ScubaDon once bubbled...
My question is, does PADI care whether or not their divers are prepared or are they more interested in selling you the next class.

They are more interested in selling you the next class.

PADI does not impress me as an agency, and I have yet to see a PADI Instructor who did not look like a complete disaster in the water. This is not to imply that all PADI Instructors are like this but, around here they sure seem to be.

Maybe you should consider re-taking the Basic class...maybe with a reputable NAUI Instructor this time.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

From the following thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19663

What started out as a jab at LDS's has turned out to be a little personal vendeta by Detroit against myself. That's cool. I don't think that you can blame the problems the LDS's are having on anyone but themselves. Granted there are some great ones out there thankfully I have finally found one here in "perfect Utah" that fits the bill quite nicely, but I will have to do the rest of my training through another agency than what I started out with, a debate for another board another time. Unfortunately I just spent over $2000 on equipment from sources other than the dive shop I did my training at. For the simple reason their attitude really sucked about dealing with anyone other than them, and degrading all other dive stores in the area. Not a good way to do business. << ScubaDon

And...

A raw nerve with the LDS? Again absolutely! I would most certainly rather spent the money I just did, almost $1800 in the last month, at the dive store I did my certification with. Or at least with the dive store I now call "home". Unfortunately the equipment I did purchase online would have cost me well over $2500. When I first approached them to ask about buying a wetsuit either through them or online I felt I got a good fashioned pistol whipping from the owner of the store. It just got progressively worse from there. A Scubapro flexible snorkel for $58! Come on they are going for $15-$20 anywhere online. Even Deep Outdoors which does not force a retailer to sell for MSRP was going for $776 at the LDS and they were totally inflexible in discussing any prices at all. Needless to say we left without spending our proverbial .02 there. Between SMKChef and myself they lost out on $3600. I know that has to hurt, but it didn't need to. We were more than willing, even eager to buy everything through them. << ScubaDon

I'm sure that there are poor OW classes... in every agency...and maybe yours sucked... but I suspect that your dissatisfaction with your training - at least in part - might reflect your dissatisfaction with the prices at your LDS.

Here we go again...ganging up on the LDS... without hearing both sides of the story!

SA

 

[GreenDiverDown]

ElectricZombie once bubbled...


They are more interested in selling you the next class.

PADI does not impress me as an agency, and I have yet to see a PADI Instructor who did not look like a complete disaster in the water. This is not to imply that all PADI Instructors are like this but, around here they sure seem to be.

Maybe you should consider re-taking the Basic class...maybe with a reputable NAUI Instructor this time.

You crack me up EZ!

SA

 

[Popeye]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MechDiver once bubbled...


Yes, you should know that well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Popeye once bubbled...


Feel free to point one out...

If you can.

MechDiver once bubbled... ...

Ahhhhh.

The glaring sound of silence.

 

[Popeye]

MechDiver once bubbled...


This not being your normal stompin' grounds, I won't even bother.

Nor will I play. There are rules here, that's why I'm here. Stay or go.

Mechdiver, -you- started it.

I would discuss it in private, but since you refuse, I suggest you keep your personal comments to yourself and observe the rules you cite.

I can see why you didn't last long in my "normal stomping grounds", and you and I both know why you won't bother.

I'll stay, thanks, curb your vendetta, especially when it's from another group.

 

[SMKChef]

MechDiver once bubbled...


And I've seen NAUI and SSI instructors who had the buoyancy skills of a sea cucumber.

There are good and bad in all agencies. IMO

Phil

Sea Cucumbers are negatively buoyant. They aren't supposed to float.

How about comparing them to some farm animal?

 

[SMKChef]

Stephen Ash once bubbled...
Here we go again...ganging up on the LDS... without hearing both sides of the story!

SA

Mike Ferrara usually has a very clear explanation of the LDS side of things. I have found his opinions to make me think about the whole debate.

And if the LDS wants to comment, they can. This board is open to all.

 

[ScubaDon]

Stephen Ash once bubbled...

I'm sure that there are poor OW classes... in every agency...and maybe yours sucked... but I suspect that your dissatisfaction with your training - at least in part - might reflect your dissatisfaction with the prices at your LDS.

Here we go again...ganging up on the LDS... without hearing both sides of the story!

SA [/B]

Nope. That was another thread and another topic. Almost forgotten about that one. The reason I took my son to a different dive shop was that I refuse to do business with the LDS where I took my class from. This thread was a result of me sitting in the class and seeing the differences in the material presented and how it was presented.

As stated by some I am sure I made mistakes by not doing more research into which agency/LDS we should take our classes with. We did some research and asked questions of several different LDS's and in all honesty price didn't come into the factor, we could have saved almost $100 by going with a different LDS. Problem is we had no idea what questions we needed to ask. I have never been diving before and we looked to the "experts" at the various dive shops to answer what questions we could think of, if only..............

I know now what questions to ask and made the decision to switch based on observations of how the instructors handled other classes that were doing their OW dives while we were diving and talking to many divers about how their classes were. Based on that we chose which LDS to have my son certify with. It wasn't so much PADI vs. NAUI vs. SSI, only two agencies are represented in this area.

I think the statement someone made that it is probably not PADI but the LDS and the instructors is probably true. I will know better if and when they resopnd to the letter. There's no reason I should send a letter to the dive shop, they already know, we've talked about it, but I will send them a copy of the letter I send to PADI anyway.

 

[djhall]

SMKChef once bubbled...
Sea Cucumbers are negatively buoyant. They aren't supposed to float.

How about comparing them to some farm animal?

Huh??? As in, "the bouyancy skills of a cow/horse/pig/etc?" Are farm animals supposed to have good bouyancy characteristics or skills??? Maybe I just don't get it? Or perhaps its just a farm thing?

Of course, I also seem to recall several posts about the bouyancy characteristics of a dead dog, so you never know .

 

[Walter]

Stephen,

I don't know if Don has an axe to grind or not, but you seem to always believe PADI can do no wrong. Aren't you jumping the gun a tad as well? At this point, noone knows if his dissatisfaction is because of an instructor who didn't follow standards or because the standards simply didn't measure up to what he later encountered. What he later encountered may have been an instructor following minimum SSI standards or greatly exceeding them. With the information available, it's best to keep an open mind rather than taking sides. Jonathan asked an interesting question about standards and time limits. So far no PADI instructor has come forward to answer.

Don,

What did you specifically see in your son's class that was missing from yours? I remember you said you were satisfied with your class until you saw another class with which to compare. Time, while I believe it is important, is not an issue with standards. Your class is performance based, not rigidly timed. These are questions that will determine if standards were violated or not.