PADI Master Scuba Diver - what does it give you?

[aceupmysleeve777]

My comment wasn't directed at any one person but I stand by what I wrote. When someone walks up to me that I am now responsible for as a DM the assessment begins. Almost the first step of that is the c-card like it or not. In the end that lofty cert level whatever it may be can mean noithing once you hit the water and if you never build upon it. This is from experience being a DM is my full time job.

I think you are confusing training (not education) with experience. Diver one hasn't done anything to prove his abilities to you other then demonstrate that he collects c-cards. Dive two is being dismissed summarily on the incorrect assumption that because he eschews the 'PADI way' that he hasn't bothered to master those skills in other ways.

You just painted me as diver two but that's ok. I rarely dive with a 'pro'. Master Sergeants don't need 2nd Lieutenants.

 

[nimoh]

I was wrong about Wreck. I was considering the fact that I was offered to be trained for wreck/cave diving as part of my divemaster training but that is from a private instructor.

These are the NAUI "specialty" courses...NAUI Specialty Courses They are much more relevant IMO to advanced diving. Here is my problem with PADI...130ft is max depth for recreational diving. Why does PADI "recommend" you NOT dive to 130ft after Advanced training? Because they want to get more money out of you for diving that extra 30 ft....Look...a good instructor or agency will train you with everything you need to know for diving to 130ft after Advanced. My other problem with PADI is there are a lot of instructors under that agency that don't bother to teach the courses the way they should be taught....so if it seems like I'm "singling" PADI out...I am.

And if you OWN a drysuit, why do you need a card to rent one...? Your statement about the drysuit card didn't take into account the point I was making.

The NAUI specialties you linked to look very similar to the PADI specialties to me

PADI recommends you don't go past 60' so that you can gain more experience. IMHO this can be through further training or diving with mentors. There are dive operators that won't allow OW divers on deep dives, requiring AOW at a minimum. So, you need to take an AOW course in order to dive with these operators, not because PADI said so.

I will agree that there have been stories on this forum and others about rogue instructors deceiving students, but I don't think this is limited to PADI. I think most instructors are giving quality instructions.

It's sort of ironic that your problem with PADI is with respect to them making too much money, since many criticize PADI for offering classes too cheaply, forcing instructors to cut corners, in order to turn a profit.

At most dive operations (that I am aware of) you need a dry suit certification card to rent a dry suit. If you don't like this, how can you blame PADI for that? These dive operations are not PADI franchises

 

[chrpai]

My comment wasn't directed at any one person but I stand by what I wrote. When someone walks up to me that I am now responsible for as a DM the assessment begins. Almost the first step of that is the c-card like it or not. In the end that lofty cert level whatever it may be can mean noithing once you hit the water and if you never build upon it. This is from experience being a DM is my full time job.

Sounds like you are agreeing with me. Eitherway, I've moved on. It's obvious how the show is run in this thread in the no-trolling forum.

 

[boulderjohn]

Is it true that without a deep specialty a scuba boat DM will not allow you to do dives that are deeper than 100 feet?

Not true at all. Those are the recommended training depths. In most (not all) cases, boats will take you anywhere they can get you to pay for. I have seen brand new OW divers go to 130 feet (and beyond) in the Blue Hole in Belize and the Devil's Throat in Cozumel.

As I keep saying, PADI is a dive agency. It does not run dive boats. It does not run shops.

 

[Fish-R-Man]

You win dude...PADI is awesome....everyone should sign up for PADI and become a Master Diver..

I see the problem... With only 24-49 dives or less, you don't qualify! Do I detect a little cert card envy?

 

[nimoh]

Not true at all. Those are the recommended training depths. In most (not all) cases, boats will take you anywhere they can get you to pay for. I have seen brand new OW divers go to 130 feet (and beyond) in the Blue Hole in Belize and the Devil's Throat in Cozumel.

As I keep saying, PADI is a dive agency. It does not run dive boats. It does not run shops.

We had an AOW student last summer that was taking the class specifically for Devil's Throat since the dive operator he was with had a policy (their policy, not PADI's) that a minimum of AOW is required for Devil's Throat. I have also heard of some dive operators requiring a checkout dive for OW divers.

However, I will agree that the majority will just let you do the dive with OW certification.

 

[vcblklion]

The NAUI specialties you linked to look very similar to the PADI specialties to me

It's sort of ironic that your problem with PADI is with respect to them making too much money, since many criticize PADI for offering classes too cheaply, forcing instructors to cut corners, in order to turn a profit.

The point I thought I made was I object to PADI marketing USELESS C-cards. Which I believe even homeboy who is suggesting I'm a liar and idiot admitted the Master Diver C-card was. It's pretty useless and so are a lot of PADI's specialty courses. I don't object to them being in business as long as their business is substantive and they supervise their instructors to give quality instruction. Both of which I feel PADI lacks. But it's ok. I don't know what I'm talking about obviously....

 

[boulderjohn]

The point I thought I made was I object to PADI marketing USELESS C-cards. Which I believe even homeboy who is suggesting I'm a liar and idiot admitted the Master Diver C-card was. It's pretty useless and so ate a lot of PADI's specialty courses. I don't object to them being in business as long as there business is substantive and they supervise their instructors to give quality instruction. Both of which I feel PADI lacks. But it's ok. I don't know what I'm talking about obviously....

So what you are saying is that you took some courses from local instructors who did not give you your money's worth. I am truly sorry about that. If you read the posts earlier in this thread, the consensus was that some specialties are more valuable than others, and that the specific instructor can make a big difference. It sounds as if your experience agrees with that. It would therefore be very appropriate to say something along the lines of "As a relatively new diver, I took some specialties that were not helpful to me, and I feel my instructors did not give me my money's worth. I should have checked more carefully, and I recommend that you do the same."

Instead, you in effect said something like this: "As a new diver with not too many dives and only a year of experience in my local area, I pronounce all the instructors throughout the world from this one agency to be incompetent, and even though I have no experience whatsoever with any of the other 100 or so agencies around the world, I proclaim them to be superior." I don't think you can support such a statement.

By the way, did you report the poor instruction you received to PADI so that they can do something about it? If not, how do you expect them to manage the quality of the instructors?

 

[vcblklion]

I see the problem... With only 24-49 dives or less, you don't qualify! Do I detect a little cert card envy?

Wow bro.....seriously?? My attacks were against PADI's business model....IMO they sell useless C-cards and don't police their instructors adequately....which leads to fleecing of unsuspecting consumers and at worst unecessary deaths in a recreational activity that is inherently dangerous.....and your attack on me is "cert card envy"?? So you know exactly how many dives I have by looking at that doo hickey on the right side of my profile screen...? Wow...ok.....I don't even know how to retort my freind......you got me....

 

[nimoh]

The point I thought I made was I object to PADI marketing USELESS C-cards. Which I believe even homeboy who is suggesting I'm a liar and idiot admitted the Master Diver C-card was. It's pretty useless and so ate a lot of PADI's specialty courses. I don't object to them being in business as long as there business is substantive and they supervise their instructors to give quality instruction. Both of which I feel PADI lacks. But it's ok. I don't know what I'm talking about obviously....

sorry, it sounded to me like you were trying to say that PADI is marketing useless c-cards, while other agencies are not. I gathered this from your statement:

"

These are the NAUI "specialty" courses...​

NAUI Specialty Courses

They are much more relevant IMO to advanced diving...​

"

I don't understand where all of this animosity towards PADI is coming from. Based on your profile, you are a new diver, and can only guess that you had a bad experience with PADI during OW or AOW. However, you seem to be pulling facts out of thin air such as suggesting that PADI doesn't supervise their instructors. Complaints made to PADI about instructors are investigated and appropriate action is taken, what more can PADI do?