PADI or SSI

[jpcpat]

The differences between the two organizations are small enough that the instructor will have the greatest impact by far. Go with your favorite instructor.

 

[Walter]

SSI created an "Adventures in Diving" program, which is basically the same thing as the PADI AOW course.

Something new. Thanks for sharing.

 

[amascuba]

Something new. Thanks for sharing.

Not a problem.

I mis-spoke. It's called "Advanced Adventure". Here are the standards:

1. The SSI Advanced Adventurer Course (not to be
confused with the Advanced Open Water Diver
Rating) is designed to allow divers to experience
dives from different SSI Specialty courses. The
knowledge factors to be covered in the Advanced
Adventurer Program are those provided by the SSI
Advanced Adventurer Instructor Outline and/or the
SSI Specialty Program materials.

2. The intent of the Advanced Adventurer Program
is to provide Open Water Divers a detailed look
into different SSI Specialty Courses under the
direct supervision of an active SSI Dive Leader.
Instruction should be as close as possible to the
instructor outline, which includes knowledge and
skills needed to dive with minimal risk within the
limitations of these standards.

3. The recommended course hours are 5 for all Open
Water Sessions. There is no required exam as this
program is designed to be completely focused on
practical diving skills. The total number of hours is
set by the individual Instructor, based on student
needs, student ability and water conditions.

4. Qualified and active Open Water Instructors or higher
are allowed to conduct SSI Advanced Adventurer
Programs.

5. The minimum age for participation in the Advanced
Adventurer course is 12 years old. Minimum age for
certification as an Advanced Adventurer is 15 years
old. The Junior Advanced Adventurer course is the
same as the Advanced Adventurer course with the
exception that the student must be at least 12 xears
old.
Junior divers may participate in all specialties listed
in the Advanced Open Water Diver Standards
except Deep Diving and Wreck Diving. It is
recommended that Junior Advanced Adventurers
take the course with an adult family member.

6. The maximum number of students for open-water
training is 8 to 1. The ratio may increase to 10 to
2 with a Certified Assistant or 12 to 3 with two
Certified Assistants. The Dive Leader is to decrease
this ratio whenever conditions require. Although
additional assistants may be used, no additional
students may be added to the responsibility of the
individual certified Instructor.

7. The Advanced Adventurer Program requires five open
water training dives for graduation and Advanced
Adventurer certification. The Advanced Adventurer
certification is a recognition-level certification.

8. All open water scuba training dives must be
conducted at depths between 15 and 100 feet (5
and 30 meters). The maximum depth for 12 year old
during open water scuba training dives is 60 feet (18
meters). All students even after certification should
be advised only to dive within depth limits they are
taught in during class.

9. Each dive is to be a skill dive from a different and
approved SSI specialty course. Students are to be
informed of what they need to do to complete
their complete specialties or Specialty Diver and
Advanced Open Water Diver ratings.

10. To obtain a single Specialty, Specialty Diver or
Advanced Open Water Diver rating, the diver
will need to complete all necessary training
dives for that rating. Students can count the
dives completed on their Advanced Adventurer
Course towards their Specialty, Specialty
Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver rating
providing the instructor signs each logged dive.
The instructor is to list the specialties completed
on the Specialty page of the student’s logbook.

11. During all open water dives students minimum
have to wear a complete Total Diving System as
outlined in the General Standards plus the necessary
additional pieces of equipment for the covered
specialties.

12. An active Instructor is to directly supervise, visually
observe and evaluate all required underwater scuba
skills for Advanced Adventurer C-Card issuance.

13. An active Instructor has the option to delegate
responsibility for direct supervision to a Certified
Assistant for the purpose of escorting students
during the dives except Deep Dives. The instructor
has the responsibility of indirect supervision during
the program. The maximum number of students per
Certified Assistant for the escorting of students is 2.

14. When an Junior Advanced Adventurer becomes
15 years old, it is recommended that the Junior
upgrades to Advanced Adventurer by having an oral
or written knowledge review and a skills dive with a
Dive Leader to ensure that the Junior Diver is ready
for the Advanced Adventurer certification.

 

[Scubasw]

I would just like to clarify what amascuba is talking about above. SSI & PADI both have Open Water, An Adventure Diver Program (kind of half an Advanced course) and a full fledged Advanced Open Water Rating.

PADI OW 4 open water scuba dives
PADI Adventure Diver any 3 specialty dives
PADI Advanced Open Water 5 specialty dives, with 1 deep and 1 navigation required

SSI OW 4 Open water scuba dives and then a fifth either a scuba or snorkel instructors option
SSI Adventure Diver 5 open water dives 1 each from 5 diffrent specialty programs
SSI Advanced Open Water, Instructor/Student combine 4 complete specialty programs, with a minimum of 6 dives under instruction. Experience Requirement of a total 24 logged dives to get the AOW Cert card.

Anyone can download SSI's standards from http://www.ssiusa.com/ look for link near the bottom. To get the PADI standards you have to be a PADI pro or know one and look at his book.

You know the funny thing is that both agencies are members of the Recreational Scuba Training Council, which sets standards for course minimums, but the RSTC does not even mention an Advanced Open Water Course in their standards . You can get the RSTC standards at http://www.wrstc.com/downloads.php

As I said previously, find an instructor you like and feel good with in the water and then stick with him from OW, AOW, Specilaties, Rescue, DM/DiveCon. The instructor makes the difference in how the course works. SSI Instructors have a little more freedom in their courses than PADI, but both have minimum standards to meet. It's those instructors that push you beyond the bare minimum that you really learn something from.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

The SSI Adventure Diver is something the SSI shop I instruct for is not interested in promoting. We encourage our divers to have a goal of becoming a master diver or at the very least an advanced open water diver.

As has been stated before the instructor makes the difference more than the agency. I do appreciate the minimum dive requirement that SSI has as it lends a bit more weight to someone actually being an advanced diver instead of a diver who has logged 9 dives total, all with an instructor.