*&^$ PADI PIC envelope!

[plwtwo]

The hologram's came about because US Citz were going to the Caribean/Mexico paying for a class & getting the certification, they'd then come back to the US walk into their local DS for more continuing ED and they didn't know/do any of the work required for the previous class, and would have to learn what they should already have known.

There is/was a case were a lady and her son took a Deep Specialty class then the mom got hurt three or four months later, ascending to fast and not doing a safety stop from 125ft, claimed she'd never been told of anything like slow ascents and safety stops, she never had bought the AOW or the DEEP Specialty books, and sued the resort(hilton, i believe) and the dive operation and won some big money.

This is why PADI requires students to have their own book, etc... ITs not the agency, its the individual dive Shops and Instructors that make a difference, good or bad.

 

[mstevens]

Nowhere is there any mention of an instructor being involved prior to the trip to Coz. If there was, I'm confused, as was already mentioned by someone else, why this couldn't just be handled as a normal referral, and the awkwardness of all the other peripheral issues be eliminated.

The first post said, "Since then he's done an "adventure dive" or two" ... was this with an instructor?

There is no instructor in the US. My son did one "adventure dive" with an instructor on one trip and two more with an instructor on another trip. Those are all properly documented, but weren't part of an AOW course as such.

I can't figure out how a referral would work under these circumstances. It seems that some people think of AOW as a "course" while to others it appears to consist of a collection of "adventure dives." I suspect it can be done either way.

 

[keyscapt]

Thanks for the clarification, it makes sense.

AOW is a course ... the fact is, under PADI, it consists mostly of five instructor-led dives with a bit of knowledge development for each one. The dives are really intended to be an intro in each area to a broader development, but then of course you would be spending more later if you decided to do the "specialty" in that area ... in other words, the deep AOW dive doesn't qualify the student as a deep diver. Only the specialty does, and there are some limitations to that as well. It does however satisfy *most* dive operators as to the ability of the diver to do such dives as the Speigel Grove, for instance. The other AOW dives are designed to expand your knowledge and/or to improve your skills.

As to the referral question with the PADI system, the instructor that conducts the final dive is the certifying instructor, so a referral would consist of paperwork documenting the AOW dives that your son has already completed - presented to the instructor in Coz, that would allow him to sign off the AOW. This hologram stuff is beyond me.

 

[oly5050user]

There is no instructor in the US. My son did one "adventure dive" with an instructor on one trip and two more with an instructor on another trip. Those are all properly documented, but weren't part of an AOW course as such.

I can't figure out how a referral would work under these circumstances. It seems that some people think of AOW as a "course" while to others it appears to consist of a collection of "adventure dives." I suspect it can be done either way.

I am assuming that the Adventure Dives were all done with a PADI instructor.Did the instructors go over the knowledge reviews in the text with your son? Did he collect the kr's and file them? Did the instructor sign off in the training log book that the dives were conducted according to standards? If yes to all then it should be no problem for the certifing instructor(the one completing the last required dive) to get you son certified.If the instructor is south of the border then instead of a hologram send in a copy of your reciept that the text was purchased in the states..The Advance certification is 5 adventure dives,2 of which must be Navigation and Deep.Can do as many adventure dives as desired,but advance certification requires the 2 core dives,all others are electives.

 

[Karibelle]

There is no instructor in the US. My son did one "adventure dive" with an instructor on one trip and two more with an instructor on another trip. Those are all properly documented, but weren't part of an AOW course as such.

I can't figure out how a referral would work under these circumstances. It seems that some people think of AOW as a "course" while to others it appears to consist of a collection of "adventure dives." I suspect it can be done either way.

If he's going to finish his AOW, that is, get his AOW certification, and the instructor who does his last dive is not the same instructor who has done all the previous dives, then it is a "referral." The receiving instructor will verify the paperwork for those two other adventure dives, rather than having the student repeat the dives. That's why it's a referral.

You're right - the instructor in Cozumel could have provided the PIC, and charged you for it, instead of you bringing it with you... but sometimes getting materials in Mexico from PADI can take a long time. However frustrating this experience may be for you, understand that a) you're going to pay for the PIC, one way or the other, and b) you're better of doing it yourself than relying on mexico mail. As for why the instructor in Cozumel couldn't do the PIC online, maybe he could, or maybe he is not affiliiated with a dive shop - as noted in a different thread, independent instructors do not have access to online PICs; only shops do. One more thing - once it's completed by the instructor bring that PIC home with you and mail it yourself.

Does that help at all? I hope so.

kari

 

[deepblueme]

As said as long as the Adventure Dives covered the text material by the Inst. doing said dive and was logged and signed the Inst conducting the last dive is the one that MUST provide and SIGN the students PIC.
The Adventure Dive Log signature is the referal needed.

The only run around I see that your getting is maybe from the Coz Inst. and members on this site.

The store I ran would never sell a student a blank PIC for any reason.

 

[mstevens]

As to the referral question with the PADI system, the instructor that conducts the final dive is the certifying instructor, so a referral would consist of paperwork documenting the AOW dives that your son has already completed - presented to the instructor in Coz, that would allow him to sign off the AOW.

Great. That makes sense. I *think* that with the PIC envelope we purchased and the receipt for the course materials (along with the materials themselves) we should be good to go. If not, we'll just a buy a book with the hologram in Cozumel.

 

[mstevens]

I am assuming that the Adventure Dives were all done with a PADI instructor.

Yep.

Did the instructors go over the knowledge reviews in the text with your son?

Sure did.

Did he collect the kr's and file them?

If by "he" you mean my kid, then yes.

Did the instructor sign off in the training log book that the dives were conducted according to standards?

Yes.

If yes to all then it should be no problem for the certifing instructor(the one completing the last required dive) to get you son certified.If the instructor is south of the border then instead of a hologram send in a copy of your reciept that the text was purchased in the states.

This makes so much more sense than what PADI's person told my wife on the phone (that we needed to get a PIC and take it with us). We'll do both to be safe.

 

[mstevens]

The store I ran would never sell a student a blank PIC for any reason.

I thought that was odd, too. Both shops we contacted were willing to sell them. The first charged $25, and gave us a refund when another shop sold us one for $15. The first shop is where we bought the "crew pack" in the first place.