PADI ProCheck

[rakkis]

I've been trying to find a publicly accessible page to verify PADI instructors. I am aware one exists in the PADI Members website; however I want to send the link to a non-member. Can anyone point the way?

(Yes.. they can do that over the phone. However, PADI is closed at the moment)

thanks!

 

[lucybuykx]

I've been trying to find a publicly accessible page to verify PADI instructors.

Firstly that would degrade the member benefit of the pro check in the member's site.

Secondly it would potentially violate the privacy of all PADI members. If you put such a link in the public domain it would be easy to run a script to obtain all the member names and numbers, something that can be controlled for by having checks only available to known logged in members.

However I can understand the public desire and indeed need to verify the qualifications of a professional they are considering diving with. I'd say that if the pro is not willing to show you their cert cards/certificates and not willing to give you the PADI phone number to check them up then you probably don't want to dive with them!

 

[rakkis]

That information is already available if a student were to phone up PADI; thus effectively, it is public domain. Privacy concerns are not an issue; you need to know both a working number and the matching first name (first two letters) to verify teaching status.

You can't datamine a search engine effectively with those constraints. It would take you a TON of search queries on average to find a good match. That's 26! x 10! - (some factor that takes into effect common/sensical letter combinations).

- 26 permutations for the first letter
- ~10 likely permutations for the 2nd letters (vowels+a few consonants that make sensical names)
- likely combinations

Let me be a bit more specific. I wasn't trying to send *that* specific private link out. I know better. I know it would not work. I'm looking for the same functionality in a public access space. Apparently one was available some time ago since a search turns up instructions for people to go to the PADI website and look for such a link. My guess is someone made a boo boo during the recent redesign of the website. I was hoping perhaps someone had a URL saved as a bookmark somewhere.

 

[rakkis]

day time bump

 

[lucybuykx]

The parameters are known so although the resulting number of possible combinations is high, that is what computers are best at doing. Now I don't know why someone would want to do that but the world is full of weird people, some of whom might value obtaining verified names and numbers.

If someone rings PADI and speaks to a human being they will have to give a name and a number to have it verified, in other words they already know the person. I doubt a member of staff at PADI would start at the top of the list and read out all the names and numbers!!

You are in Indiana GMT-4hours, PADI are in California GMT-7. OK there are 3 hours difference but does that really inconvenience you and your students?

 

[skaboo]

I've been trying to find a publicly accessible page to verify PADI instructors. I am aware one exists in the PADI Members website; however I want to send the link to a non-member. Can anyone point the way?

(Yes.. they can do that over the phone. However, PADI is closed at the moment)

thanks!

Why the Fuss, I cant see any problem in providing this information, if only someone had advised me of this link I would have found out my instructor was un-registered, and could not register my Advanced qualification,

A point of intrest the first thing shown on the top of the pro check is


PADI Pro Chek is a tool for anyone to verify the membership status of a PADI Professional Member.

this information was supplied to me by Padi and is in the public domain

link as follows (whoops not allowed to post the url as i must have more than 5 posts) pm me and I will send you the link, you can then post if for all to see)

kind regards

skaboo

 

[Diver0001]

check the date. His question was raised almost 2 years ago.

R..

 

[rakkis]

The question still stood unanswered though. It looks like PADI finally made the ProCheck search engine public. Thanks, skaboo!

PADI Pro Chek

 

[peterbj7]

More than that, to save a few cents they no longer issue fresh cards or decals each year. On the card it now tells you that to check the currency of a particular DM/Instructor you HAVE to go to the website, or phone them.

 

[Doc]

More than that, to save a few cents they no longer issue fresh cards or decals each year. On the card it now tells you that to check the currency of a particular DM/Instructor you HAVE to go to the website, or phone them.

It's more than just a "save a few cents" issue.

Referring people to the website provides an instant and current status check. A sticker, issued at the start of the year, might seem valid... when in fact it may have been revoked in February.

Notwithstanding all of the privacy fuss above, as you can see, it is only marginally useful. You have to have the instructor's member number first.