PADI vs SDI

[pir8]

Afterall, you can call yourself an OWSI after only a minimum of 60 dives.

Actually I'm pretty sure its 100 dives, not thaat its much better but it is somewhat better.

 

[ucfdiver]

That is a good thing, but is it a reflection of the agency, or the instructors approach?.

I'm going to guess it's a reflection of being in a high traffic diving area, where many people don't take diving seriously who sign up for the course, because "everyone is doing it" they don't see the danger, hence they don't pay attention during lecture or read the book ahead of time.

How does failing the exam demonstrate that this course was more difficult academically than any other one? It may just show that the students were lazy.

It might. It might also prove the course was harder. I was just sharing an experience, you assume I'm saying it's more difficult. You're putting words in my mouth.

So, because he failed then re-wrote the exam it proves a system works? I cannot follow the logic here.

Never said he rewrote anything. The student took the class more seriously the second time around from what I could tell. You're putting words in my mouth.

Regardless of agency? I cannot believe that there is only one agency conducting training at resorts. A quick search of the internet shows me that there are many agencies teaching at resorts. Based on your logic, the courses run at the resort are easier regardless of agency. Must be the nice weather.

I see no possible way for a 1-2 day crash course at a resort to be as intensive as a 6 week, 8 lecture course, with 4 pool dives and 5 checkout dives. If it's possible, so be it, I'm not going to spend my money trying to figure it out. If an instructor wants to slap the padi, naui, ssi, ymca, or whatever name on it, I could care less.

 

[fisherdvm]

Actually I'm pretty sure its 100 dives, not thaat its much better but it is somewhat better.

As I understand, there is an exception to the rule, it is as followed:

IE Prerequisites: 100 logged dives and certified as a diver for 6 months. However, candidates who complete a CDC Program (which includes at least 5 other pre-IDC or post-IDC courses) are authorized by PADI to take the IE with only 60 logged dives and have been certified as a diver for 6 months.

But before we bash PADI... With all the comments made about PADI's DM, IDC's etc... Naui, YMCA, SSI's are not too much different either.

It is just kinda sad that one can be a specialty instructor with likely equal or less diving experience than some of the students.

 

[ScubaFreak]

Being the largest is irrelevant to being the best.

I never suggested that PADI was the best.

I can make a website that gives online scuba certs in 15 minutes and quickly become the largest, but chances are I'll have the worst divers, similar to if I started offering 1-2day certification classes for vacationers :no

PADI don't offer 1-2 day classes, the Dive centres do. And most of the time these centres cut corners in some way. Our OW classes span over 3-4 weeks.

I'd love to see the rates of GUE/NACD divers who have accidents vs those of PADI divers. My personal hypothesis is that GUE/NACD would have a lower accident risk per dive made, but who knows, that's just based off of personal observations and experience.

I could be wrong, but I would imagine that PADI have more certifications, therefore I would imagine that PADI has a higher incident rate.

I still maintain the instructor makes all the difference.

100% agree.

 

[BuoyantC]

Most people have trouble doing a 20ft. CESA on one breath the first time. It's not even considered a practical option past 30ft. That's why staying close to your buddy is stressed as well as other OOA options. Sure some people can perform the ascent from much deeper, but it's right there next to a buoyant ascent at that point - you just hope for the best.

Also one point in using tables is to develop a sense of what is going on in the computer besides its just displaying numbers. Following the computer "blindly" is only slightly better than just following a guide you don't know.

D.C.C.

 

[Walter]

This is the most uneducated quote i've read on scubaboard to date, and personally I take offence to it.
It's childish and immature.

I've spent 8 years going through the PADI system, and there's been things that I've disagreed with along the way, but I endeavour to provide quality training to all my students...

The fact is that PADI is most likely the biggest certifying agency compared to the rest...lets play a little maths game and say for example that 10% of all certifications will have incidents during their Scuba lifetime. If Agency 1 certifies 20 times more divers than Agency 2 Agency 1 will have 20 times more incidents. Therefore Agency 1 receives more of a bad name.

I've become more of a lurker on this site in recent months because of stupid posts like this one.

/rant over.

The quote offers nothing to support his position. Had he listed the skills left out of a PADI OW class that are required by some other agencies as his reasoning, he would be in a much better position to defend his opinion. While the information to support his position is readily available, from his other statements I doubt he is aware of it.

OTOH, your post also offered nothing to show his statement isn't spot on. What about PADI's OW class do you believe refutes his position?

 

[jbmooney]

Trace, what's the air fare to Utopia? I'd dive with any of those folks, and I didn't see any instructors whose last job was at Burger King and who were certified last month after 100 warm water dives with a DM guiding them and an instructor watching their back!

I'm particularly interested in diving with Jessica, but it looks to me like her gas management skills may be weak (that said, it's all good - I have first aid qualifications, and stand ready to perform mouth-to-mouth).

Compared to the new standards all former agencies were STROKES (which happens to be the name of the new agency): Spetsnaz Trained Rebreather Only 'Kuzitz Environmentally Sound.

 

[pir8]

Trace, what's the air fare to Utopia? I'd dive with any of those folks, and I didn't see any instructors whose last job was at Burger King and who were certified last month after 100 warm water dives with a DM guiding them and an instructor watching their back!

I'm particularly interested in diving with Jessica, but it looks to me like her gas management skills may be weak (that said, it's all good - I have first aid qualifications, and stand ready to perform mouth-to-mouth).

Probably need to find some pixie dust to get there

 

[seaducer]

Hmmm.

I really wish all the folks here that failed the PADI OW course, then did an end-around with one of the smaller and lesser known agencies to get there creds would stop bashing the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

Just cause you couldn't do it...

 

[Walter]

Drew, you are funny!