PADI vs SDI

[ddmattos]

... posed to the OP.

I know. I really meant it. It is a great question for the OP.

By finding out the reason to prompt him asking the original question will help with more pointed responses.

 

[drrich2]

I doubt you'll get universal agreement as to differences in philosophy. There are a few differences in program offerings.

1.) SDI offers a Solo Diver course, and there's a manual for it. PADI offers a similar course, no manual, but calls it Self-Reliant Diver, so the card doesn't actually say Solo Diver. Some of us really like our card to say Solo Diver.

2.) If you want to pick up a Master Scuba Diver cert. (despite loads of ScubaBoard posts telling you PADI's is not a real course, teaches you nothing new, is a waste of $50, etc...), they do work a bit differently.

From PADI's site:

The path starts with earning a PADI Open Water Diver certification, followed by PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and PADI Rescue Diver (or qualifying certifications). You also need to earn five PADI Specialty Diver certifications and have logged a minimum of 50 dives.

Note that you not only need 5 PADI specialty certifications, but they all need to be PADI!

From SDI's site:

SDI Master Diver minimum requirements:

• Completion of 4 SDI, TDI, or ERDI Specialty Courses or equivalent; only 1 course without dives, may be credited towards the master diver development program, with the exception of nitrox
• Completion of the SDI Rescue Diver Course or equivalent
• Proof of 50 logged dives

If I understand correctly, that 'or equivalent' blurb means you can use specialties done via other agencies. If this is true, then where PADI 'locks you in' to their system more, SDI may not.

PADI is the market share leader; SDI is one of the 'Me, too' competitors, so naturally SDI is probably under more pressure to be open.

If the Master Scuba Diver rating does interest you, by chance, be mindful NAUI offers one that's an actual course with a pretty nice manual.

Richard.

 

[decompression]

Honestly, neither agency has published a "philosophy" so what we'll get is people's interpretation of what they think their philosophies are. So to get a more poignant answer, the question has been posed.....what's behind the question?


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[Pyramid65]

I did a bit of research and found the answer to my question, there was no question behind the question, just the question.

 

[tursiops]

What did your research say? What is the philosophy of each?

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

We live in a free speech society. You can bash the Church and no one has any problems. You can bash the President and no one has any problem. You can bash organized religion and no one has any problems. Yet criticism against a certifying agency will be labelled as "agency bashing" and will be deleted from scubaboard. As long as certifying agencies are treated as "holy" or "sacred," a correct answer to the OPs question is impossible.

 

[drrich2]

I did a bit of research and found the answer to my question, there was no question behind the question, just the question.

Another way of putting it would have been, why do you want to know? Not to challenge your right to ask, but to gain insight into how the information would be meaningful to you, which might help people offer opinions that speak to the want/need behind the question.

Richard.

 

[decompression]

Now I want to know their philosophies.......share.


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[hroark2112]

We live in a free speech society. You can bash the Church and no one has any problems. You can bash the President and no one has any problem. You can bash organized religion and no one has any problems. Yet criticism against a certifying agency will be labelled as "agency bashing" and will be deleted from scubaboard. As long as certifying agencies are treated as "holy" or "sacred," a correct answer to the OPs question is impossible.

First of all, online forums are rarely "free speech" zones. When you join the forum, you acknowledge that your postings must follow the guidelines as set forth in the terms of use. Scubaboard is a privately owned entity, and the board owner/management are free to delete or edit posts as they see fit. If you don't like it, don't post.

Second, I don't know what polyanna bubble you live in, but if you bash any religion, someone will get butt-hurt and will probably argue back. Religion is one of those things that you can always start a fight with, no matter what side you take. Politics are the same...as much as you might love or hate whatever politician or issue you're addressing, someone else is going to disagree just as strongly as you.

People should actually read the Constitution. In no way does the Constitution protect you (or me!) from being censored in a private setting. It only protects us from censorhip by the government.

 

[drrich2]

Oh, one small thing...SDI requires use of a dive computer from the onset of training, per their website. This is a non-issue for most people, I figure, but spend enough time on the forum here, and you'll find a few computerless tables users.

Richard.