Ra Divers & VoliVoli Director EXPELLED from Padi ??

[Margaret Cone]

Hi

Can anyone shed light into why the following has occured?? Looking for answers..:

MEMBERS EXPELLED FROM PADI:
January - March 2011

Stephen Darling [MSDT - 463861], - Instructor RA DIVERS
Raki Raki, Fiji Islands - 13 January 2011

Pola Pangalu [EFRI - 271830], - Instructor RA DIVERS
Raki Raki, Fiji Islands - 13 January 2011


MEMBERS EXPELLED FROM PADI
April – June 2011
»Papoo Divers [S-36366],
Nananu-i-ra Island, Fiji - 30 June 2011

»Papa Pangalu [#111962] - Nananu-i-ra Island, Fiji. Has not been a
PADI Member since 2007 and is not authorized to represent himself as
a PADI Member at any level.

 

[griffon]

I don't get the last one, what constutes being a member persay? I thought any padi certified diver was a Padi member from their perspective... Sounds like audit failure.

 

[g1138]

I don't get the last one, what constutes being a member persay? I thought any padi certified diver was a Padi member from their perspective... Sounds like audit failure.

I believe the term "member" stands for PADI divers who hold a professional rating such as Instructor, DM, AI, or Course Director. If you don't have a professional rating you're simply a PADI diver.
(I'm not familiar w/ PADI)

 

[DevonDiver]

A PADI member is a PADI-qualified Instructor or Divemaster. They can be 'active/teaching status' (authorised to teach or work as a certified assistant) or inactive -still a paying member, but not authorised for another reason, i.e. insurance coverage, or has opted limited membership because not currently able to work.

A PADI member has a bunch of responsibilities. If they fail in those responsibilities, then they can go into an in-active status for review or pending re-training etc. In the worst instance, they will be expelled from PADI membership.

Administrative Hold, Suspended, Terminated, Expelled and Inactive Statuses


Members in Administrative Hold, Inactive or Suspended Status and those who have been expelled from membership or who have had membership terminated, are not authorized to teach PADI courses nor certify PADI Divers, nor carry out the responsibilities of a certified assistant, do not receive membership benefits, and are not authorized to represent themselves as PADI Members.


The names of members who are suspended or expelled, and some whose memberships have been terminated are published in The Undersea Journal and are also posted to the Quality Management section of padi.com.

There are a number of reasons this can happen;

1. Some which should definitely concern customers: serious safety issues, repeated standards violations.

2. Some which may cause concern: non-related criminal convictions, non-cooperation in PADI investigation, teaching whilst not authorised.

3. Some which probably shouldn't: breaches of marketing rules, unauthorised use of PADI copyright materials or "disparaging the PADI organisation", substituting non-PADI courses (i.e. other agency) where PADI courses are advertised.



You won't know why the members/centre were expelled. It could be because of safety issues, but it could also because of a breach of business rules that weren't in PADI's favour. As such, it'd be wrong to make any speculation based only on that 'expelled status'.

Just know that you can't do PADI courses with those instructors/centres. They may, however, be in very good standing with other agencies. To assure yourself of good quality, do independent research on them - search for positive or negative customer recommendations, do a personal visit and evaluate for yourself.

 

[Griffo]

3. Some which probably shouldn't: breaches of marketing rules, unauthorised use of PADI copyright materials or "disparaging the PADI organisation", substituting non-PADI courses (i.e. other agency) where PADI courses are advertised.

So they wouldn't be happy with the agency I went to to finish my PADI OW and then had to do SSI because they had no PADI instructors? And still say on their website that they are PADI?

 

[DevonDiver]

So they wouldn't be happy with the agency I went to to finish my PADI OW and then had to do SSI because they had no PADI instructors? And still say on their website that they are PADI?

Personally, I'd just ask for a refund if I had an issue about that. Better still, just confirm your requirement prior to paying for the course. They wouldn't have a leg to stand on legally for refusing a refund before training commenced, having informed you of the change. I teach SSI and PADI. Same course, same outcome, different name.

The real value, or lack of, in a scuba course comes from the individual skill, motivation, knowledge and teaching ability of the instructor... not the name of the agency on the certification card.

Staff come and go, get sick, take vacations... Good dive centres won't employ 'just anyone' to run their courses; it can take time to find an appropriate replacement if they are short of a PADI qualified instructor. Perhaps they offered you the SSI alternative with a proven member of staff, rather than drafting in some 'unknown element' as a freelancer?

They offered an alternative, which they are entitled to do. The only 'PADI issue' would arise if they were a 5* IDC centre... in which case, they wouldn't be 'allowed' to offer alternatives - but that's part of the business agreement between the centre and PADI to obtain 5* status.