Resort Scuba Certification-Is This for Real?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

They should stop giving any sort of "card" to people who do 1 day resort course. Creates un-necessary confusion.

 

[idocsteve]

Last January I took a cruise for my Dad's 80th birthday, he's certified as were several others in our group. There was a kid along, I guess in his 20s, I didn't know him all that well, but anyway he took a resort course, it was (according to him), about the dozenth resort course he had taken over the years (why he never got certified is beyond me), and then tried to use the card they gave him to rent tanks for a shore dive. I said to him "If you can get tanks with that card you're welcome to join us" but the guy took one look at the card and shook his head and said "you're not diving with our tanks buddy".

 

[scubadiver888]

PADI has a "Scuba Diver" (not to be confused with Open Water Diver) that is abbreviated and easily upgraded; however, many people who get this certification are confused about their qualifications, since its name is hard to differentiate for new divers.

But it requires a DM or OWSI to guide the dive.

I doubt the OPs friend has the PADI Scuba Diver certification. The Scuba Diver certification requires you to do knowledge review, confined water skills and some of the open water skills (but in the pool). I don't believe they could have completed all this in the time indicated. However, they could be rushing the students through the course and certifying them without the proper skills.

If they are giving out PADI Scuba Diver certs and misleading students, they should be reported.

 

[warmwaterturner]

I was always under the impression that the "Resort Certification" was only for that particular resort and that it expired at the end of the stay.

 

[mwalsh787]

I think, as opposed to being unfriendly, you're looking out for both your safety and your friend's. Maybe you could suggest that your friend upgrade his scuab training by joining you at a local dive shop. That way, you can continue your diving safely and would have a built in (and well trained) buddy

Mike

 

[bracko]

They should stop giving any sort of "card" to people who do 1 day resort course. Creates un-necessary confusion.

indeed... A4 sized certificate should be the only thing you receive (which i did 15 years ago when i was on the GBR)

also, yes it could have been a PADI scuba diver course which is a relatively easy exercise for a PADI instructor to complete.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

My wife and I took one of those resort courses before we became certified. It was a cheap and easy way to experience SCUBA, and resulted in our becoming addicted.

We took our resort course in Cancun, with Alvaro from AlwaysDiving.com and he was very clear about the limits of the class. Completing it meant that you could, over the next few weeks, go along on shallow (no more than 40 feet) dives, with a qualified instructor, in small groups (no more than 4:1). You cannot rent gear to dive independently, and the course in no way prepares you to dive in anything other than the very limited conditions listed above.
I've seen the same or similar course offered all over the place.
Your buddy clearly does not understand the limitations of his very limited training. Be a good friend and set him straight, before something bad happens.

 

[Aigtbootbp]

PADI has a "Scuba Diver" (not to be confused with Open Water Diver) that is abbreviated and easily upgraded; however, many people who get this certification are confused about their qualifications, since its name is hard to differentiate for new divers.

But it requires a DM or OWSI to guide the dive.

This is correct. It will not allow you to rent a tank or get a fill and only allows you to dive with a divemaster. Of course this presumes everyone actually follows the rules.
My first c-card was one of these. About an hour in the class room, another hour in the pool and then off to the reef. It got me interested enough I followed up with OW when I got home. There are some skills taught, some in the pool, some out on the dive. IIRC air sharing, CESA, mask flooding, regulator removal/replacement etc. The dives are shallow (40ft max according to PADI) and a bunch more stuff I can't remember.
It was worth it. An inexpensive way to try it out. I bet a hell of a lot more people are willing to throw out a couple hundred bucks and a day or two to get their foot in the door instead of committing to a at least 400 and not really know if they will like it.
So far I know one person who decided they didn't want to dive after the classes and three (four including me) that decided they did (Two of which are now OW divers).

ETA:
If you only dive on vacation then this cert works well. Think about it, always a guide/DM to get the tanks and hold your hand. Of course the dives will all be shallow and probably not the best but hey, these are casual divers, not hard core wanna-be mermen/mermaids....

 

[oly5050user]

I doubt the OPs friend has the PADI Scuba Diver certification. The Scuba Diver certification requires you to do knowledge review, confined water skills and some of the open water skills (but in the pool). I don't believe they could have completed all this in the time indicated. However, they could be rushing the students through the course and certifying them without the proper skills.

If they are giving out PADI Scuba Diver certs and misleading students, they should be reported.

not entirely correct..To get "scuba diver" certification, student has to do everything up to module 4 in PADI ow course.Thats both for academics and confined water.Then complete open water dives 1 and 2...to get to full OW certification they need to complete mod 4 and 5 academic and pool along with ow dives 4 and 5 and pass final exam.."scuba diver" certification lets them be led around by a DM or instructor no deeper than 40', cannot dive without a pro with them...Pretty much same restrictions as a Discover Scuba person except that it does not expire and can be eventually upgraded.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

PADI has a "Scuba Diver" (not to be confused with Open Water Diver) ...

... and not to be confused with NAUI "Scuba Diver" ... which is a real entry-level program similar to PADI's Open Water Diver program.

One of the few things that disturbs me about PADI is their tendency to choose titles for certifications that are exactly the same as something another agency is already using for a certification that requires quite a bit more training.

They did the same thing with their "Master Diver" card, which isn't a certification at all, but rather a recognition that you've completed a certain number of specialty classes. In the NAUI system, "Master Diver" is a real course, with a substantial training curriculum. The old YScuba (now SEI) used the "Master Diver" title to mean the same thing as NAUI ... and the LA Scuba program offered an even more comprehensive course with that title for years before PADI came along and pre-empted the title.

I think PADI does this to intentionally confuse people and make them believe that for less money and effort, they're getting the same qualifications ... which, of course, they're not.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)