Switching from PADI to SSI

[scubadada]

I'll answer for Malta in general.


In 2024, PADI announced to all Maltese centers: you're exclusively teaching PADI courses, or you leave the agency.

Now in 2025, this has resulted in lots of dive centers saying goodbye to PADI. SSI has done an amazing job by talking to all of these centers and giving them a better deal. Brand loyalty is important for many centers, but in the end the money talks.

At the same time, the centers that stayed with PADI, saw a big increase in courses, in general 10 to 15 times as many courses were booked through the adventure and travel app, compared to 2024. New divers are of course not brand-loyal, but people still walk in saying "I want to do my PADI" and that doesn't happen for other agencies.

Regrets? The PADI regional manager and territory director are still making promises without delivering any result. Nobody really has any grounds for regrets.

Operating PADI and SSI under one roof: simply not allowed anymore. Not in EMEA.

Hi @Miyaru

That's very interesting. A quick search yielded about twice as many SSI dive centers as PADI centers. There are quite a few dive centers in Malta! I wonder if that is true in other EMEA locations?

 

[JMarc]

I wonder if that is true in other EMEA locations?

In case it interests someone, here (South of France) the 6 shops in the area around me offer French certifications (FFESSM/CMAS or ANMP) and can also certify you for more international agencies (4 SSI, 2 PADI, I know of none which offer both). I think a push from PADI to make them drop the French agencies would make them drop PADI instead as part of their offer is certifications which by regulation are restricted to CMAS or French agencies.