I am suprised that the 5 star Padi center in question did not offer to have another one of their Instructors that are qualified to teach that specialty sign off on specialty for you considering you paid dive shop directly..
Unqualified Specialty Instructor
- Thread starter gonenunu
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I am frankly confused about some of this. You took the course years ago, and you are only finding out the instructor was not qualified now? Weren't you suspicious when you did not receive a certification card for the class?
As for reporting it to PADI, I would have to believe they would be very interested in hearing that a 5-star facility charged you for a class knowing the instructor was not qualified to teach it. It is not a matter of a financial dispute--that is a violation of their requirements to be a 5-star facility.
That is especially true since any one of their regular instructors would have been either already qualified to teach the course or could have become qualified in no time. To give you an idea of the process, to become certified to teach a specific specialty, the instructor must meet certain standards, depending upon the course itself. In the case of drift diving, it is pretty much a matter of being an instructor with enough experience doing drift dives. If they are working in Palau, they will have what it takes to meet that requirement in no time. After that, you just have to send in the form and the fee. I am not certified to teach the drift diving specialty simply because I have not sent in the form and the fee, and that is simply because, living in Colorado, I don't expect to teach the course all that much. If someone wanted to take the course from me while I am in, say, Florida, I could get certified immediately and take care of it.
I mention that to let you know how easy it would have been for the shop to handle your situation effectively, and thus I am very puzzled as to why they did not.
EDIT: I wrote this before seeing pconsidine's post saying about the same thing.
As for reporting it to PADI, I would have to believe they would be very interested in hearing that a 5-star facility charged you for a class knowing the instructor was not qualified to teach it. It is not a matter of a financial dispute--that is a violation of their requirements to be a 5-star facility.
That is especially true since any one of their regular instructors would have been either already qualified to teach the course or could have become qualified in no time. To give you an idea of the process, to become certified to teach a specific specialty, the instructor must meet certain standards, depending upon the course itself. In the case of drift diving, it is pretty much a matter of being an instructor with enough experience doing drift dives. If they are working in Palau, they will have what it takes to meet that requirement in no time. After that, you just have to send in the form and the fee. I am not certified to teach the drift diving specialty simply because I have not sent in the form and the fee, and that is simply because, living in Colorado, I don't expect to teach the course all that much. If someone wanted to take the course from me while I am in, say, Florida, I could get certified immediately and take care of it.
I mention that to let you know how easy it would have been for the shop to handle your situation effectively, and thus I am very puzzled as to why they did not.
EDIT: I wrote this before seeing pconsidine's post saying about the same thing.
Would you be surprised if a 5 Star PADI IDC used divemaster candidates as CAs for an open water class of 12 students and a single instructor?
It really has nothing to do with PADI. It is just human nature that some people will disregard the rules once they get a chance
Drift diving in the Canadian Narrows is a way of life. I offered to teach for free because, as an American, I'm not supposed to teach on their side of the river. I really enjoy mentoring people to experience some of the most challenging and adventurous drift diving in the world.
A few favorites in Canada:
1. Robert Gaskin (1800's wooden schooner; upright) = gentle drift over flat bottom into the wreck or off the wreck in 60 feet of water. Beautiful view of the Brockville waterfront.
2. Lillie Parsons (1800's wooden schooner; upside down) = fast wall drift at 80 to 100 feet. Bottom is at 170. We catch lines at the end of the long drift or the short drift to surface next to a beautiful uninhabited island.
3. Henry C. Daryaw (1900's steel freighter; upside down) = strong current dive to 90 feet to see the superstructure then drift across the keel to the props. Drifting off the wreck in a wide section of river is also frequently done rather than doing safety stops holding mooring lines.
4. Needles Eye Drift (wall dive) = Moderate speed drift 80 to 130 feet deep along the seldom dived northern wall.
5. J.B. King (drill scow that exploded in 1930) = Tech divers only! Fast drift at 170 feet. Wall has notoriously brutal updrafts and downdrafts. No joke. Crazy meets insane. You don't dive it. You survive it.
A few favorites in USA:
1. Frontenac Post Office (bottle dive) = gentle 20 to 30 foot deep drift exploring the area in front of a working post office that is on the water.
2. Deer Island (wall dive) the secret summer place of Yale University's Skull & Bones fraternity) = moderate speed drift in 50 to 130 feet of water.
3. Casino Island Drift (wall dive) = fast drift in 80 to 150 feet against a sheer vertical wall.
4. Ogdensburg Drift (flat bottom) = super fast drift dive in 30 feet of water for several miles!
5. Niagara River Drift (flat bottom) = says it all! Drift above the famous falls. Get out before you get too close!
If anyone wants to experience these dives, let me know. It's a fantastic time!
A few favorites in Canada:
1. Robert Gaskin (1800's wooden schooner; upright) = gentle drift over flat bottom into the wreck or off the wreck in 60 feet of water. Beautiful view of the Brockville waterfront.
2. Lillie Parsons (1800's wooden schooner; upside down) = fast wall drift at 80 to 100 feet. Bottom is at 170. We catch lines at the end of the long drift or the short drift to surface next to a beautiful uninhabited island.
3. Henry C. Daryaw (1900's steel freighter; upside down) = strong current dive to 90 feet to see the superstructure then drift across the keel to the props. Drifting off the wreck in a wide section of river is also frequently done rather than doing safety stops holding mooring lines.
4. Needles Eye Drift (wall dive) = Moderate speed drift 80 to 130 feet deep along the seldom dived northern wall.
5. J.B. King (drill scow that exploded in 1930) = Tech divers only! Fast drift at 170 feet. Wall has notoriously brutal updrafts and downdrafts. No joke. Crazy meets insane. You don't dive it. You survive it.
A few favorites in USA:
1. Frontenac Post Office (bottle dive) = gentle 20 to 30 foot deep drift exploring the area in front of a working post office that is on the water.
2. Deer Island (wall dive) the secret summer place of Yale University's Skull & Bones fraternity) = moderate speed drift in 50 to 130 feet of water.
3. Casino Island Drift (wall dive) = fast drift in 80 to 150 feet against a sheer vertical wall.
4. Ogdensburg Drift (flat bottom) = super fast drift dive in 30 feet of water for several miles!
5. Niagara River Drift (flat bottom) = says it all! Drift above the famous falls. Get out before you get too close!
If anyone wants to experience these dives, let me know. It's a fantastic time!
I think I did the Narrows at about 4. That was ripping! I think though I'd like to take a step by step approach. 4.5, 5, and so on. One of the local dive charters trusts me to put together a group for faster currents, and I definitely want to do that in the winter.
We had a 7 knot current last year. The boat's reverse speed was 7 knots and it couldn't reverse into the current so the captain figured we were around there during a record outflow with record low water level in the river.
I was teaching trimix. Even dove the Jodrey in that. Funny thing, though, the Roy A. Jodrey usually has a current. That day the current must have been coming up a wall somewhere in front of the wreck and adding to the surface current. Down at 200 - 250 it was still, quiet water.
I wrote an article for American Lifeguard Magazine about lessons learned that week.
I was teaching trimix. Even dove the Jodrey in that. Funny thing, though, the Roy A. Jodrey usually has a current. That day the current must have been coming up a wall somewhere in front of the wreck and adding to the surface current. Down at 200 - 250 it was still, quiet water.
I wrote an article for American Lifeguard Magazine about lessons learned that week.
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