What happened to PADI?

[Tigerman]

When I got my PADI OW cert (which where done during 2 weeks with afternoon classes and a day of pool work) we had a couple of the "get me certified" type in the class. They never certified. They where supposed to get a referral and get their OW dives done somewhere else, but they never got the referral.
We also had one person that after discussing with the instructor decided to get more time in the water before getting certified.
I cant quite recall how big the class was, but it was 12-15 people so we had to split up the pool and ow work for separate days anyways. There was also no "assembly line hook-this-box" theory. We actually had time to ask questions and have them explained, althought there was no extensive physics lessons involved. Nor is there really any need for it for a OW class.
Sure, air expands and expands, water does not, this afflicts boyancy and air consumption this and that way is covered and neccesary but youre training people to use specific applications of the physics, not to become rocket scientists.
More extensive knowledge of how things works gets neccesary with more advanced diving, but in my opinion its not a huge issue for a basic course.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

Well, off the top of my head ..... the ability to swim is optional, there are almost no skin diving skills required, almost no rescue skills required, absolutely no confidence building skills required. They've been taking requirements out of their standards for about 30 years now.

Yep! I agree. Though my agency doesn't say I have to, I spend at least one whole pool session skin diving and practicing mask and snorkle skills. They don't even touch gear until they are comfortable and competent at this first. It makes them much better when they get gear and their skills are more fluid when learned. But most don't want to "waste" their time.....

If there were no danger diving to 60 ft, that would be the case. OTOH, the way their classes are structured, their graduates are, IMO, unsafe at any depth unless the instructor exceeded standards.

There is the most pressure change between 1 and 10 meters depth than any. Even the most shallow dives carry danger to the unprepared.

My rule is: I will not certify you if I would not trust you to dive with my 11 year old diving daughter. But I teach diving because I love it, not because it pays my bills. I give more time and then some to each group. I also prefer class sizes of 2, 4 is my max.

Standards are the absolute minimum. Most think of them as the max goal.