Which Is Better

[Scubadawg]

I have recently gotten certified and now a proud owner of my OW /C-card , I was asked recently which program did i go through to get my card , Padi or SSI , What is the big Difference between them, Is one better than the other ,or is it more" which is available in your area" I would like your opinions on this matter

I am hoping for a non biased opinion that is why i am not telling you which priogram that i went through, at least not yet.

 

[Dee]

I'm sure there are others here who can phrase this better but....

It makes no difference which agency you go through as they all have to abide by a certain set of standards. Some agencies allow a bit more fluxuation than others in the teaching styles but it's the instructor you have that is the most important.

Walter did a comparison of the most 'popular' agencies a while back that you might find interesting. I don't have the link handy so maybe someone can post it for you. Walter?

There is no BEST...just different.

 

[TexasMike]

Dee is right on the money there.

I've even had discussions with instructors within the same (and very good) agency I was certified in to find out that when compared to my o/w experience, I much prefer the way they did it.

So when you're ready to take instruction, find the instructor that you like (especially if they have a background in the type of diving you aspire to, like cave, wreck, photography, etc) and then you will be assured that the level of instruction will be to your satisfaction.

Example....I eventually want to learn cave and wreck diving. My instructor for my Rescue Diver class is very much into both, and it turns out two of the other divers are full cave certified. So you bet I'm picking up some good info about what to expect when I do cave diving. Plus the instructor is very patient, thorough, and lots of fun.

--TM

 

[ScubaBaby]

WOW - Scubaddawg, your opening one big can of worms here. This has been discussed on several occasions and if you look back at the boards past threads, you'll find many have ended with..."ermmm......lets cool this off!"

Getting an non-bias opinion is about as likely as pork at a jewish wedding! It wont happen. I'd even admitt, I am bias towards PADI cause thats the system I have used.

You cant say any one organisation is better unless you have experienced every single one of them - and if you've done that I want to know what other life you could possibly lead!!! Also, the organisation that the person believed to be better is only better for them!

Anyway, hope you get some good responses to help you on this one!

 

[syruss32]

My 2.5 cents. I think the only real advantage one has over the others is that PADI is more recognized than any other. But once you get the skills, the card, and find your way to scubaboard you are a complete scuba junkie regardless of which card you hold!

 

[socaldiver]

TASTE GREAT !! LESS FILLING!!

In other words, it don't matter so much about the agency. What matters is how good is your instructor and what you like and want.

 

[jimholcomb]

Agency DOES matter!! Agencies which advertise "you too can become an instructor in 2 short months" produce instructors in 2 short months!! Although it isn't set in stone, agencies with HIGHER standards USUALLY produce instructors with high standards and of higher caliber. Research the standards of the agencies THEN find and research the instructor of your chosing. As far as name recognition goes, it simply doesn't matter from a recreational standpoint. If you have a card and it doesn't look like you made it at home - operations will let you dive!$!$

 

[sactomags]

Although I only recall seeing one option at the area dive shops, we also checked out instructors. I have claustrophobia (which can be a problem diving, yes), so I needed someone who would be patient and take a little extra time. I got a very thorough instructor who took it very seriously teaching us that this was a serious sport and involved learning how/why.

Again, I can't compare the certification agencies, only my experience with an excellent instructor. I've heard about others who got certified at the same shop with a different instructor and they weren't as pleased, nor do they feel they addressed all the coursework with the depth (no pun intended) I had.

I'm only AOW at this point and will go back for more (Rescue and Nitrox are in the plans), but don't really have a definite idea of what agency would be best.

Live, learn and dive,
Margaret

 

[Walter]

I made a point by point comparison of the Open Water standards of three agencies and made lots of enemies along the way. The three agencies I comparied were NAUI, PADI and YMCA. I chose those three because I was able to get hard copies of their standards. SSI is not included because I couldn't get a copy of their standards.

You can read the comparison in the new diver section of Diverlink at http://diverlink.com/newdiver/agencycomparison.htm

Basically I found that there are big differences between agencies. Is one better than the others? That is opinion, but I believe that while each of the three has advantages over the other two the overall choice is clear. You may disagree with me. If you do you certainly will not be alone.

syruss32, PADI is not "more recognized than any other." All major agencies are recognized wrld wide. A diver with a card from SSI, NAUI, YMCA, IDEA or any of many others will be as readily accepted to dive as a diver with a PADI card.

Even more different than standards is philosophy. There are different approaches toward teaching diving.

While I agree the individual instructor is more important than agency I do believe which agency is also very important as it sets the tone. Usually an instructor's approach to teaching mirrors his agency's standards and philosophy.

WWW™

 

[scuba_adventurer]

That assessment that you did was, in my opinion, ridiculously biased. Objective comparisons should first, not be done by an instructor with any agency, and second, not include false information. You present the information in a somewhat unclear format making it hard for a true comparison.

My biggest problem was with your comments about the rigidity of the PADI system. The PADI System is very flexible, you just may incur some extra liability if you step outside of what is outlined. This is true of all agencies. PADI does not force divers to do everything in one course, but it does allow it's instructors to add pertinant local information. We have continuing education for things like decompression theory and physiology that is beyond the scope of an openwater certification. Does an open water diver really have to know the three different types of Embolisms? They can learn that in Rescue and Divemaster, if they want.

I work for an instructor who can teach both YMCA and PADI, and his opinion is far different from yours. He says the YMCA course takes at least twice as long to teach, so I am interested in where you got your numbers for classroom time. He does not teach it purely because it is not practical for most people who want to learn how to dive. We encourage weekend classes, making the 31 classroom hours, even including pool time, a very off base figure. I would say that the total time it takes to be completely certified is less than that (including classroom, pool, and open water dives).

I don't know if you refer your prospective students to this page so that they think you are the scuba god because you teach YMCA or what, but your intentions do not benefit the dive industry. I am not saying that PADI is better than NASE, NAUI, SSI, YMCA, Handicap SCUBA, or anybody else, I just don't think you should make unfair comparisons.

It does boil down to the Instructor over all other variables, but certifying agency is important. PADI protects its divers by testing air at all PADI dive centers and implementing a very strict quality assurance program. Nearly every student will get a survey, and if they mark any questionable responses it will be followed up with a detailed survey to identify problems in their instruction. No certification is as recognized and taught worldwide like PADI.