PADI>>>Is it really worth joining?

[JCKCSYCMD]

If you are joining just for the magazine, might be better choices. I have felt that Rodale's, (old) Skin Diver, and the PADI Sport Diver, are fairly similar. For a balance try subscribing to Dive Training and for the other end of DIR go with Immersed. And for the occasional specific travel destination buy a PADI or Rodale's off the news stand.

 

[mad]

I agree. I don't like been asked for money from an ASSOCIATION...
CIAO

 

[sheck33]

PADI is not worth joining

 

[GQMedic]

In defense of PADI (Coming from a NAUI guy), I know some first rate instructors that are in fact, PADI instructors. I know some great divers who are in fact, PADI Divers.

I don't think it's fair to say PADI's crap. I realize as people, we'll rate an agency based upon observations of thier worst member, it's human nature.

Diver Brian: Not trying to say anything against you, but an AOWD is not qualified to rate an organization based upon number of dives to validate the classification of an AOWD regardless if you have 9 or 24 dives. Get 90 or 240 dives under your belt, then you'll have a better idea. It seems to be a popular trend for AOWD's to think they are "the stuff" I'm really not trying to jam you up, honest. I really have to call AOWD an "Advanced Learners Permit". I think the idea that a diver going from OWD to AOWD is excellent. It keeps them diving for one, (Remember, many people who complete thier OWD stop diving after a year, often to never pick it up again) it gets them MORE comfortable diving, Lets face it, OW divers just out of class arn't really all that comfortable nor have latent fears about diving subsided. It also gives a new diver a little more theory, a little more of an intro to dive physics, a better understanding and some practice at navigation, exposure to greater depths as well as limited vis diving. A common thing I hear from AOWD soon to be's is "Night diving? Crap! I don't know if I am up to THAT"! (Thanks to movies like JAWS and such) Numbers of dives, well, they will get those in their classes, and a chance to meet MORE divers in which to dive with, thus a greater incentive to continue diving. A social aspect of that appeals to many. For example, I enjoy talking to divers at any opportunity, not just students. Once again, the social aspect adds to comfort and being at ease under water. As they dive more, SAC rates go down, better bouyancy skills are developed.

If we're going to hang the title "Advanced" to have "top of the food chain" meaning, might as well set the standard to 100 dives. (oops, continuing education just went out the window) For this mentality, I think that's what "Master Scuba Diver" was intended for. (Emphasis on MASTER, as in "To master")

You made a good comment about the U.S. Navy's diver education being "superior" to recreational diver curriculum. I would certainly hope so!

-Dennis

 

[diverbrian]

I would respectfully add that I downgraded the AOW aspect myself. I bring up the point in other posts, that, many dive operators in the Caribbean and such seem to make it a very big issue to be Advanced Certified before they let you do certain dives.

We have place in a neighboring state where the owner will have somebody prosecuted for slipping into his more challenging areas for good reason. In order to file a plan to dive in those locations a diver has to have a minimum of an AOW card. In order to do my DiveCon and IANTD courses, I had to have an advanced card. I understand this as this is really all that a dive operator has to look at. My point is that a total of 9-12 dives can be picked up in someone's first week of diving. Up here, it typically takes a few months to get twenty-four or better. I really don't feel that someone basically fresh out of open water training should have an AOW card. I learned a lot with my first dives out of open water where I had an instructor or DiveCon as my dive buddy. But, then, I basically deferred to them and dove their plan so that I could concentrate on my buoyancy and my diving. I learned as much diving with people who were not professionals and where I had to think about them as well as me. At least let someone get the experience of diving outside a class where they actually don't have an instructor taking care of them all the time before letting them have an AOW card.

BTW, our LDS and SSI will let you take the courses leading to an Advanced Cert fresh out of OW cert. if you want to improve your skills. You will just have to wait to have your card upgraded until you collect the dives.

I do agree that Advanced certification is another license to learn. But we all need to be aware that, right or wrong, some operators attach priviledges to that card that we don't think about. I will not bash PADI as I have said, they have many excellent divers and instructors. I will say that I do not agree with several of their corporate policies, just as people will say that they don't agree with some of SSI's policies (I, for one, think that they should have a certification in deco diving. I had to go to IANTD for that. SSI doesn't appear to want to risk the liability issues to their shops by certifying for diving outside ANY recreational limits. Thankfully, our LDS has an IANTD instructor for just such classes.). So again, respectfully, I do feel that I have a right to my opinion and the right to voice it. Sometimes hearing from relatively new people is a good thing.

I hope that this clarifies my comments.

 

[WileEDiver]

In the interest of fairness (since I'd complained about this earlier in this thread) I need to report that I finally got the rebate check from the PADI Diving Society for the coupon that I sent in months ago.

Better late than never. :wail: