Should I get PADI-certified?

[H2Andy]

Seems to me you are focusing on the cards for no particularly good reason.

oh, i don't know... if i were traveling abroad and wasn't sure
if my agency would be recognized, getting an alternative
card seems like a good reason to do so...

however, from the responses above, sounds like that is not
necessary. but how do you know until you ask?

 

[matt_unique]

My regular dive buddy is a 3 star CMAS (training in Germany) and his training was 100 times more difficult than anything recreational offered by PADI. I have my PADI Master Diver (which means Open Water, AOW, Rescue, and 5 specialty certifications. Mine are Nitrox, Dry Suit, Deep, Night, Wreck). I also have my TDI Deco Procedures certification. My buddy's training was done about 15 years ago so that may have something to do with it. Perhaps he just had a good instructor.

From what he explained to me your CMAS should hold more value than anything recreational offered by PADI. For example - at depth (deeper than 100') he was required to remove his grear, swim 10 feet away, then return to acquire and put his rig on. He was also taught deco procedures as part of his training. He has mentioned several other items not touched in PADI courses. Some of these things may be considered unnecessarily difficult for many bit still more difficult in terms of certification.

Perhaps I should ask you - is this standard CMAS training? If yes your card is worth more than anything recreational offered by PADI in terms of your minimum necessary skills.

Now in terms of worldwide recognition and for the sake of taking training to experience different instructors and such.....PADI is the most widely known organization and many charter boats in the US require at least an AOW to visit certain wrecks. From this standpoint it may be worthwhile for you to get your PADI AOW.

--Matt

 

[Diver0001]

I am currently CMAS **. There is an agreement between my agency and PADI, and I could get AOW quite easaily with few additional check dives and (a lot of?) $$$. I intend to dive abroad in an unknown future. Is it useful to get also PADi certified?

I wouldn't bother if I were you. CMAS is known world wide and in France PADI is pretty much laughed at (the French are nothing if not proud of their CMAS). In all honesty crossing over would add nothing of value to your training or to your ability to find dive locations abroad.

R..

 

[Walter]

While PADI is much larger than CMAS, it is not any more widely accepted. It's certainly not as respected. I'd stay with CMAS.

 

[IndigoBlue]

While PADI is much larger than CMAS, it is not any more widely accepted. It's certainly not as respected. I'd stay with CMAS.

I agree.

Just because some tank monkey might not recognize your C-card overseas, that is no reason to waste money on another card. You can always ask the store manager or owner, if it comes to that.

 

[ScubaRon]

My regular dive buddy is a 3 star CMAS (training in Germany) and his training was 100 times more difficult than anything recreational offered by PADI. I have my PADI Master Diver (which means Open Water, AOW, Rescue, and 5 specialty certifications. Mine are Nitrox, Dry Suit, Deep, Night, Wreck). I also have my TDI Deco Procedures certification. My buddy's training was done about 15 years ago so that may have something to do with it. Perhaps he just had a good instructor.

From what he explained to me your CMAS should hold more value than anything recreational offered by PADI. For example - at depth (deeper than 100') he was required to remove his grear, swim 10 feet away, then return to acquire and put his rig on. He was also taught deco procedures as part of his training. He has mentioned several other items not touched in PADI courses. Some of these things may be considered unnecessarily difficult for many bit still more difficult in terms of certification.

Perhaps I should ask you - is this standard CMAS training? If yes your card is worth more than anything recreational offered by PADI in terms of your minimum necessary skills.

Now in terms of worldwide recognition and for the sake of taking training to experience different instructors and such.....PADI is the most widely known organization and many charter boats in the US require at least an AOW to visit certain wrecks. From this standpoint it may be worthwhile for you to get your PADI AOW.

--Matt

I did my CMAS (2*) training about 14 years ago and while I don't know if the equipment removal at depth is a standard practise, it wouldn't surprise me. The key difference with my PADI training was that CMAS requires you to practise everything over and over and over again. By the time I got my first * I had probably done about 30 two-hour pool sessions and 20 open water dives, most of them in a mud-pool with 2' visibility. What they teach you is not very different from PADI, but when you get your certification you actually have enough experience to be a decent (though still beginning) diver. My only gripe with CMAS was that they required you to practise ascends (at least 2-4 per dive!) at 60'/min, which at the time was considered a safe ascend rate. However, being beginning divers, that means you sometime go too slow and sometimes you go too fast. I always thought that they should have you practise at a much slower ascend rate.

 

[Bretagne]

I wouldn't bother if I were you. CMAS is known world wide and in France PADI is pretty much laughed at (the French are nothing if not proud of their CMAS). In all honesty crossing over would add nothing of value to your training or to your ability to find dive locations abroad.

R..

I know that the PADI card is almost useless in France, I was just wondering if I dive abroad. From all the answers, it seems that not.

About what is required for certifications, I do not know if there are differences between the various agencies affiliated to CMAS. To get my 2*, I had
-to swim 500m withe weight suit, weight, fins, mask and snorkel
-to free dive to 5m deep, horizontally 10m then up with the same gear
-to swim 250m on snorkel but withh all scubagear on (full bottle, empty BC, so slightly negatively buoyant)
-to jump in water mask on hand (diving gear on), and have the mask properly put and empty when surfacing
-to be able to dive to 20m beside a line but without touching it, and staying neutral (almost) all way long, then stabilise 1M above the 20m floor
-to be able to go up from 20m deep at proper speed and stop at 3m without depth gauge or computer
-to remove mask and empty it at 20m depth, in 12 C water (my club requires that we pass the exam in cold water, but it is not required by CMAS)
-to be able to come back to surface from 10m without octopus, exhaling all long.
-exchange of signs at 20m depth, followed by proper reaction: I must be able to bring back safely to surface a buddy who has a problem and cannot handle it by himself -if he is still conscient and able to keep a regulator-octopus in mouth. ->management of 2BC at the same time To be able to bring back an unconscient one is next level.
-some orientation
-a lot of theory, on physics, physiology, diving accidents (causes, prevention, symptoms, treatment), deco procedures with tables, gear maintenance, french law on diving.

Some of these are reminders of 1* requirements, only done in harsher conditions, or deeper, or longer

 

[String]

CMAS is known world wide and a ** is equivalent of AOW anyway so i cant see the need to be honest. Its also generally a higher standard training than PADI equivalent.

Abroad i think you'll find everyone will recognise CMAS (I need to remember to order a CMAS card from my agency as well for the same reason).

I think you'd be wasting money paying PADI a lot of money for a worthless certificate in which you'll learn nothing new.

 

[ScubaRon]

I know that the PADI card is almost useless in France.

Come on now. None of the ten or so dive centers I dived with in France has ever even questioned my PADI card or those of my buddies. Is CMAS more respected in France: yes! Is PADI useless in France: absolutely not!

...I do not know if there are differences between the various agencies affiliated to CMAS.

There should not be any differences in the certification standards (which by the way are posted on the CMAS website) because that's what CMAS is mostly about. However the training methods may differ quite a bit from organization to organization.

 

[scubaranger]

that was one of my concerns when I got cert. I got it thru SSI. I thought I was going to have a problem diving abroud. I don't have that much experience but I dove last summer in Dominican Republic and they took my SSI with no problems