How many years has it been since you were an active PADI instructor? Have you taken an IDC course, and when? Have you been to a CD training course? When?
I have not taught through PADI for 18 years. I left the organization because of the reasons I've previously given. Anything that I've posted has been as a result of my direct experiences as a PADI Instructor, a PADI Training Facility owner and conversations with PADI HQ and it's Co-Founder.
Any current knowledge that I have about PADI is through communication with PADI instructors that are currently active and active PADI instructors doing cross-overs in my capacity as an Instructor Trainer/Examiner.
If there is anything that I've said on this thread (or any other) about current PADI Standards that are misleading, please correct this by posting the specific PADI Standard that clearly indicates that my statement was incorrect. I will promptly retract any incorrect statement.
King, you are not a PADI Instructor, nor have you ever been. That does not stop you from participating in any of these discussions, nor should it. If you are saying that PADI now allows their Instructors to teach beyond PADI Standards please correct me. In the past, this wasn't the case. PADI specified what was to be taught, what was optional and what was prohibited.
The primary difference between PADI and the other agencies, has been the amount of input the instructor is allowed to have with the program s/he is teaching.
PADI
Agency Standard Achieved = Must Certify
Other Agencies
Agency Standard Achieved ("minimum standards") + Instructor Standards Achieved = May Certify
Regardless of what NetDoc may elude to, instructors with an agency (other than PADI) do teach their own way. That does not mean that they are "rouge instructors;" their Students still must meet the agencies "minimum requirements," but they are expected to add anything that will be required for local conditions (and anything else they feel may be useful).
PADI is the only agency I've heard of that has censored an instructor for teaching anything that exceeds the program being taught.