Thoughts on the PADI Scuba Diver Cert

[Diver0001]

chiara once bubbled...
I think there is some space for Scuba Diver certification, and that is when people don't have enough time to do the full Open Water, especially when on vacation on some exotic island and they happen to realize, suddenly in the middle of their hard-earned week of relax, that there is something called "dive centre".

They come in, they do an "intro", they get hooked but they are only staying another 3 days.

If they put enough energy into it (ok, wishful thinking) then why not?

Why limit them to a series of intros?

They get their card, they are happy, and maybe on the next vacation they finish the rest.

Even the Advanced Open Water Diver course is nowadays split in two.

The under-water camel safari is covered under Discover Scuba Diving.

In my opinion the main use of the Scuba Diver cert is to let people off the hook if they don't make it through the OWD course. It gives you a way to stop and gives them something for their efforts. As the instructor you can also rest easy that a "scuba diver" won't be diving alone.

I don't agree with using it as a way to lower the bar even further for people who don't have the time or the willingness to go through the OWD course.

R..

 

[chiara]

Diver0001 once bubbled...


I don't agree with using it as a way to lower the bar even further for people who don't have the time or the willingness to go through the OWD course.

R..

That's not what I said.

It is an effective and legal way of splitting the course in two, just as nowadays you can split AOW in two.

I don't have the time now, I do some now, some on a later date.

At the same time I have some way of enjoying my holidays with a supposedly more complete approach than DSD.

 

[Diver0001]

chiara once bubbled...


That's not what I said.

It is an effective and legal way of splitting the course in two, just as nowadays you can split AOW in two.

<snip>

With all due respect I don't think it's that simple. AOW can be split up but you're already a certfied OWD. There's a slight distinction to be made between someone who has the skills but perhaps not much experience and someone who you know doesn't have the skills.

R..

 

[DeepSeaDan]

So why not?

I know, lets just dunk em' in the bathtub, slap some sun screen on em', & toss em' into the drink!

Make sure you get that visa imprint first!

Yeeeesh.


D.S.D.

 

[MikeFerrara]

DeepSeaDan once bubbled...
So why not?

I know, lets just dunk em' in the bathtub, slap some sun screen on em', & toss em' into the drink!

Make sure you get that visa imprint first!

Yeeeesh.


D.S.D.

Very accurate description of recreational diving.

 

[Arnaud]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...


Very accurate description of recreational diving.

I liked what you called "underwater tourism" better. A lot of us are not into tek diving, but take diving seriously. For lack of a better term, we are recreational divers, too.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Arnaud once bubbled...


I liked what you called "underwater tourism" better. A lot of us are not into tek diving, but take diving seriously. For lack of a better term, we are recreational divers, too.

I agree and stand corrected. I should have said it was a good description of the way it's being done by some. I certainly didn't mean to imply one needs to be a "technical" diver to be a good diver. I love my 20 ft fish watching and photo dives when other divers let me do it.

 

[rustyscubatool]

What really gets to me is the terminology "ScubaDiver". Ok, I realize a title does not a diver make, but isn't it curious that PADI decided to name a half-baked course by the exact same thing that we most-often call ourselves?

Think about it a minute here. Last time someone asked what you hobby (passion? addiction?) was, bet you said "I is a scuba diver", right? (I'm not referring to any specifc rating or certification, here, but to the general term that we all use). Doubt you called yourself an "Open-Water Diver", or any similar terminology used by the other agencies. Ok, nothing wrong with that, but what reasoning did they use when they came up with the course, other than to deliberately confuse the pretend 'diver' with the rest of us? Why not call them a 'resort diver' or an 'Open-Water Diver Introduction' , or similar?

Nothing against the person who won't/can't do the real-thing, but why blur the lines of a true scuba-course, and dumb us down to that level?

I always wanted to be a medical-professional, but never had the ambition to study (or the money, for that matter), so I hope the AMA soon comes out with a degree called "Doc". It's not really a 7 to 8 year program, with al the attendent courses, internships, residencies, staying up all nite on-shift, and so on. Oh no, that's the program for people who are called "Medical-Doctor". It's more of a home-study program where we dissect a frog or two, go to bed at regular time every night, and then get to park in the Reserved Lot with our 2-year old (not brand-new, mind you) Mercedes or Lexus. We're not supposed to cut on anyone or actually prescribe medications, but "we did it before so what could hurt if we fudged a little and acted like the rest of the people in wetsuits".... I mean white labcoats?

(with apologies to everyone who works darn-hard in the medical fields. I did not mean to slight any particular profession. The same analogy could be applied to lawyers, plumbers, or anyone who worked for what they received .... and didn't stoop to get something they didn't work for)

 

[Conor]

Its marketing gone mad with the name, should have called it PADi Lite

 

[JDostal]

Padi Lite - That's Awesome!

Dive's Great - Less Work!