Padi specialties

wouldn't it be cool if some1 decided to make a "james bond specialty" since PADI seem to offer everything else.

the specialty could involve

1. harpoon gun practice
2. knife skills whilst underwater
3. tiny cylinder breathing
4. stealth operations
5. donning gear in under 1 minute

and other magical bond things
6. how to make a mask change colour underwater

Oh man, what was the old Sean Connery one where they did so much diving? With the submersibles and everything,...oh geezsh it was on last winter and what a hoot man. I'm telling ya, you should have been here.

what about a baywatch specialty?

Silicone jumblies
Slow running
Knife fights
LONG breathing from spare air
How to go for the air hose

CD_in_Chitown:

Oh man, what was the old Sean Connery one where they did so much diving? With the submersibles and everything,...oh geezsh it was on last winter and what a hoot man. I'm telling ya, you should have been here.

Click to expand...

'Thunderball', which keeps making the gaff of Connery mask constantly changing colour

Content may include:

1.) "Why PADI is an easy target"
PADI certifies more divers than any other agency on the planet. When you're at the top, everyone else is trying to reach your success. This envy usually manifests itself in negativity. Similar to a manufacturing company - when you produce 10,000 units it's pretty easy to knock the larger competitor making 100,000,000 units. When your reach a similar production level, you find out you have the same problems and challenges.
2.) "How to impress upon others that the certifying agency has something to do with their diving skill"
This will be a tough one since anyone who dives knows it has very little to do with the agency, and more to do with the instructor and student.
3.) "XYZ agency divers are better than PADI divers"
Related to topic 2 but requires a seperate chapter. We take the top technical cave diver on the planet certified by XYZ agency and compare his/her skills to that of a PADI Discover Scuba student. The differences in skill are quite laughable! (Of course this all falls apart when we match the top technical divers in the world represented from each agency - we find out they have about the same skills).

--Matt

PS In my opinion PADI would be better served with stricter quality, course content, and instructor provisions in place. I think their muscle has been too focused on marketing vs. top quality education. I have no regrets having been certified through PADI. I have written them several times with suggestions for increasing their minimum standards. The PADI bashing is just stupid without recognizing the successes and what they have done for scuba which benefits all of us - PADI certified or not.

verybaddiver:

'Thunderball', which keeps making the gaff of Connery mask constantly changing colour

Click to expand...

...and it's crappy remake, "Never Say Never Again". There are a few other major goofs besides the blue to black to blue mask too. The foot that Domino steps on the sea urchin with changes back and forth. After Bond swims to the cove barefoot he magically appears with sneakers on, etc etc.

To the original poster:

- Don't forget underwater air hose cutting
- Miniature rebreather (cigar tube sized) service and repair

To be honest this wasn't a post to discredit PADI at all, alot of what they offer is well done with nice if a little vague books. Although there is a few things PADI do/suggest that i strongly disagree with, i generally think they are a pretty good agency.
Although one of the few things they offer is 'distinctive' specialties, and some of the ones i have seen are laughable to say the least. Such as the "shark specialty set in a aquarium in london at about ~$250. To be honest these aren't even part of the PADI training although they have been endorsed by atleast some1 in the company.

verybaddiver:

Although one of the few things they offer is 'distinctive' specialties, and some of the ones i have seen are laughable to say the least.

Click to expand...

SSI offers custom made specialties but I believe they have some fairly strict criteria. For instance if your main diving areas are quick water rivers, your local SSI shop may have a river specialty. Or like here in NC, where most of the diving is done off the coast, my SSI shop has a boat diving specialty etc.

The Queen Anne's Revenge (Blackbeards boat...allegedly) specialty course has a seminar on underwater archeology and a guided tour with submersible MP3 players etc. It seems to be fairly popular, so I think there is a market for diving outside the norm.

verybaddiver:

...snip...Although one of the few things they offer is 'distinctive' specialties, and some of the ones i have seen are laughable to say the least. Such as the "shark specialty set in a aquarium in london at about ~$250. To be honest these aren't even part of the PADI training although they have been endorsed by atleast some1 in the company.

Click to expand...

PADI allows for an instructor to create a distinctive specialty by creating a course outline and submitting it for approval....thats about the level of endorsement. Why, because it generates a fee for PADI...they are a for-profit, so what. If the class doesn't create risk (i.e., now you are trained to dive with hungry Tiger Sharks), then whats the issue. Obviously someone wants to take the course and presumable learn more about sharks without flying to the Bahamas -- where they can also take a Shark Speciality at Stuart Coves

Did you hear about the new PADI speciality class? It is called how to properly pee in your wet suit....

I am PADI and NAUI certified. I just think that they make up crazy speciality classes to generate more money (of course)...