Bahamas PADI dive shop problem

[Ydiverdown]

Has anyone heard of this?

A former student of mind just wrote me and told me that she was required by a dive outfit in the Bahamas to have an instructor with her and her boyfriend while they dove because she wasn't certified by PADI. I really don't want PADI bashing to start from this because this sound like the work of a dive shop not PADI. But I need facts. Has anyone else had this happen to them? If so, let us know. I'd like to know the names of the shop or shops that did or do this. Shops like this need warning labels. Not to mention they just give diving a bad name.

David Cain
YSCUBA Instructor

[mike_s]

might help if you say where in the Bahamas this happened....

[Ydiverdown]

I wish I knew. I've e-mail the person that this happened to and I've asked her for the name of the shop or outfit. As soon as she tells me, Believe me I'll be posting it. But have you ever heard of such a thing?

[RoatanMan]

I wish I knew.

Me too.

I've e-mail the person that this happened to and I've asked her for the name of the shop or outfit. As soon as she tells me, Believe me I'll be posting it.

Shoulda' been the other way around

But have you ever heard of such a thing?

Until then, it does sound like PADI bashing.

Ask her for the name & level on her cert card, too. I've seen the ones that you can buy on the internet attempted to be passed off.

And then... ask her... did they do anything totally bizarre that made the dive op insist that one of their instructors/dm's accompany them in direct supervision on any further dives?

Oh, yeah, I've heard of that.

Until then, yes. It does sound like bashing.

Facts, man. Names, dates, places.

[Web Monkey]

Sounds a little strange. Maybe she didn't have her card with her?

OTOH, if she fell for it, she probably needed someone to keep an eye on her anyway. There are worse things than having a DM go with brand new divers in new locations . . .

Terry




Has anyone heard of this?

A former student of mind just wrote me and told me that she was required by a dive outfit in the Bahamas to have an instructor with her and her boyfriend while they dove because she wasn't certified by PADI. I really don't want PADI bashing to start from this because this sound like the work of a dive shop not PADI. But I need facts. Has anyone else had this happen to them? If so, let us know. I'd like to know the names of the shop or shops that did or do this. Shops like this need warning labels. Not to mention they just give diving a bad name.

David Cain
YSCUBA Instructor

[Ydiverdown]

She told me in the letter she wrote that she had her card and they had been there for a couple of days diving already with the same outfit. On the third day when she arived at the boat or shop (it wasn't clear to me from how she phrased it in the letter) they again checked cards and they told her because it wasn't a PADI cert she was required to have one of their instructors with them. She's been certified for 6 months now and had about 15 dives logged. The boyfriend had been certified for several years and has god knows how many dives logged.

I agree new divers need a watchful eye. But something sound fishy to me here and I just want to know if this has happened to anyone else.

[RoatanMan]

I just want to know if this has happened to anyone else.

Then go edit your posts and remove the agency you weren't bashing.

[Walter]

This isn't PADI bashing. It has nothing to do with PADI. That is not a PADI policy, it's a stupid shop policy.

[Web Monkey]

Sounds weird.

The DM isn't going to get rich on a few hours work, and I don't think the shop would risk getting labeled as a sleazy operation for the few bucks they would make off the deal.

Maybe that after watching for a few days they were afraid she'd get herself (or BF) killed, and it was just an excuse.

Maybe on the 3rd day she wanted to go somewhere outside her training and experience?

Something is missing.

Terry




She told me in the letter she wrote that she had her card and they had been there for a couple of days diving already with the same outfit. On the third day when she arived at the boat or shop (it wasn't clear to me from how she phrased it in the letter) they again checked cards and they told her because it wasn't a PADI cert she was required to have one of their instructors with them. She's been certified for 6 months now and had about 15 dives logged. The boyfriend had been certified for several years and has god knows how many dives logged.

I agree new divers need a watchful eye. But something sound fishy to me here and I just want to know if this has happened to anyone else.

[timle]

yeah more details are needed.

This isn't a PADI policy and doesn't even sound like a shop policy as they dove the 2 previous days. Did the person that checked their cards and made the decision see them on the 2 days before?

If so sounds like an excuse to buddy them up with an instructor for some reason - maybe they saw something they didn't like or were going to a more advanced site. They should have been up-front and honest, if this was the case.

If it was a person they hadn't seen before it may just be an honest mistake for not recognizing the YMCA card as an accepted certification in leiu of a PADI one. If this is the case the shop just needs to educate their employees.

PADI lists on their web site different YMCA levels as qualifying certifications, so the PADI policy is quite clear.

[del_mo]

what timle said

[sharky60]

Then go edit your posts and remove the agency you weren't bashing.

I read no PADI bashing here at all, just someone curious as to what had happened at this particular dive operation and if anyone had had the same experience.

Anyone PADI certified would know that this is not a PADI policy and had something to do with the dive shop. I would like to know what island and dive op this happened with and the rest of the story, somethings missing here for sure.

[Ydiverdown]

Thanks to everyone that sees this is not to bash PADI. I'm just putting down the facts I have and I clearly admit I don't have all the facts. OH YEAH... That is why I posted this... to get more facts. So I gather that nobody knows of any shop in the Bahamas that does this??? So all I can guess is that there was another reason for the instructor wanting to dive with them. But if anyone knows of a shop that is doing something like this please let us know. Like someone earlier said, it would be a sleazy shop and we can warn our fellow divers to avoid them. I'm sorry if the PADI folks feel bothered, I didn't mean to offend you all.

[Iruka]

PADI instructor, not offended at all by your questions. One thing that occurred to me is that there are 2 "levels" of Open Water Certification. "Open Water Diver" doesn't need a guide, just recommended to have a buddy. "Scuba Diver" is a lower level of OW certification, and THOSE people (who basically do half the OW course) are required to have a guide with them. I'm wondering if possibly the certification card of the woman was seen as the equivalent of the Scuba Diver course, but not recognized as such for the first few days. With all the different certifying organizations around, it's sometimes difficult to determine how the different ones all correlate to each other. Not being very familiar with those organizations or the details in this case, I have no idea about what really went on....just tossing out one possibility.

[Walter]

One thing that occurred to me is that there are 2 "levels" of Open Water Certification. "Open Water Diver" doesn't need a guide, just recommended to have a buddy. "Scuba Diver" is a lower level of OW certification, and THOSE people (who basically do half the OW course) are required to have a guide with them. I'm wondering if possibly the certification card of the woman was seen as the equivalent of the Scuba Diver course, but not recognized as such for the first few days. With all the different certifying organizations around, it's sometimes difficult to determine how the different ones all correlate to each other. Not being very familiar with those organizations or the details in this case, I have no idea about what really went on....just tossing out one possibility.

YMCA doesn't have such a program, PADI may be the only agency that does. YMCA open water cards are clearly labeled "Open Water." I could understand (but not forgive) such a mistake with a NAUI card because their open water cards are labeled, "SCUBA Diver."