PADI responded to their OW swim requirement...

Dear Fisher,

Thank you for your email. I appreciate you taking the time to contact
PADI directly with your concerns.

Please be assured that PADI recognizes that an individual needs to be
able to swim must be reasonably comfortable in the water if they are to
be able to dive safely. There are actually two components of the
waterskills assessment of any potential Open Water Diver student and
not
just the 300 yard snorkel swim that you refer to. The student diver
must also have completed a 10 minute swim or float in water too deep to
stand up in and without any swim aids. This swim/float requirement
must
actually be met before the students are allowed to participate in open
water training dive number two and quickly identifies any individual
who
does not have reasonable comfort in the water. Then, and in addition,
the students must also satisfactorily complete either a 200 yard swim
or
a 300 yard mask, fins and snorkel swim prior to being certified as Open
Water Divers. These are required components of the course and are
non-negotiable. PADI Instructors are further advised to counsel any
individuals who exhibit marginal skills during these two assessments to
seek further swim training before progressing with their dive course.

Please also be assured that PADI monitors diver accident trends and the
possible causes of these incidents. Over the seven years that we have
now allowed the option for divers to complete the 300 yard snorkel
instead of the 200 yard swim, in addition to the 10 minute swim/float,
we have not seen any data which would indicate that divers are at any
greater risk of injury or death by completing the 300 yard snorkel swim
instead of the 200 yard swim.

Thank you again for your email. If you have any further questions or
if
I can help with anything else PADI-related please don't hesitate to
ask.

Sincerely,

Eric Albinsson
Training
PADI Americas
Emergency First Response, a corporate affiliate of PADI Americas Inc.
Phone: 949 858 7234 ext. 2299
Fax: 949 267 1255
Email: eric.albinsson@padi.com

Apparently, they felt that it was adequate.... But, they did respond within 7 days of receiving my email critical of their OW requirement.

Eric Albinsson Training PADI Americas:

Please be assured that PADI recognizes that an individual needs to be
able to swim must be reasonably comfortable in the water if they are to
be able to dive safely.

Click to expand...

Then why don't they require swimming?

they stated that they require a 300 yd snorkel or you could choose to do a 200 yd swim i am going through the open water certification now but i am using SSI they also required the 300yd snorkel did not give a choice to swim and had to complete the ten minute deep water tread we also had about 13 hours of pool time doing different skills and will do 5 open water dives in the open water portion they gave a optional home study program or you could come to class once a week for i think six weeks while this does not make you a perfect diver it did make me more comfortable with my equipment but as we know it is only a building block

samnewsom:

they stated that they require a 300 yd snorkel or you could choose to do a 200 yd swim

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My question remains, if they say "PADI recognizes that an individual needs to be
able to swim must be reasonably comfortable in the water if they are to
be able to dive safely." Why don't they require swimming?

Walter:

My question remains, if they say "PADI recognizes that an individual needs to be able to swim must be reasonably comfortable in the water if they are to
be able to dive safely." Why don't they require swimming?

Click to expand...

PADI:

The student diver must also have completed a 10 minute swim or float in water too deep to stand up in and without any swim aids. This swim/float requirement must actually be met before the students are allowed to participate in open water training dive number two and quickly identifies any individual who does not have reasonable comfort in the water.

Click to expand...

The person who replied apparently thinks that the thread equals knowing how to swim. I don't share that opinion, but there you go.

What bothers me about the swim requirement is how lax some instructors are with them. The spirit of the requirement is for a diver to be able to swim to the boat/shore. I've seen instructors allowing students to rest between pool laps. Sorry guys, there are no pool ledges every 25 yds in the ocean. <sigh>

Swimming, floating and snorkeling are three different things.

Walter:

My question remains, if they say "PADI recognizes that an individual needs to be
able to swim must be reasonably comfortable in the water if they are to
be able to dive safely." Why don't they require swimming?

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Because turning out competent divers is fine so long as it doesn't interfere with maximizing cash flow. How's that?

The PADI standards say in either the 200yd swim or 300yd snorkel it must be continuous. If they stop or pause the evaluation must be redone. Also my student do the 200yd swim. The 300yd snorkel is only an option that is allowed and i've only had one student request to take this option.

Scuba Brian:

The PADI standards say in either the 200yd swim or 300yd snorkel it must be continuous. If they stop or pause the evaluation must be redone. Also my student do the 200yd swim. The 300yd snorkel is only an option that is allowed and i've only had one student request to take this option.

Click to expand...

Yes... but Ive seen that standard not being enforced.