Change from PADI to CMAS

[carlos vieira]

I started my dive certification with PADI, but just before the last day of Rescue Diver course, the medical doctor have forbid me to continue as I will need to made a cirurgy in my spine.

The cirurgy was a success and after 1 year I was looking forward to complete the rescue course, as I have never stopped to read the manuals and made the exercices over and over.

So I as very disapointed as they told me I will need to start all over again (and paid for it). My buddy (a former CMAS instructor) think that I have all the knoledge and trainning need to be a Divemaster (or P3 in CMAS language).

We give me the advice that the better thing to do is to change from PADI to CMAS and jumping over the Rescue diver (as this degree no exist in CMAS).

[CMAS One]

Carlos - You friend is correct as to the lack of a rescue diver rating in CMAS. As with much of the training it is built into the two qnd three star diver programs. Since you live in Portugal you need to contact someone from that Federation and get set up with a club instructor. Here is the contact information from the main CMAS webpage:

PORTUGUESE UNDERWATER FEDERATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F.P.A.S. Code CMAS
POR/F00

President Vice-President Secretary
Sr. Joao Carlos GOMES PEDRO Sr. Antonio Luiz PACHECO Sr. Alberto Manuel VITOR BRAZ


Address Phone & Fax Internet
Rua JOSŽÉ FALCŽÃO, NŽ° 4, 2Ž°
1170-193
Lisbone ()
Portugal Tel1:+ 351/21/814 11 48
Tel2:+ 351/21/816 65 43
Tel3:351/939 48 07 41
Tel4:+ 351/939 43 07 43

Fax1:+ 351/21/814 11 48
Fax2: Email
porf00@cmas.org
fpas@fpas.pt
adm-porf00@cmas.org

Website
FPAS - Federação Portuguesa de Actividades Subaquáticas (http://www.fpas.pt)

Good luck with your training.

Regards,
Frank
Frank J. Toal Jr. , President
CMAS AMERICAS

[carlos vieira]

Thank You for the information.

As soon as possible I will contact FPAS to try to solve this problem. I don't know if is possible to make just the exam, skipping the course, because is very boring listen all the things all over again.

I know that some times is useful to make a reload, but since I spending all the time of recovery studding and as my buddy is a former dive instructor, it's very frustrating spend time and money in a course.

[scubadude79]

I am not sure what the requirements are from PADI that you actually pay the local dive center for the training. I know of some dive centers in the US that offer free training if so many other divers join the class with you, etc. You may want to see if they will work with you on the cost, especially since you seem to be dedicated to the training. As far as the redo of the actual class, if you have the time I think it would benefit anyone as we all know the more practice makes you better.

Anyway, good luck on whatever you decide for your career and glad to see that you recovered and able to dive!

[CMAS One]

Carlos - I cannot tell you what they will require but I can tell you that you will be surprised at how much more you will learn in the CMAS course than you will in a PADI course.

[Deefstes]

Just this past long weekend we went diving and a friend of ours who is OW certified through PADI did her 2 Star cert through CMAS on the trip. She kept commenting on how much more interesting and thorough the CMAS course was.

[CMAS One]

Deefstes - That is the usual response from people who have taken most any other organization then taken a course from CMAS. Others have abandonded proper training for the sake of speed and money.

CMAS One

[Redshift]

I know me answer comes a bit late, but I hope is still useful.

Although there isn't a specific Rescue course in CMAS, there are usually rescue specialities included in the CMAS diver progression. And when someone tries to cross over from one agency to another all the previous training and experience is taken into account. In the specific case between PADI and CMAS there is a formal agreement. And in it you can see that only a PADI Rescue Diver can access the CMAS P3 course.

You can see that in this pdf file: http://www.svazpotapecu.cz/usrfile/pdf/2/Dohoda_CMASxPADI.pdf

To Carlos in particular, you can look at the same information in Portuguese in FPAS website: FPAS - Federação Portuguesa de Actividades Subaquáticas (http://www.fpas.pt/acordos.asp)

You can also go to Frum de Mergulho (http://www.forum-mergulho.com) and discuss this with portuguese divers.

[carlos vieira]

But according with the Portuguese law the equivalence to P2 is OWD. If there are an agreement between CMAS and PADI I'm not aware.

[Screwbag]

A few friends of mine have gone from PADI DM and are only working under CMAS guidelines now. the classes are much more thorough than in the resort type schools...IMHO...

I'm Glad to have learned under CMAS...my wife learned PADI...and she didn't really learn much.

[elan]

Carlos - I cannot tell you what they will require but I can tell you that you will be surprised at how much more you will learn in the CMAS course than you will in a PADI course.

Yeah , that's very true. One of my instructors was showing us some CMAS training curriculum and it looked more thorough and advanced.

[CMAS One]

The only current agreement between CMAS and PADI is to recognize each others existence and give credit for the training done to allow a student to enter each others courses. That being said you have to realize that CMAS does not have as many segregated courses as PADI does. Many of the specialty skills PADI has classes for are contained in the core courses of CMAS. Thus a diver going from a CMAS course is going to be much more educated than a diver going the other way - Including Instructors. To quote John Wayne "No brag - just fact".

Cheers,
CMAS One

[Screwbag]

Is this agreement still in effect?

http://www.diver.ru/educ/cmas/cmas_padi_agr.pdf

[-Franco-]

OK, this thread is a bit older and my reply probably too late, but for all the people with a similar question:

At this point you are an AOWD ... if you want to switch to CMAS you have to continue with the CMAS ** (you need SC Orientation and group leading) and I would also think about SC Stress & Rescue

The CMAS *** can only be attended when you are a certified PADI Rescue Diver

regards
Franco

[OceanEd]

Frank:

To say CMAS instructors are so much better trained than PADI instructors is absolute crap and you should know it. I am amazed how you take every opportunity to fire cheap shots at PADI.

You can't possibly make that statement because CMAS instructors in different countries are trained in different ways and to different standards. Why don't you stop trying to portray CMAS as being this one great organization which it is NOT. It is merely a loose confederation of diving organizations in different countries who have different standards. Some of those standards are VERY loose. In fact, in some countries the CMAS organization allows non instructors to teach the divers without an instructor even being present.

Carlos:

PADI has the requirement that you ahve to complete all training for a class within one year or it is not valid. It is up to an instructor or dive shop what is done if it is longer than a year. Personally, I would have reviewed what you already had done with you and then completed your training. If you had started with me or our shop and initially paid for the Rescue Diver course I would have finished you for free. My opinion is that you only pay once and you have me for life.

No, this is not a PADI policy, just mine.