British Expert Bashes Padi

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cdiver2

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From Undercurrent, The Guardian, BBC, and other sources.

Training courses for scuba divers were branded as "madness" by scuba experts in early August as a coroner heard how three divers died in separate accidents off the British coast.

Dr. Pholip Bryson said he was amazed that divers could call themselves "Advanced" after fewer than 10 sessions in open water. He singled out PADI for particular criticism. He said its methods had forced others to streamline there training programs.

Bryson head of the Diving Diseases Research Center said; "people want to be advanced divers. They want that certificate and they are willing to pay for it.
We have people presently in diving who feel they are advanced but have no experience whatsoever. The diving community needs to be totally re-educated".

A police diver, Peter Tapper, told the hearing that "the process moves far too quickly because there is an element of money". Concerns are mounting that the certificates are to easy to obtain and that some divers are being caught up in the rugged conditions around the UK after learning to dive in the less harsh Mediterranean or Caribbean.

Mark Jackson, 41 who died last year, had learned to dive in the Mediterranean and had limited experience. He embolized. His diving buddy, who ran short of air, had made only a hand full of dives and was frightened and disorientated because she had never come across currents and swells before. Jackson had seen his Dr about high blood pressure, obesity, asthma and depression___but declared none of these on his PADI medical form. He had drunk a bottle of wine and several Vodkas the night before and had complained of sweatiness and indigestion just before the dive.

Novice diver Albert Tyhecott, 65 died in June, after coming to the surface too quickly from 21 meters. Christopher Sidgwick, 40, was wreck diving with friends. He became confused and breathed from his smaller back-up-tank___which was empty when he was brought to the surface___rather than his main tank that remained full. He had completed a wreck diving course at a lake two weeks before.

Bryson said British training agencies had to streamline there courses to compete with PADI. He said "PADI has brought that reduction in training down and they claim they have done it with valid data and that there are very few problems. Other UK based diving groups that had longer training regimes have had to come into line, "I do not believe that someone with eight dives should be classified as an advanced diver; That is madness, end of conversation."

In fact the minimum number of open water dives for an advanced open water certificate is nine. Mark Caney, a PADI VP, said the system was tried and tested.
"We have a lot of data about the efficacy of our system and the vast majority are out there diving quite happily. But accidents do occur. In nearly every case, there is at least one instance where a main diving rule was flouted and that is nearly always the cause of the accidents.
 
cdiver2:
Jackson had seen his Dr about high blood pressure, obesity, asthma and depression___but declared none of these on his PADI medical form. He had drunk a bottle of wine and several Vodkas the night before and had complained of sweatiness and indigestion just before the dive.
Yep. Definitely a PADI training problem.
 
Yes, right, PADI is the root cause of all evil.

Happy now?
 
what so many people miss is the fact that padi doesn't have an "advanced diver" course, it is "advanced open water" a course designed to advance the skills of basic divers.
 
stevead:
what so many people miss is the fact that padi doesn't have an "advanced diver" course, it is "advanced open water" a course designed to advance the skills of basic divers.

Splitting hairs, wouldn't you say? And if this is PADI's intent it is rather disingenuous, not to say misleading. "Advanced" means "advanced," not "designed to advance."
 
While I am a big proponent of people taking responsibility for their actions (the Big Mac didn't make you fat, YOU made YOU fat by eating 20 of them!), I do agree that calling the next step of the process an "advanced" diver is very misleading. I don't have any axe to grind with PADI as I believe others use this terminology as well. For my PADI AOW class I felt like I didn't really learn anything significantly different but rather it was just a chance to go out and do some other kinds of dives (night, deep, ...). Great experiences but not anything that will make me significantly more competent as a diver or focus more on the safety skills beyond the super-basic stuff in OW.

I don't know if anyone believes they have "advanced" skills because they passed the AOW course (seems pretty foolish to me but people do surprise me a lot) but I do believe it is a misnomer and may inspire those with small brain pans to overreach. Also, at least in my OW class, AOW was pushed as something I should do right away. Personally I don't see why except that it will keep some people diving that might just get the OW c-card and never do it again (not the best reason in my book). I would say people should be out diving a bunch first, getting their skills down, etc. on dives that are reasonable for their skills and with buddies that are capable of helping them in case something goes wrong. The AOW class can wait (although it is a gateway to the rescue course which from what I hear is a valuable class to take).

Bottom line, even though I am one of the "4 dive wonders" that got his OW via PADI I am actually a supporter of what some on SB are advocating where the old school diving training (that took weeks) is brought back. Probably not realistic given the quick gratification expectations people have but might make for more safe divers. I wouldn't mind going and taking that kind of course myself.
 
cdiver2:
Mark Jackson, 41 who died last year, had learned to dive in the Mediterranean and had limited experience. He embolized. His diving buddy, who ran short of air, had made only a hand full of dives and was frightened and disorientated because she had never come across currents and swells before. Jackson had seen his Dr about high blood pressure, obesity, asthma and depression___but declared none of these on his PADI medical form. He had drunk a bottle of wine and several Vodkas the night before and had complained of sweatiness and indigestion just before the dive.
An interesting way to commit suicide ... but seein's how he lied on his medical form and violated some of the basic stuff that you get taught in OW class, one can hardly blame PADI for this man's death ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
EvilSlumLord:
I don't know if anyone believes they have "advanced" skills because they passed the AOW course ....

Most boat operators do.... you cant go do boat dives without an AOW card nowadays....... I agree with you on your statements, but the market follows suit with the credentials that are given out. Even if these are not always making people better divers. Thye only way to become a better diver is to gain experience and knowledge (as well as being able to apply this).
 
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