Onlinescubalessons/Aquatrophics/SDA/David Holt

[wreckchick]

I'm trying to get this to as many people as possible so it's here, but if another place would be more suitable, feel free to move it.

From the Undersea Journal, First Quarter 2009 (page 103)

Special Notices: July-September 2008

Aquatrophics, USA; Please note that neither David Holt, Aquastrophics, SDA (Scuba Divers of America) nor onlinscubalessons.com have been PADI Members at any time. Please also note that the academic program offered by these three entities is not valid for PADI Open Water Diver referrals nor certification. (WRSTC Posting 3 April 2006: "At a recent meeting, the members of the Recreational Scuba Training Council determined it was important to provide collective clarification regarding agency-neutral online training programs. On these sites, the customer is lead [sic] to believe that all trainning agencies will accept these programs to meet their academic requirements for scuba training. This is not correct. Because of concerns about the educational validity of these programs and the inability to monitor the quality of education and services, as well as liability and insurance issues, each RSTC member organization has independently determined it cannot accept these non-affiliated training programs to meet its academic requirements. Before customers sign up for any online training program, they should first check with the retail store, instructor or training agency they wish to receive certification through to verify if that online program is acceptable for meeting the training agency's requirements."

Rachel

 

[Jan Falk]

We are new to this industry. My son simply wanted to become certified for scuba so that he could dive in various places when we go on vacations, etc. I feel like we have delved into one of the most unregulated and corrupt of industries. He signed up for the online course through whichever fake front they are going by today: ONLINE Scuba.com, Scuba Divers of America, SDA or David Holt. My son took the course material, which I understand is almost exactly like the PADI course, who seems fairly inbreed and corrupt as well. We got the certificate, etc., which appears to show that this guy credentials himself. Is there no federal agency who monitors this kind of fraud? Is it fraud? Could it be used to do the next step of classes? Who accepts it? If the answer is, no one, then it is fraud. Jan falk, LCSW

 

[Lemna]

Apparently not many agencies will accept it. There has been a notice on the Padi website for quite some time.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4194869

 

[oly5050user]

No reputable instructor or training agency will accept SDA certificate, maybe in a 3rd world country where human life/rights are not a concern to the operator....Also I am sure that many PADI instructors along with instructors from other agency's will be offended as I am, by the remarks, , the OP made here about the industry.. Individuals in any industry/activity can be corrupt. Most all in the dive industry love the activity and want it to be enjoyed in a fun , safe manner.
The industry is self regulated ..Anything else,such as federal regulated, would no doubt add to the overall cost of the activity to a point that many would be excluded from participating.

I would suggest to call credit card company and dispute the charges ASAP..

 

[Wookie]

We are new to this industry. My son simply wanted to become certified for scuba so that he could dive in various places when we go on vacations, etc. I feel like we have delved into one of the most unregulated and corrupt of industries. He signed up for the online course through whichever fake front they are going by today: ONLINE Scuba.com, Scuba Divers of America, SDA or David Holt. My son took the course material, which I understand is almost exactly like the PADI course, who seems fairly inbreed and corrupt as well. We got the certificate, etc., which appears to show that this guy credentials himself. Is there no federal agency who monitors this kind of fraud? Is it fraud? Could it be used to do the next step of classes? Who accepts it? If the answer is, no one, then it is fraud. Jan falk, LCSW

So, your son wanted to get certified and you, what, found the cheapest and easiest online class available that you could do from the comfort of your home, didn't do much research, if any, because you chose an SDA certification, and when you google SDA, the third and fourth hits are folks questioning the quality of the agency, and now you want to know if it's legit? Take some responsibility here for yourself. It's what diving is about.

Scuba diving is an expensive sport. When your son gets serious about getting certified, have him check out a PADI, NAUI, SSI, SDI, or one of the cornucopia of dive shops in your area. Go in, meet the instructor, interview him or her, audit a class, and get a feeling for the quality of instruction your son will receive when entering an environment where a mistake can easily compound itself into a serious injury or fatality. Allowing your son to take a course of instruction such as the one taught by SDA would be akin to child endangerment, in my not so humble opinion. I'm sure you're familiar with the term.....

 

[boulderjohn]

So, your son wanted to get certified and you, what, found the cheapest and easiest online class available that you could do from the comfort of your home, didn't do much research, if any, because you chose an SDA certification, and when you google SDA, the third and fourth hits are folks questioning the quality of the agency, and now you want to know if it's legit?

Actually, I don't think he did get certified. I think that's the beef.

SDA offers online academics and then says plainly and clearly on its web site that all agencies, including PADI, will accept its online academics in lieu of their own online academics. Graduates are instructed to take their certificate to another agency to get the pool and open water work done without having to pay for the academic portion. Of course, that is pure BS. No matter what it says on the web site, no agency accepts SDA course work in lieu of their own.

Is it fraud? Absolutely.

So what can you do about it? I have no good idea. I wrote an official letter of complaint to the Arizona Attorney General a few years ago after someone else mentioned this rip off artist on another thread. I got no reply, and that letter seems to have been ignored. It may be because I was not the injured party. I suggest you try that yourself, and if the AG is perfectly content to have someone perpetrating an obvious fraud within the state, there is not much you can do about that.

The other thing you can do is sue in small claims court in Lake Havasu. Now, that may seem like a lot of effort to recover only a few bucks, but you should be able to sue for your costs of travel as well. Since the case is so open and shut, the court will probably give you every dime you ask for up to the small claims maximum.

The third thing you can do is contact the local police in Lake Havasu and see if they are interested in this. That will save you some effort and expense if they do take it on. Don't hold your breath, though. I have some friends who were involved in something along those lines. The act affected them in Colorado and is criminal, but the perpetrator did it from his home in South Florida. The local police there have no interest whatsoever in pursuing it, since the criminal is not affecting its citizenry. (Apparently they are quite happy to have criminals living and acting in their vicinity as long as the acts are not performed on local people.) Our local police will have to act on it instead, but they are not happy about having to travel to South Florida to deal with a relatively minor crime.

 

[crosshairs]

if your a hit and run poster, you will probably never see this, but if you do, and your son is serious about getting certified, have him join the forum and do some reading.
There are a few threads about that agency right on this forum, and this is exactly where I learned that they were a fraud.

Scuba is a great sport, but one that needs to be taken seriously and one that is not cheap....you can learn a lot right here and save yourself from making any further mistakes .

 

[DandyDon]

I hope you get your credit card payment back, which should be doable as fraudulent as this sounds. I got to wonder how this crook can go on with the same game for 4 years or more in plain sight? I guess not enough victims filing complaints.

 

[Jan Falk]

Is the content of his course the same as the PADI one? It appears to be, in that case, there would be no "danger" in taking it, it is just PADI who is corrupt and inbreed. Jan Falk, LCSW (actually a regulated and credentialed industry)

 

[Hickdive]

Presumably those colleges that offer graduate degrees would be "corrupt and inbreed" (sic) if they objected to Joe's Barber Shop and Delicatessen offering a course with the same content as their own and then insisting that they recognise it?

You've been scammed, I'm sorry about that and I hope you get your money back but you can't really blame anyone but yourself for falling for it.

As for "danger", you're asking an instructor from another agency to take someone with unknown diving knowledge into the water. There might not be any "danger" to the student but there sure as hell is "danger" to the instructor if something goes wrong and they wind up being sued.

I can just imagine the scene;

Attorney: "Well, Mr PADI Instructor, how did you know the deceased had been trained not to hold his breath during ascents and the reason why during the academic portion of his course?"

PADI Instructor: "He had a certificate from Billy Bob's Online Scuba and Bait Shack that said he'd done the equivalent of the PADI Open-Water Diver academic course"

Attorney: "No further questions."