For those considering the PADI Deep Diver speciality...

[Divor]

The manual can be summarised as follows:

"It's the same, only deeper. Please buy our other specialities as well."

What a rip-off.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I found pretty much all the agency deep diver texts pretty lame ... which is why I ended up writing my own material for that specialty.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[RJP]

The manual can be summarised as follows:

"It's the same, only deeper. Please buy our other specialities as well."

What a rip-off.

"It's the instructor, not the manual."



But seriously...it's true.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm with Bob on this one. I picked up a copy of Jeppeson's advanced diver manual just to have in my library. The deep section is truly lacking in a number of respects. In others it is ok as it does go into deco theory and gas management to a degree. But like Bob I will be using the deep portion of the AOW course I wrote as a base for training in deep and using my NAUI tech material, Tom Mount's Encyclopedia of Mixed Gas Diving, and Gary Gentile's Tech Diver Encyclopedia. Then take the best of those along with the latest research and techniques and incorporate those into a deep course I'd feel comfortable with as having enough material to allow a diver to safely BEGIN to approach diving beyond the recommended OW limit of 60 feet. SEI divers are currently technically certified to 100 feet at the OW level. The issue is due to the direction other agencies have taken most ops do not recognize this and frankly before I'd advise a student it was ok to do they would need to gradually work up to those depths. Ideally they would do so with an instructor but with a thorough OW class and good judgment and proper attitude it is doable on their own.

 

[ScubaSteve]

The manual can be summarised as follows:

"It's the same, only deeper. Please buy our other specialities as well."

What a rip-off.

They truly are a marketing company. Obviously they are doing well at that.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

ANd to be fair there are PADI instructors out there who have the same attitude as the OP and therefore go beyond the prescribed course and teach a good deep specialty. You just have to look for them.

 

[ScubaSteve]

There is good and bad in almost everything. The COURSE is much more than just the manual. While the manual may be a joke, the course/education is what you AND the instructor make it. As Jim says, There are some great instructors who recognize the failures in the content and make up for it (as Jim and Bob do) but even the best instructor cannot teach the worst student if the are not open to learn (edit....this was stated as a generalization and not referencing the OP).

 

[JKPAO]

I have often heard There is no such thing as a bad student!
See you topside! John

 

[Divor]

While the manual may be a joke, the course/education is what you AND the instructor make it. As Jim says, There are some great instructors who recognize the failures in the content and make up for it (as Jim and Bob do)

I completely agree. The guys from Perth Scuba here in Australia are excellent instructors, but the content of the PADI courses is laughable. I've been certified in October 2009 and have since undertaken some courses and been diving quite a lot, but I really hate having a book in my library that doesn't contribute to the general body of knowledge in there, especially when I'm just starting out.

The course will be taking place at the Key Biscane sunken oil rig (26 - 42 meters) and I expect it to be awesome and I'm sure it will make me a better diver. As an academic I like to wrap my head around things, and the PADI stuff just isn't cutting it.

I feel that there is a disconnect between the way PADI looks at people (dumb) and the reality of the people attending the courses. I guess that's the marketing side of things.

Another consideration is that quite a few boat operators demand a deep diver certification for the deep dives, and that the PADI certified "minimum minimorum" is worthless as a distinct qualification and thus more a formality than a genuine insurance, or at least some kind of risk buffer, other than the included deep dives in the course, of course.

 

[SkimFisher]

The manual can be summarised as follows:

"It's the same, only deeper. Please buy our other specialities as well."

What a rip-off.

Not surprising