Is this PADI instructor still licensed to teach?

[Antarctic-Adventurer]

My girlfriend has found an instructor that she wants to take her PADI OW Advanced with. I ran his instructor number through PADI Pro Chek (PADI Pro Chek) and got the following result, see attached picture.

I have only ever seen green check marks before, but what does this red stop sign actually mean? There is no legend. Does it mean he is suspended, unable to teach, or issue certificates, or what exactly?

 

[sharkbait69]

He probably hasn't kept his insurance and padi membership current.

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

My best guess for this would be that he is past due on his insurance and therfore unable to issue cards intill he gets his insurance back up. I would talk to this instructor and see if this is indeed the case and if so how does he plan to fix it. I had the same problem with my NAUI instructor and waited months for my AOW card. Best thing to do is to talk to him before you spend the money. You may need to seek another instructor.

 

[Antarctic-Adventurer]

OK, thanks for the replies. Looks like we want to avoid this guy.

I haven't told him I ran a PADI Pro Chek on him, he doesn't know that I am a DM or know anything about diving. I just asked him if he was current and was able to issue licenses and he assured us he was. That's why I was a little confused when I saw this.

So it looks as though he can't issue licenses then I guess....

 

[DevonDiver]

If it's just his renewal/insurance, then he can sort that in 30 mins with an online payment. He must do that before starting to teach a course though.

I didn't renew yet this year, because I was in a dusty place and couldn't dive. I'd do it immediately if a student booked a course though.

It isn't necessarily a sign of a bad or sloppy instructor. If you (or your girlfriend) otherwise like the guy, then why not just be straight with the guy and ask him?

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

If it's just his renewal/insurance, then he can sort that in 30 mins with an online payment. He must do that before starting to teach a course though.

I didn't renew yet this year, because I was in a dusty place and couldn't dive. I'd do it immediately if a student booked a course though.

It isn't necessarily a sign of a bad or sloppy instructor. If you (or your girlfriend) otherwise like the guy, then why not just be straight with the guy and ask him?

I agree Talking to him is the best way to find out. My instructor was broke as with everyone else in this economy. He needed to come up with $565 to make his payment to be able to Cover students and issue cards. Like said above he may be just waiting to renew his insurance till he has students. No need to spend the money otherwise. Tell him you looked him up and was just wondering about the issue. If he gets offended then that shows signs of some shady stuff. Dont let this just be the reason to give up on an instructor you want to work with give him the opertuinity to explain him self.

 

[scubadiver888]

Some instructors might not know they are out of status and as Andy says, they just need to make a call and get things cleared up.

If he is actually suspended you might be able to find out by going to the public PADI website. At the bottom is a link for Quality Management. On the Quality Management page if you drill down you will find Consumer Alerts - Quality Management Reports - PADI Scuba Diving Training Society. This will tell you if the instructor is suspended, not really a PADI instructor, on probation, etc.

 

[knotical]

It could also be an error on the PADI procheck page. In that case, a simple call from the instructor to PADI should get it fixed.

 

[oly5050user]

Looks to me that he has not been authorized to teach since 2009. His last time that he /she was authorized was 2008.Would be a responsible thing as a DM to call PADI and inform them of his attempt to portray himself as an instructor before someone gets hurt.If he has not renewed in 2 years he most likely cannot teach until attending some kind of an update thru PADI.He may have also had membership revoked because of issues not known here.

 

[Crowley]

also consider contacting PADI directly. Their new website has suffered some teething problems so it might be down to that - a phone call / email might say different. If he is under investigation for crimes against fish then they may let you know this also. Furthermore, if he is a bad person and advertising himself as current when he is in fact not renewed or suspended, they will eliminate him out of the equation permanently.

Cheers

C.