SSI certification if PADI certified?

[Ben Prusinski]

How would I obtain the equivalent SSI certification with my current PADI certification? Is it possible for example to get the equivalent SSI AOW certification if one is PADI AOW certified? If so how does this work? Most of the live aboard ships like Aggressor are SSI focused versus the dive resorts which are mostly affiliated with PADI.

[fisheater]

No need.

If a dive op, land or sea-based wants OW or AOW, they won't care if it's PADI, SSI, NAUI, BSAC or any other recognized agency.


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[soonerwink]

There is no need to get an SSI cert if you already have the PADI equivalent. There is no differance, they are both accepted and recognized by all dive ops that I know of. If you decide to go pro in the future, which ever agency you choose will accept certs from both. The pro certs PADI divemaster, SSI dive-con are not interchangeable.

[Ben Prusinski]

Thanks!

[mmintz]

There are some pros and cons of both SSI and PADI. If you would like to go pro in the future send me a PM and we can discuss the pros Vs. cons but for a regular old dive trip you will be fine with either SSI or PADI. On a side note, make sure your dive experience is appropiate for the types of dives you will be doing on the trip. For example if you are a PADI AOW, have taken a deep course, have 24 or less dives and only have broken 60 feet for your deep course and spend the rest of your dives at 40 feet or less, you don't want to book a trip where a lot of the diving, especially the cool stuff will be done in the 80-100+ foot range you probably don't want to book the trip until you have more dives under your belt, especially in the deeper depths.