Open Water Diver upgrade?

[jenniferbtheberge13]

I was just curious what I paid for...

I went to Dominican Republic and did "PADI Scuba Diver" with Neptuno Dive Center - Training and Education

PADI Scuba Diver was $220
and
Open Water Diver was $395

I started with "Discover Scuba Diving" - $95 (one dive) and then did another dive ($35) (totaled $130)

so they just said upgrade to "PADI Scuba Diver" for $90 more; so I did...

But I did all of the exercises before that and it was just a matter of me watching the video - and paying $90 more to get the card...

I am just curious how certification process should work? I feel that I paid all the money just for the PADI card... and when doing "Open Water Diver" - for $200 upgrade or so - person could know all of the things and know the charts...

 

[northernone]

The way you describe it, you've been scammed by an unscrupulous dive center who sold you a card instead of providing the training they are required to.

For a padi scuba diver certification you would need 3 training dives in "confined water" and 2 more in open water. That's 5 dives mimimum.

There is also a significant classroom (online or face to face with in instructor) required for the knowledge portion of the scuba diver cert.

The standards of the training organization sound like they have been violated. If you would like you, you can inform PADI quality control and they may help.

On a side note (most importantly!) Glad you love diving.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[oly5050user]

Do you have training log book with academic and confined water requirements filled in and signed off? Did you do all or any of required quiz, knowledge reviews in text book, final exam of 50 questions or PADI online with exam of quick review? Do you now own a required text book or have access to PADI online learning. These are all standards requirements and if not done you may not have received proper training and have been ripped off due to standards not followed by instructor. To upgrade you MAY need to take entire open water course with no credit towards what you have already done. All depends on what documentation you have in either a referral form and training log book. Need to know how to plan a dive using either RDP or eRDPml or use dive computer. Should of done complete open water course. With scuba diver certification you must dive with a divemaster or instructor who would need to be paid $$$ makes any dive more expensive for you, and cannot go deeper than 40 feet. If everything documented properly you only need to complete all remaining requirements for academics, confined water(pool) and open water dives .

 

[Johnoly]

...I am just curious how certification process should work?.....

You are NOT a certified PADI Open water diver.

Your card is for if you expect to go scuba diving primarily with a dive guide. This course is an intermediate step for earning an Open Water Diver certification,

 

[dcg69]

Dear Jenniferbtheberge1,

I'm sorry to hear your story.
As Cameron and oly5050 explained you already, the requirements ( theory, confined water and open water ) for PADI Scuba Diver are more extensive than just two DSD and watch a video to get your card.
Most likely you've been scammed by an unscrupulous instructor/resort.

PADI takes this matters very seriously, I would invite you to write to their Quality management department ( qm@padi.com ) and describe them what happened.
They will start an investigation, get the facts straight, check with the other involved party and there will be consequences for the instructor if confirmed that standards are violated.

Furthermore, PADI could offer you a new training in a trusted facility in your vicinity to re-issue your certification card.
I would also consider to complete your training as PADI Open Water Diver to be able to dive ( with a buddy ) without the assistance of a PADI professional.

Best of luck, and please keep up posted.

Cheers !