PADI vs SSI, from instructor / dive shop owner point of view

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question to SSI instructors: do SSI standards allow to conduct "Deep Diver" specialty course at 19m depth?
Or, to be more precise: with all required dives being shallower than 30m.
SSI Standards:

Maximum Depth: All dives must be in excess of 18 metres (60 feet), two (2) dives should exceed 30 metres
(100 feet)
. Dives must not exceed 40 metres (130 feet).
 
SSI Standards:

Maximum Depth: All dives must be in excess of 18 metres (60 feet), two (2) dives should exceed 30 metres
(100 feet)
. Dives must not exceed 40 metres (130 feet).

> must
> should
> must

judging by the words used I assume that it is allowed by the SSI standards to issue "Deep Diver" certificate after 4 19m dives, same as PADI standards.
 
> must
> should
> must

judging by the words used I assume that it is allowed by the SSI standards to issue "Deep Diver" certificate after 4 19m dives, same as PADI standards.
The PADI Deep instructor outline uses the words recommended depth instead of must/should.

Both agencies set minimum and maximum boundaries. If you insist on going for the minimum required, you're fooling yourself. With 4 dives to 19m depth, you will not experience the effect(s) that narcosis has on you, you will not experience the air consumption at significant deeper depths, you will not see the NDL rapidly approaching zero.
Your instructor will determine what depth you dive to, based on your air consumption, the effects of narcosis, visibility, temperature and how you perform. And all within the agency's standards.
 
The reason that SSI requires the instructor to be affiliated with a shop was explained clearly in a workshop I attended directed by SSI Director Doug McNeese. The purpose of scuba instruction is to help the dive shop sell gear. A scuba instructor's primary job is to get students to buy gear. If the instructor is independent of a shop, then that purpose cannot be fulfilled.

That is disappointing to hear.

And I do not want that statement to start the knocking one agency verses the other routine.
 
<-- current Instructor for NASE (MI), SSI, SDI, PADI (AI): The difference is simple: Money. For me to issue a NASE cert, it is by far the cheapest cost for a student (below 1/2 that of PADI), SDI negotiates the rates so that is the next up tier; SSI (awesome E-learning site, far better than the other agencies and all the course's e-books are in many languages, so it's paperless: no more outdated books on your shelves), is more expensive than SDI/NASE but much less expensive to issue a cert than PADI. PADI has name recognition. Once you get past that, it is all on the instructor as to the differences.
 
<-- current Instructor for NASE (MI), SSI, SDI, PADI (AI): The difference is simple: Money. For me to issue a NASE cert, it is by far the cheapest cost for a student (below 1/2 that of PADI), SDI negotiates the rates so that is the next up tier; SSI (awesome E-learning site, far better than the other agencies and all the course's e-books are in many languages, so it's paperless: no more outdated books on your shelves), is more expensive than SDI/NASE but much less expensive to issue a cert than PADI. PADI has name recognition. Once you get past that, it is all on the instructor as to the differences.
unfortunately it applies to the US only, SDI is unknown in other parts of the world (unlike its tech sibling).
 
l do not consider other agencies as they hold insignificant market share

Does it really matter how much market share an agency has? Do the majority of new students start scuba already knowing the differences between agency brands and purposefully seek out a specific brand? Or do they look for a shop and sign up for scuba lessons from that shop - not even knowing that an agency is involved? It has been my experience that the latter is by far most often the case - new student's don't know about agencies, and sign up with the shop - not the agency. And even if they have heard of a particular agency, they don't know what difference an agency makes and can easily be redirected into whatever brand the seller offers. In fact, most divers (even SB members) can't describe the differences between most agencies in a meaningful way. So if most don't know the difference - especially at the start - then what difference does it make to most shop owners what agency they offer training through?
 
Does it really matter how much market share an agency has?
A couple of years ago a newly minted instructor started a thread in the Instructor to Instructor forum in which he complained about the fact that none of the local shops would hire him. How was he going to get experience as an instructor if no on would give him his first job? Someone asked what agency he now represented, and it turned out to be a little known agency with no affiliated shops in the area--or possibly in ANY area. When he revealed that, the response was "Duh! What did you expect?" A shop is only going to hire you to teach their classes if you are certified to teach for one of the agencies they use.

Market share does not count for everything, but it does matter for some things.
 
Based on the title and other posts by the OP in this string, I was asking the question from the dive shop owner (includes independent instructor) point of view - not the instructor who wants to get a job at any random dive shop point of view ....
 
Based on the title and other posts by the OP in this string, I was asking the question from the dive shop owner (includes independent instructor) point of view - not the instructor who wants to get a job at any random dive shop point of view ....
I was speaking generically about the potential for a variety of issues. A dive shop owner who decides to use a very obscure agency exclusively may have trouble finding instructors.
 

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