PADI?

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I agree with almost all posts. Diving is diving. A few really important basic rules of physics and equipment and a good dose of common sense. Agencies can't really vary much at all on this stuff. I know standards and course time allotments can vary somewhat by agency.
PADI is different than most in that it is the biggest agency worldwide, and to my knowledge is a for profit business. Still, the SCUBA rules are the same.
 
Wouldn't worry about it at all. The local dive shop I took the OW course from taught PADI (1998.) Today they teach SDI. Still the same, good people running the place.

From what I pick up, PADI tends to push courses (other agencies may be guilty of this too), rush divers through programs and reward dive centers based on their revenue production with little regard to quality.

I wouldn't say courses are pushed, but offered. We have the option to take them or not take them - depends on what a particular end game is as to whether other courses are taken. It was only 4 years ago I took the AOW course - never had anyone tell me or push me to take it - just decided to do it on my own. Did someone tell you that you should take another course?

Regarding rushing divers through a course - I think some of that depends on what dive center a person is taking the course from. When people take courses while vacationing, such as at dive resorts, it is possible that courses are rushed as vacationers only have so many days they will be there. I felt that way when I did the AOW while in Mexico but I didn't care as I wanted to hurry through it as I had done everything in the 5 dives I did many times already. Had I taken the course through my local dive shop, there is no doubt in my mind I would have received a more thorough instruction in and out of the water - yes, and become a better diver.

Do PADI divers tend to be over confident or jerks?

Any diver can be over-confident or a jerk - most divers have a story or two. Doesn't have to be PADI divers. I couldn't tell you what organization the divers I've been on boats with are - who cares?

It may be more dependent on the instructor versus the agency and I'll say that our instruction did not let anyone take any shortcuts; everyone had to do everything.

That's the ticket!! Doesn't make ant difference what the organization is.
 
Don't mistake dislike of the organization for prejudice against the divers that come out of it. I see a lot of the former, but very little of the latter.
 
I think that in many cases padi hate as the OP calls it. is misplaced. MOst any course is totally dependant on the instructor. there are unique aspects to padi that makes it inviting to instructors to teach under padi. That draws many instructors that are in it for the buck to choose padi as their agency. I cant say for certain but from talking to many, what constitutes sat demonstration of skills is lacking or the documentation of training is such that there is no check and ballance when it comes to good training compared to lax training. It is much the same relationship to getting a participation certificate upon completion of OW as opposed to getting something meaningful. Another analogy is to say that instead of accrediting a student based on intent it is done on letter of padi law as far as minimum standards. And that is absolute minimum standards. You did it once with a lot of help so that is good enough to call profecient. I have seen many instructors that from the start will say that if they gt a card with that instructors name on it it will mean something. There is a great gap between showing the ability to perform and performing. Its much like taking a test scoring a 50 but saying you understand what your mistakes are and never having to prove you really under stand your mistakes. There are instructors on here and not that can cite standards page and paragraph, but at the end of the day issue cards to the unworthy. Then there are the other part of training and that is the student. Many students do not want to put the effort into learning skills, rather they put in the time to get the card with minimal effort and get minimal results. Nothing says quality training more than being the proud hlder of an aow CARD AND DOING WHAT APPEARS TO BE RIDING A BICYCLE up a steep hill AT 60 FT 20 MINUTES INTO A DIVE WITH 800 PSI LEFT IN YOUR TANK. This aspect is not by any means limited to any one agency. and yes because there are more padi instructors and students around the odds of being a padi card holder is much greater than any with other agency. What I have generally seen is that. quite often (again with teh bias of so many padi instructors) pasi tends to say you knwo your problems and know what you have to work on after you complete the course and dive on your own. Other agencies say you have things to still have to work on before you can get you card. Ive seen that most recently with a RAID instructor. Is that agency policy or an instructor policy??? IDK. I know of a lot of instructors on here that sound like great instructors and then there are many that are not. There are many that will say they are thorough because they go beyond the basic course skill requirements. When it comes to things like trim and buoyancy I dont expect anyone out of OW top have that down. but I do expect that any student should be at least close and not dragging things in the silt or environment. I dont expect a student to be an expert in using a compass. but I dont accept that telling a student to go north 5 kick cycles and then return a valid completed qualification standard to issue a card on either. There is too much emphasis on quantity and not quality controlling issuing of cards imo by padi. Opinion yes but again when 90% of divers are doing so with padi cards most poor divers are gong to be form padi. What cant be written off on the 90% is that when you find a diver that looks really good and you chat with them they either have a lot of dive time or if new they are not normally a padi diver.
 
If everything in a PADI course is covered the way it’s supposed to be then the training is fine for basic recreational diving.
It’s when the courses get cut short or people who can’t really do the skills to a satisfactory level pass anyway is when the agency gets a bad rap. This sort of thing happens with other agencies too, but since PADI is the biggest most of the stories will be about PADI.
If you want to talk about which agency is the biggest offender with passing incompetent instructors and a few stories I heard of a complete joke of an OW class, let me just say it wasn’t PADI but another agency that has been around longer. Take a guess which one.
Absolutely pathetic!
 
It's about the diver. Whether or not you master, apply and refine the skills depends on you, and how often you get in the water to do so, whether self-taught from careful observation or under supervision of people with those skills.

Find a good instructor/buddies and dive with them. A lot. It doesn't really matter whose card they give you at this point.

Until you have 50+ proper dives, you are still a beginner...or a PADI Divemaster already, LOL
 
Just interested to know what I've got myself into...

You got into the biggest and more commercial agency. PADI usually just ensure that you dive safely and don't damage the environment. This is fine if you don't dive often. A good PADI instructor will also raise up the bar for you in terms of skills if you're interested in it. This is fine if you dive often.

(Other agencies focus more on skills development if you are interested in it, but the discussion can get complicated; the instructor always plays the big role in your choices)

... and if I should hide the fact that I got my certification via PADI.

It's the other way around. When you meet someone judging you badly because your card is PADI, you know it's better to avoid this person. Seriously.
 
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