A few PADI VS SSI questions ...

[chemechie]

I am also looking at becoming a dive master and have the choice between PADI and SSI - I've heard people say that SSI is more rigorous; do you think that is true? Since I don't expect to use it much locally (where the only shop is SSI), I'm thinking PADI is a better idea since as mentioned above it is more common and one can be 'independent' instead if requiring shop affiliation. ANy comments?

 

[oly5050user]

oops.

 

[HIGHwing]

Without a doubt go PADI first, and then let a shop who needs something other than the majority pay for all/any crossover ratings. It should be just like aviation, it's the pilot's responsibility to fund learning how to fly, and then the guy with the jet hires a pilot and sends said pilot to type specific school for the owner's aircraft and insurance needs.

The SSI DiveCon and Instructor ratings are useless outside facilities you do not own, so it's clear the facility should pay for what the facility needs - IMHO.

Think of it this way, you pay to become an instructor and want to teach a family member? With that SSI rating you now have to grovel at the shop like a beggar if you want to do it for free. I've actually watched a local (to you) shop owner charge instructors for teaching an otherwise free course when the course was not even remotely associated with anything going on at the shop. With a PADI Instructor Rating you just go on down to the lake (or whatever) and knock it out all by yourself.

One other thing you should think about is insurance. There is a lot of "we're organized and we've got this handled..." conversations at many Local Dive Shops. But just remember that insurance is granted by the LDS and the LDS will take it away. We watched a local dive shop pull insurance coverage from staff members following an accident. I can't imagine why??? What you should take away from this is never put yourself in a position of having major liability exposures in your life run by other individuals. Go PADI, get quality training, and manage your insurance. By taking this approach you'll just have to sign a few pieces of paperwork to become an SSI instructor if you decide to do so in a future endeavor.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

One other thing you should think about is insurance. There is a lot of "we're organized and we've got this handled..." conversations at many Local Dive Shops. But just remember that insurance is granted by the LDS and the LDS will take it away. We watched a local dive shop pull insurance coverage from staff members following an accident. I can't imagine why??? What you should take away from this is never put yourself in a position of having major liability exposures in your life run by other individuals. Go PADI, get quality training, and manage your insurance. By taking this approach you'll just have to sign a few pieces of paperwork to become an SSI instructor if you decide to do so in a future endeavor.

Does this mean that in case of an incident, if you are working under the "umbrella policy" of a shop, the shop gets to decide if they want to extend coverage to cover the incident? What if you have been paying your percentage into the overall shop coverage?

 

[eponym]

Does this mean that in case of an incident, if you are working under the "umbrella policy" of a shop, the shop gets to decide if they want to extend coverage to cover the incident? What if you have been paying your percentage into the overall shop coverage?

I am an SSI instructor. My insurance is part of a shop-wide policy. It costs me one-fifth of what an independent instructor pays for the same coverage. The insurance policy covers me as an individual for all my work for one year. If I were to have a reportable incident the insurance company would step in to fight for me. The dive shop does not have any say in that.

Touch wood, 550 students and no incidents to date!

-Bryan

 

[HIGHwing]

Does this mean that in case of an incident, if you are working under the "umbrella policy" of a shop, the shop gets to decide if they want to extend coverage to cover the incident? What if you have been paying your percentage into the overall shop coverage?

What it means is that you could have insurance, and then suddenly be fired and have no insurance the next minute. Remember some (not all) policies are on a claims made basis. Certainly do your research. I would suggest these umbrella policies are nice conversation pieces, but experience shows you should insure your own butt.