Advanced Diver Certification PADI -> SDI

[leechj]

Hi All,

I received my Open Water Certification right before I went to Jamaica for my brother's wedding. While I was in Jamaica, there was an opportunity to get an Advanced Open Water certification through PADI. I took advantage of this and will be receiving my card in the coming weeks. However, my home dive shop is SDI and I was wondering if they would accept this PADI card. I just looked at SDI's advanced program on their website and they require 25 dives. I only have 11 after completing my PADI Advanced Certification (I guess they didn't have that requirement). Did I waste my money? Can I continue doing SDI Specialty certifications if I have a PADI advanced Cert? Thanks for any help!
-Nate

 

[KJackson60]

Hello leechj,
First, congratulations on becoming a certified diver. This is truly a unique sport and will literally open whole new worlds to you. As far as your questions I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. PADI's Advanced Open Water course most closely compares to SDI's Advanced Adventure Diver. Both courses are a way to further your dive experience by "sampling" select skills from other specialties. This can be very helpful not only with skill development but also in helping you decide what aspects of diving you are most interested in such as Deep, Wreck, Naturalist, etc. Most agencies will accept other agencies Diver Rankings at face value how ever there may be exceptions depending on what you want to do. Your PADI AOW ranking will work if you want to take the SDI Rescue Diver Course. It will not if you want to dive the Andree Doria.

As far as SDI specialty certs, I believe your PADI AOW ranking will work just fine for most of them. Your local dive shop can help you there as far as any prerequisites you may need as far as experience or additional training you may need for a particular course.

Was your PADI AOW course a waste of money? Only you can answer that. Did you come away from the course a more confident, more aware, a more proficient diver than you were before the course? If so then it was not a waste of money. I know I got a lot out of my PADI AOW class and I took it after I had completed about 25 dives.

I hope this helped.

K. Jackson

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

PADI's Advanced Open Water course most closely compares to SDI's Advanced Adventure Diver.

Exactly.