Florida Atty Gen.: Miami guy sells fake course, PADI cards

[Omisson]

1. USN and NEDU have put out several table changes in recent years, including changes to ascent rates and TBT in 2008, as well as some dealing with tactical rebreather and a rewrite of SCUBA.

2. Not even sure where you get this stuff, certainly not from PADI since they have never taken this much credit. For example, with regard to RDP, in 1988 Ray Rodgers took the 1956 Tables, incorporated M values and other techniques to provide for additional conservatism turning them over to DSAT for testing. Certainly nowhere near the work and research of either Weinke (RGBM, used by NAUI since 1999) or Yount (VPM, 1991), and you somehow totally skip over Buhlmann (1983/4).

3. I have yet to see anything in the PADI OW student material (including the latest released last year) that discusses teaching or learning methodologies. That information is found in the OWSDI manual, where they actually talk about how to teach the course. I don't know why you would expect the USN Diving manual, a student manual and reference manual, to be any different.

1. It has never been a secret that the Navy Dive tables are designed for physically fit, males, between 18-30, who exercise daily (pt), and are generally speaking not in any way similar to the typical recreational diver...

2. DSAT is a PADI company- it's the Tec arm of PADI.

3. The U.S. Navy Manual has a completely different "angle" in scope and audience- as well as aim. A military diver has a completely different teaching methodology thrown at them because of the nature of the armed services it is not really cross compatible for the vast majority of folks diving... Including commercial and of course recreational.

The majority of teaching principles in scuba sprung out of the LA County and YMCA models that NAUI and PADI routinized and have evolved over the last 50+ years.

 

[boulderjohn]

The previous summary of the differences in the PADI/DSAT work and the Navy tables is missing a lot.

The Navy tables used the 120 compartment to guide surface intervals. This led to very long surface intervals on relatively short and shallow recreational dives, which was a problem for divers looking for a multiple dive day. PADI/DSAT reasoned that recreational sport divers were not doing the dives that Navy divers were doing, and they thought that the 120 minute compartment might not be the right one for those kind of dives. Using new Doppler bubble imaging testing on divers doing recreational level dives, they determined that for the vast majority of those dives, the 40 minute compartment could safely guide surface intervals. To add a measure of conservancy to that, they shortened the allowed lengths of the first dives and then used the 60 minute compartment instead of the 40 minute compartment their research said could have been used. As a result, divers following the PADI tables have sorter first dive NDLs, but they can get back in the water for a second dive much sooner. This was a great advance for recreational sport diving.

Take a look at those Navy tables, and you will see that the surface intervals wash out in 6 iterations of the 120 minute halftime, or 12 hours. The PADI tables wash out in 6 iterations of the 60 minute half time, or 6 hours. That is not a simple rebranding of an old table. That is a totally different table.

In addition, PADI/DSAT added many additional pressure groups to create fewer problems due to rounding off in big jumps.

 

[DandyDon]

Doral Scuba Op Accused Of Fraud Shut Down « CBS Miami

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – A scuba shop in Doral has been shut down by the state.

State Attorney General investigators found Ocean Hunters Inc.and its owner, Abdiel Falcon, intentionally misled people who purchased scuba diving certification courses.
The probe into the business practices of Ocean Hunters was initiated after several consumers filed claims alleging fraud and the issuance of counterfeit diving certifications.
Under an agreement filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Ocean Hunters and Falcon are permanently barred from doing any type of scuba diving business, including instruction and charter trips. Falcon also agreed to pay $50,000 in restitution.
Consumers who believe they may have been defrauded can contact the attorney general’s office to file a complaint.

 

[MB]

:shocked2: Shocking!! Fraud and Miami in the same sentence. Who would guess?

 

[Peter J]

I know this is an old thread, but i came across it while searching the web for how this ended up. I was one of the victims of this guy.
So, to settle most discussions in this thread, from first hand:
- The owner was a mediocre scuba divers, probably advanced certified at most, considering his buoyancy.
- He employed a dive master with appropriate skills
- They set up a 'PADI-like' program, with a few minutes of class room training, reading through illegal PDF of the PADI books
- They included 'open water' dives, which had almost no skill training, 3rd and 4th dive was just swimming around with him looking at fishies. Completely unsafe.
- After open water, the 'EXAM' was to be taken: download this scuba app, and send me a screenshot that you had >80% correct
- Card was printed in the shop, was resembling a PADI card, but if you've seen a real one, obviously a fake

The Yelp review i posted contains the more detailed story - its in the hidden review section at the bottom: Ocean Hunters Dive Center - CLOSED - 13 Photos - Outdoor Gear - Doral, FL - Reviews - Yelp

The business has been shut down since the last message in this thread,
see:
Ocean Hunters Inc. of Doral shut down by state after fraud allegations | News - Home

 

[LariatAdvance]

Surprised this isn't more common actually. It's easy enough to print your own on a blank PVC card if you have a scanner and work processing program and an actual cert card.
In 14 years, I've never had a dive shop go online to verify my cert card was genuine. All they've ever done was glance at it to see if my face matched the one on the photo, and paper clip it to my sheet I filled out for the charter and then put it in the charter boat folder.

 

[kelemvor]

Surprised this isn't more common actually. It's easy enough to print your own on a blank PVC card if you have a scanner and work processing program and an actual cert card.
In 14 years, I've never had a dive shop go online to verify my cert card was genuine. All they've ever done was glance at it to see if my face matched the one on the photo, and paper clip it to my sheet I filled out for the charter and then put it in the charter boat folder.

There probably wouldn't be anything wrong with doing that, either. As long as you didn't use an existing business name as your certification agency (e.g. padi).