How prestigious is the PADI divemaster rating?

[temet vince]

In another thread, someone recommended that I start a thread about this.

I'm glad I'm getting my open water certification with PADI since it is the largest certification organization, so I know everywhere will accept my certification.

However, as I continue to dive, is PADI really that prestigious compared to other certification groups? In other aspects of life, popular doesn't always translate to best.

I know many people here are PADI certified Divemasters, and I'm not meaning to step on any toes. I was just looking for an honest answer. If I get into scuba diving, and I really want to become the best I can be, should I stick with PADI or are there other organizations that would better suit me?

Perhaps PADI is the best. I have no clue. That's why I'm asking. There was just another member that insinuated that PADI divemaster rating wasn't that great (comparatively), so I felt it was prudent to see how PADI is perceived by the diving community as a whole.

Thanks!

 

[BDSC]

If I get into scuba diving, and I really want to become the best I can be,

Being the best you can be will have nothing to do with which agency you go with. It will have everything to do with how much time, hard work, and practice you are willing to put into it.

PADI is fine as are all the others.

 

[soltari675]

From what I have seen, this tends to spark a debate with no definite answer. Some will say Padi is great, and like any certification, it provides you with all the tools you need to become a better diver. Others will say Padi is horrible and to go with NAUI or SSI or one of the many others. I am fairly new and a Padi diver, however, from what I have gathered from all the debates is it depends on the instructor more than the organization.

The organization just sets the standards on what you must know and be able to perform to earn the certification. I would like to see these standards from different organizations sometime as that is the only way to really judge them. The real factor though is the instructor you choose to teach you. No matter what organization you use, there will be horrible instructors. They won't care, or they will teach you the bare minimums to get your money and do the least work. It's sad, but you get that in any industry.

On the other hand, no matter what organization, you will find excellent instructors who will teach you everything they can and then some. They honestly care about you becoming a better diver.

So in the end, I would say rate the instructors more critically than Padi, NAUI, etc. Anyplace will accept the certification from the major agencies. But how well you were taught depends on the instructor. And also depends on how well you listen and actively want to learn.

Good luck!

 

[Crush]

"The World Recreational Scuba Training Council or (WRSTC) was founded in 1999 and is dedicated to creating minimum recreational diving training standards for the various scuba diving certification agencies across the world." (Wikipedia)

You don't need to be PADI-trained to dive anywhere in the world.

You and I have fewer than 100 dives, which is the minimum required to be a DM. Right now I do not feel that I would want to be DMing a dive if **** really hit the fan. I'd suggest continued training (e.g., AOW, SRD, MD, cavern, GUE, etc.) for now.

Once you start DMing you will need to pay annual fees to your certification agency to maintain your standing, plus maintain insurance. The money you earn as a DM may not cover those costs. Finally, many dive shops prefer to have DMs that are also instructors so that they can teach a well as lead dives.

In other aspects of life, popular doesn't always translate to best.

I agree with your suspicion.

If I get into scuba diving, and I really want to become the best I can be, should I stick with PADI or are there other organizations that would better suit me?

That might be a question of economics. If you are independently wealthy you might choose to be an NACD-trained cave instructor (just an example). If you want to try to make a living off of teaching, PADI might not be bad as it is a very popular certification agency. If you really want to make money you will likely need to do something like saturation diving for an oil company.

 

[captndale]

As a charter boat captain, I have to make a quick assessment of divers who come on my boat before I can decide what wrecks they may be qualified to dive. Certification level and certification agency are only two factors that I consider. In fact, they are not at the top of my list. That said, I find that most PADI DM's can be trusted to be able to dive in average conditions to moderate depths without too much trouble. I have, however, come across the exception.

 

[Ste Wart]

I think the best way to class it is as a stepping stone to greater things. It's the first step on the PADI/ Professional ladder, but that is all. You're at the beginning of your professional career when you achieve the rating and where you go from there is up to you.

It does not denote you as a better diver than anyone else. Only that you have trained to be useful as an assistant or a guide. It doesn't really comment on buoyancy skills, navigation skills etc etc.

Some people wear it as a badge to denote how great they are, the 'I'm a dive God' DM. Such people should be ignored and put in the DSD group rather than allow them near other fun divers.

Actually that said why torture DSD's

It's up to to make the most of your DM course and how you use it further on in life.

 

[temet vince]

Thank you all for the replies thus far. I wasn't expecting to have 5 different ones before I headed to class!

As a charter boat captain, I have to make a quick assessment of divers who come on my boat before I can decide what wrecks they may be qualified to dive. Certification level and certification agency are only two factors that I consider. In fact, they are not at the top of my list. That said, I find that most PADI DM's can be trusted to be able to dive in average conditions to moderate depths without too much trouble. I have, however, come across the exception.

From your experience, are there any certification agencies that consistently have better divers than others?

 

[MRadke]

The professional diver's that I became friends with in Mexico seemed to be of the opinion that the diver with the fanciest gear and a string of certification cards to go with it, was the one they needed to keep the closest eye on in the water. I heard quite a few humerous stories to back up those opinions.

 

[Doc]

You asked about "prestige" so I'll stick to the question.

Absolute Certification Agency Training Fact #327: Hot bikini-babe divers swoon over Divemasters... it sounds better intrinsically than a mere "Instructor"

(NOTE: Specific agency is seen as irrelevant with a ±3% deviation of the sample, principally noted amongst French girls because of CMAS, who are generally quite appealing until... but this is not really important because they still don't shave their armpits.)

N.B.: Go with the agency that has the best patches... just a personal tip.

Prestige? There you have it.

 

[boulderjohn]

If I get into scuba diving, and I really want to become the best I can be, ...

That is a much more challenging question than you realize because you are new to diving. It all depends upon how you define being the best you can be.

If you want to be the best you can be and if you stick with PADI, Divemaster is less than half way to the the best you can be in that organization. Even within that organization, there are options that are very different. You can go the instructor route (the path you are starting when you get the DM certification), or you can go into their technical diving program, or you can do both.

If you want to get into technical diving, there are all kinds of options, including cave diving, advanced wreck diving, and deep trimix diving and commercial diving. You will find a variety of agencies that specialize in those areas.

So do you want to be the best recreational diver you can be, the best recreational instructor you can be, the best cave diver you can be, the best trimix diver you can be, the best cave diving instructor, the best trimix instructor you can be... (etc. etc. etc.)?

The answer varies with what you really want to do.