How to verify if someone is PADI instructor

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Call 1-800-PAY-PADI and you can verify his instructor status.

You should ask him for his instructor number (every instructor should know it by heart) and plug it into PADI Pro Chek

That will verify his status. IMHO, it is a very serious offense to claim to be an instructor when you are not and he NEEDS to be reported if he isn't. Are you sure he is claiming to be PADI?

His exact words "I am a padi instructor."
 
His exact words "I am a padi instructor."

He would definitely know his instructor number and you could plug it in.

I am rather curious to know why you doubt his instructorship...
 
He would definitely know his instructor number and you could plug it in.

I am rather curious to know why you doubt his instructorship...

So am I lol. I've known some genuine instructors who really had no business being instructors...

This reminds me of when I first started my divemaster class. A friend of mine introduced me to a guy at a party as someone who was a "serious diver." He told me he had his "master diver."

me: "Cool....what specialties did you take?""

him: "Oh....all of them..."

me: "Really?? That's um...dedication. PADI must love you! Well I'm doing the divemaster class next month." At this point I'm mildly quizzical.

him: "yeah. Divemaster, master diver, same thing."

He got a nice long blank stare before I just turned and walked away.
 
He would definitely know his instructor number and you could plug it in.

I am rather curious to know why you doubt his instructorship...

You would just have to know him. Think of someone you know that is completely untrustworthy and imagine that person told you they were an instructor.

Also he knew for 6 weeks we were going through training and he didn't mention it until we are 1 class from completion.

I am going to email my instructor and see if he will check his name.
 
It's just hard for me to imagine that he is actually an instructor - really really hard.

Either way you're never going to take a class from him, right? So then forget about it and move on.
 
I tried getting in touch with a former instructor of mine who disappeared to the islands and they had records of him-I gave PADI his OWSI no. off one of my certs. So yes, check this guy out. I had a co-worker who spun a lot of stories of his many accomplishments but found he would've had to be 10 years older to have done all that.
 
Either way you're never going to take a class from him, right? So then forget about it and move on.

While that's okay most of the time, I've met instructors that I will NEVER take a class from (or even dive with), sometimes there are those people you either have to call out, or more importantly, warn others to stay away from. This possibly may be one of those times for the OP.

And coworker status doesn't mean crap, either. I've got supervisors that I warn my peers to stay away from for certain activities. Or period, in the worst cases.

Peace,
Greg
 
His exact words "I am a padi instructor."

Well, a real instructor would say, "I'm a PADI Instructor." [-]XSee [/-] XHear the difference?

You got him there.

Get his Instructor Number, then do the pro-check website thingie.

Or just :rolleyes: and walk away.
 

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