Is PADI popular because it's cute?

[SouthSideScubaSteve]

I always thought "PADI"~Paddy~Patty sounded kind of foppish.

NAUI on the other hand sounds like WOWIE! which reminds me of Maui which makes me think of Maui-Wowie" which has absolutely nothing to do with the OP. OP, sounds like Opie which makes me think of Barne Fife; which again has absolutely nothing to do with the OP. Except that when I was in college watching reruns of the Andy Griffith show on WGN, there was a lot of Maui-Wowie in my Frat house which again.....

How do I nominate the above for Post of The Year?

 

[saltybubbles]

I'm surprised no one said

Padi Whack as in getting narced or bent

 

[Walter]

I only took the open water course so I could discover how to carry a lighted flame underwater. Still haven't mastered it.

Watch Sea Hunt.

 

[littlejohn]

Turn in your man card

 

[Nemrod]

Hey, I didn't get any free tank banger!!! What a rip off ):

Well, you really got ripped then, surely you got your official PadI Guide to Color Coordinating Your Gear, surely

N <----I survived the Scubazoic Era

 

[Splitlip]

Well, now that it's where it belongs, I'll respond.



Absolutely not. PADI is the largest certification agency for one reason and one reason only. It's the same reason McDonalds is so large. It's fast. Quality is low, but most folks don't care about that, they just want it now.

I agree. And don't often agree with Walter (except with regards to the Classic Sport)

I sat through much of my daughter's PADI OW class and was very disappointed with the content. I was very pleased with the instrutor and the operator however. She got 5 OW dives. (4 required). They were real ocean dives. 2 30 footers 2 60 footers and an 80 footer. All off the op's boat.
6 days of training for 3 hours. 1.5 in the classroom 1.5 in the pool including a 16 ft tank.

Other PADI ops I looked into offered a DVD. A weekend in the class room and 4 "dives" on 1 tank in near the port turning basin from the beach. Go to 13 ft. do skills. Surface and chat. Descend again. Skills. Surface. Chat. Descend.....

Other PADI ops

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Yup got the card cuz Padi sounds cute and they have cool animals on the C-Cards!

 

[saltybubbles]

While I think PADI has it's issues, I don't think they are as bad as I have been reading. There was no way to say I walked in with a check and out with a c-card. I worked for it and have found thru diving that there is always more to learn. Diving is an ongoing learning experience where after almost every dive there is a new gem of knowledge and experience that was gained. Either by good example or bad.

Every diver MUST take responsibility for themselves and continue to learn. No matter who they got certed with.

 

[Rhone Man]

While I think PADI has it's issues, I don't think they are as bad as I have been reading.

PADI just gets bashed because it is the biggest. If it went bankrupt tomorrow, these criticisms would switch seamlessly to SSI.

 

[Walter]

Nope, but I do agree with you about the quality of SSI standards. It's similar to PADI's.