CanadaScubaRN
Registered
Wanted to complete my OW while on vacation there....bummed.... Guess I should have done PADI! My LDS recommend attend SDI..... Didn't realize I was limiting myself!
No SDI shops on island of Kauai, Hawaii?
- Thread starter CanadaScubaRN
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nidankempo
Registered
Your LDS should be able to give you a Universal Referral form that will allow you to complete your certification with any agency recognized by the RTSC.
fisheater
Contributor
I confirmed that Fathom Five in Old Koloa Town on Kauai will take your SDI Universal Referral.
Give them a call (or email) and ask for the owner, George. Tell him "Oren" sent you. He'll make sure that you're well taken care of.
Have a great time!
Give them a call (or email) and ask for the owner, George. Tell him "Oren" sent you. He'll make sure that you're well taken care of.
Have a great time!
Dennis SDI/TDI HQ
Registered
Ask your instructor for the Global Referral form and I would suggest contacting the facility yourself before you go to make sure they will be able to take care of you on the days you wish.
Good luck and have a great time.
Good luck and have a great time.
OP
CanadaScubaRN
Registered
Thank u everyone!
initially emailed FathomFive, and they declined me, said they were strictly PADI.
googled dive operators.... Found "Bubbles Below Scuba Charters", in Kauai, operated by Linda Marsh.
website states they accept SDI referrals... I will contact them personally to make sure.
hopefully, problem solved !
initially emailed FathomFive, and they declined me, said they were strictly PADI.
googled dive operators.... Found "Bubbles Below Scuba Charters", in Kauai, operated by Linda Marsh.
website states they accept SDI referrals... I will contact them personally to make sure.
hopefully, problem solved !
fisheater
Contributor
Hmmm.
That's not right. Must be some misunderstanding. Glad you're being taken care if, though.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
OP
CanadaScubaRN
Registered
Thanks for your help... I am recontacting them !
nidankempo
Registered
How did you ever make out with this?
OP
CanadaScubaRN
Registered
Certified this past FEB in kauai, with Bubbles Below, out of Port Allen, Kauai.
Had a great experience !
Thanks for asking !
Had a great experience !
Thanks for asking !
Congratulations on finishing your certification. I dived with Bubbles Below and Linda a few years ago, and I thought they did a great job.
Just in case anyone else is using this thread for information....
PADI is the only agency I know of (there could be others) that does not participate in the Universal Program on an official basis. They have a reason for it. In the Universal referral system, the agency/instructor certifying the diver is the agency/instructor who did the academic work and the pool skills. That person has never actually seen the student dive, and PADI feels strongly that the certifying agency/instructor should be the one who sees the diver perform in the open water. As I understand it, consultation with attorneys apparently suggested there could be liability attached to someone who certifies someone who is really not competent and who was clearly not competent on the OW dives.
To deal with the unfairness of an instructor doing that initial work and getting no credit for having done it in the agency system, PADI issues a half certification credit for the referring instructor. That is really important in places like Colorado, where over 80% of our students complete their certifications via referral.
IF a student takes a Universal Referral to a PADI site, PADI would prefer that a PADI certification be issued, but that site may choose to participate in the Universal Referral program instead. So a SDI referral form could be taken to a PADI resort and result in a SDI certification through the universal referral program, but that would be at the discretion of the resort/instructor.
Just in case anyone else is using this thread for information....
The RSTC is not really connected to the Universal Referral program. PADI is an RSTC member, but it does not FORMALLY participate in the universal referral program. NAUI is not a member of the RSTC but it does participate.
PADI is the only agency I know of (there could be others) that does not participate in the Universal Program on an official basis. They have a reason for it. In the Universal referral system, the agency/instructor certifying the diver is the agency/instructor who did the academic work and the pool skills. That person has never actually seen the student dive, and PADI feels strongly that the certifying agency/instructor should be the one who sees the diver perform in the open water. As I understand it, consultation with attorneys apparently suggested there could be liability attached to someone who certifies someone who is really not competent and who was clearly not competent on the OW dives.
To deal with the unfairness of an instructor doing that initial work and getting no credit for having done it in the agency system, PADI issues a half certification credit for the referring instructor. That is really important in places like Colorado, where over 80% of our students complete their certifications via referral.
IF a student takes a Universal Referral to a PADI site, PADI would prefer that a PADI certification be issued, but that site may choose to participate in the Universal Referral program instead. So a SDI referral form could be taken to a PADI resort and result in a SDI certification through the universal referral program, but that would be at the discretion of the resort/instructor.
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