PADI Physical requirements

[peterbj7]

PADI swimming standards are nominal at all levels. I have never had a student who couldn't pass the swimming & treading water tests. If you want to see a rather more taxing requirement, look up the watermanship standards for IANTD courses, especially instructor-level. When they are properly conducted it can take some people several attempts before they pass.

 

[The Logic Theorist]

the pyshical reqirements on the padi web site state that for qualification you must swim 200 M or 300 M w/mask snorkel and fins. and also tread water for ten minutes.

my question is this; are these requirements strictly upheld by instructors? while i understand the need to be i decent shape to scuba, i feel these these requiremets will not be easy to fufill. i plan on certing with my father in july and am concerned that he will not be able to hang. i myself will have to work to meet these goals. i would not apreciate having to finish the class alone and waste my $ on a cert gone wrong. any and all info or advice is apreciated.

I actually did not have to demonstrate the requirements. I was asked if I knew how to swim (I do, quite well), and was taken at face value. However, I seem to be the exception. I was also asked if I'd ever used a snorkel before, and when I said no I was sent out with a DM to do some snorkeling (this was on an island so it was pretty easy to just kayak off the beach and snorkel around some). I'm assuming they would have found out then if I couldn't swim.

A number of people have already said similar things, but swimming is a prerequisite for diving for a reason. I know it doesn't happen often, but what if your BC gets punctured or otherwise fails? If you can't swim, you'll most likely drown. Swimming is really not difficult and you guys have plenty of time to get it together.

 

[Werks21]

thanks for all the info guys. i took some time too get in the water and see what im in for and i will be fine for both test. my father however will need to work on it but is more nervous i think, than anything else. however following the advice recived on this board we will both work on it.
Thanks,
Jonathan

 

[Hank658]

Hi Hank.congrats on passing the IE..

Thanks!! Much appreciated. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be. As to not make this a complete hijack, here was one place where there were no variations or exceptions to standards. All the scenarios, exams and skill evaluations, well, you either did all of them to a passing score, or you didn't. Zero fudge factor.

End hijack. Back to your reguarly scheduled thread....

 

[TwoBitTxn]

I find it interesting...

On the medical it asks if the individual is capable of performing moderate exercise, like walking a mile in 12 minutes. (Paraphrase) That's a 5 mph pace. That's not a walk. If a student marked that he could do that, but can't swim 200m due to poor condition... something is wrong with this picture.

TwoBit