Firefyter:
What difference does that make? He puts the truth out there for the world to see, Padi does the typical corporate thing by suing to shut him up, he fights back and wins...sounds like David and Goliath all over again to me. Good job, Walter. If the truth hurts so bad that Padi can't stand it, maybe they need to change their ways. It seems to me that this would be a more positive approach instead of suing people who point out discrepancies...
The difference if makes FF is that my experience with walter is he is a PADI bashing troll here on SB. Every time somebody tries to say something nice about PADI there is walter with an unkind word and lack of objectivity on the subject of PADI in any posts that he contributes too on this board. Without saying it his mantra seems to be PADI sucks. Nice mantra.
funny how the 3 agencies evaluated in his little article are on the two he is associated with at the instructor level and the one he despises the most. Oh and the one he despises the most he has not taught for.
Walter's back ground strait from the article for reference.
MY BACKGROUND
It has been suggested that my background with regard to agency affiliation is important information for the reader to help offset any bias I may bring into this study. Since my opinions are all contained in the analysis and conclusion sections, which are clearly labeled subjective, I do not feel this is necessary, but am happy to provide the information for those of you who disagree. My original Open Water certification was through PADI. Additional certifications were, in order: YMCA Open Water, YMCA Silver Star Advanced, YMCA SCUBA Lifesaving and Accident Management (SLAM), YMCA Dive Master, YMCA Assistant Instructor, YMCA Silver Star Instructor, YMCA SLAM Instructor, YMCA Coral Reef Ecology Instructor, CMAS Three Star Instructor, YMCA Wreck Instructor, YMCA Gold Star Instructor, YMCA Institute Director (Instructor Trainer), NAUI Nitrox Diver and YMCA Nitrox Instructor
I had no major problems in general with his article, there were some inaccruacies, until he presented his conculsion an analysis
IMO Walter's conlusions are suspect knowing his distaste for PADI and the fact the he hasn't taught for them. How is it possible to make viable conclusions with out direct knowldge of what you are concluding on?
The fact that SB staffers support this kind of behavior on the board is distressing. But in what I have seen on here in recent month it is expected. seems to be pleanty SB staffers out there with the same sentiments towards PADI as Walter, and not afraid to voice their opinions on the matter either.
ironic how people on this board fail to realize:
1. no one agency is the end all be all of diving.
2. every agency has their own share of problems.
3. every agency has their shares of instructor who are not doing the right thing by their students or the industry.
4. winning a court battle doesn't mean the winner is right or innoccent (look at OJ)
5. there are bad divers out there who hold cards from every agency out there.
6. many bad divers are a product of their own personal lack of diving and skill development and not a product of substandard instruction. (although it easier to and more politically correct to blame the agency and instructor for a divers shortcomings)
I am not saying PADI suing over this was the right thing to do but what do you think the other agencies would do if a similar article showed up on the web. Comparing them to fellow agencies with a negative spin towards their agency, and oh by the way the person who wrote the article had direct working knowledge of the agencies that were given good marks but wasn't affiliated at the teaching level with the agency that got slammed. I think they would look for some kind of corrective action as well.
I don't believe it is accurate to say that PADI sued to shut him up or to avoid the comparison. I would guess they sued him for making assumptions with no direct experience with PADI's Methodologies with the methodologies that he is inimately familar with from the other agencies. That is just my guess.
I would propose we all try to get along but my experience on this board proves that proposal futile.