Thank heavens for PADI
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Phish-phood
Guest
String:There are at least 2 agencies in the UK that i can think of without even looking that offer beginner level certification. BSAC or PADI arent the only options
Yep me too, although I will admit to not becoming aware of them until after I had done my OW course through PADI.
It goes to show it really is all about the instructor(s) you choose. Glad you found ones that you are comfortable and happy with.Mrs Mares:
RIDIVER501
Contributor
I disagree, it isn't the agency that is cheap inefficent and dangerous. Any and all agencies have that problem. It is the individual instructor who will be the weak link in the equation.
The system will be only as strong, efficient, and safe as the individual instructor who delivers the product.
But since we have to have prejudices i guess they must fall to the safe places... bashing people for what sports team they follow, what flavor scuba training they recieved and which idiotic reality TV show they follow for us to be able to define who are the Losers and who are the cool people. Those just like ourselves.
The system will be only as strong, efficient, and safe as the individual instructor who delivers the product.
But since we have to have prejudices i guess they must fall to the safe places... bashing people for what sports team they follow, what flavor scuba training they recieved and which idiotic reality TV show they follow for us to be able to define who are the Losers and who are the cool people. Those just like ourselves.
miketsp
Contributor
RIDIVER501:
The thing that worries me is that I have never seen any sort of quality control process in place in the major agencies.
When I was a military reserve pilot in training some 35 years ago, we had our regular instructor but every month we had to go up with a CFI - Chief Flying Instructor which served as a check both on us and what we were being taught and then at regular intervals we would also go up with a "trapper", an instructor from the Central Flying School who would make sure that consistent standards were being applied at all levels.
So there was a constant monitoring throughout the whole process.
i think more and more places would require a guide for three things
1st for apparent safety concerns
2nd but i think the more pressing reason for income of guide/resort
3rd for the obvious reason- to guide
that's why i think it's practical to certify as PADI SCUBA DIVER, then mentor them to better diving skills.
1st for apparent safety concerns
2nd but i think the more pressing reason for income of guide/resort
3rd for the obvious reason- to guide
that's why i think it's practical to certify as PADI SCUBA DIVER, then mentor them to better diving skills.
miketsp
Contributor
paolov:
Nice bash, very subtle..
Sideband
Guest
I was certified by NAUI and I haven't seen the PADI bashers post a single skill that PADI doesn't teach and that NAUI does. I was never instructed how to breath off a freeflowing reg. other than just told I could. When it happened I did it. After the second breath the reg. stopped freeflowing. I wasn't given any superior buoyancy instruction other than about 10 minutes of fin pivots. When I felt I was ready to work on Buoyancy I went to a local pool and worked on it. The only finning techniques I was shown were the basic flutter kick and a whole body dolphin thing. I'm still trying to figure out the frog kick...
The PADI and NAUI BOW courses are almost identical.
Joe
The PADI and NAUI BOW courses are almost identical.
Joe
gehadoski
Contributor
Listen Guys
I will tell you why PADI is the best.
1. PADI has many projects the respects and protect the aquatic environment.
2. PADI has the largest number of certified divers in the world.
3. PADI has the most conservetive courses.
4. PADI has many social projects and activities to gather divers together.
5. PADI is taking care about the childern by Bubble makers
6. PADI has its registered diving centers.
I don't believe that any other organizations has all of these benifets. When I say that PADI is the best, I say this by reasons
when ever you mention any other organization you are talking about divers; But when you are mention PADI you are talking about profissionals in diving.
WITH THE RESPECT TO ALL OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. nO DISRESPECT TO ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION
I will tell you why PADI is the best.
1. PADI has many projects the respects and protect the aquatic environment.
2. PADI has the largest number of certified divers in the world.
3. PADI has the most conservetive courses.
4. PADI has many social projects and activities to gather divers together.
5. PADI is taking care about the childern by Bubble makers
6. PADI has its registered diving centers.
I don't believe that any other organizations has all of these benifets. When I say that PADI is the best, I say this by reasons
when ever you mention any other organization you are talking about divers; But when you are mention PADI you are talking about profissionals in diving.
WITH THE RESPECT TO ALL OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. nO DISRESPECT TO ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION
mstroeck
Registered
Sorry if this has already come up somewhere in this monster of a thread, but there's one thing that really get's me thinking about the training aspiring divers typically receive:
There's close to no repition of the basic truths and skills that every diver should know/master. The problem is that by now, all the agencies have figured out that all they have to do is mention every aspect of diving somewhere in their literature or pretend to teach it at some point during their practice sessions. That way, whenever somebody complains about their system, they can say:
"What do you mean, PADI divers never hear about BP/W setups? It's right there on page XX!"
So what? Of the 12 people I did OW with, ONE read the entire book. Judging from a very informal survey among my diving buddies, very few people ever read all the material.
"What do you mean, PADI divers never learn proper bouyancy control? That's covered in pool session X!"
My answer to that: So what? Some lucky ones like me pick it up just by watching and thinking about it, but most people have to try really hard to get good enough to have any fun while diving. Repetition is the key to learning new skills. Virtually nothing is hammered home as much as it should be in OW classes. Yes, I was told that I should continue to practice all the skills tought during class. Exactly once. Yes, i did clear my mask. Twice, sitting on the floor of a pool. I even seem to remember that something was said about buddy awareness once, but I'm not sure about that.
I got my cert at a school here in Austria where people genuinely care about their students, I just think that even some of the more experienced instructors haven't got a clue how you should teach people a sport like diving. (Please spare me the "you're 20 years old kid, don't tell me how to do my job" answers. My complaints are on a very fundamental level, I'm not critisizing anybody personally.)
Why in the world is it like that. All instructors have to do is say the few really important things over and over and over, that can be done while people are donning their gear, during breaks, when floating on the surface for some time... It's EASY to make most courses better by far just by knowing what is important and what is not. Telling people that most situations are SURVIVABLE with the right training and attitude is of utmost importance.
Because that is not done, after OW most people are simply scared to death of some things that are outside of the scope of their training:
* free-flowing regulators
* decompression obligations
* diving without a DM
* diving without a computer
* diving from a boat
* shooting to the surface in an uncontrolled manner, like many still do on their last certification dive...
* loosing their buddy
* the need to do a controlled ascent whil air-sharing
* getting eaten by sharks ;-)
* ... and many other things ...
When one of those things occurs and everything you heard about that was of the negative "hope that never happens" or "this normally doesn't happen" variety, panic is the natural reaction for most people.
So is the certification-system broken? In that respect, certainly. People are coming out of OW afraid of and underinformed about certain aspects for three reasons:
1) They weren't tought the right attitude.
2) They didn't get all the information they need.
3) They didn't get the opportunitiy to hone their skills enough.
I have the impression that more and more people are fundamentally afraid of diving, but continue that way in the false sense of security that arises from the industries "anyone can do it"-attitude.
There's close to no repition of the basic truths and skills that every diver should know/master. The problem is that by now, all the agencies have figured out that all they have to do is mention every aspect of diving somewhere in their literature or pretend to teach it at some point during their practice sessions. That way, whenever somebody complains about their system, they can say:
"What do you mean, PADI divers never hear about BP/W setups? It's right there on page XX!"
So what? Of the 12 people I did OW with, ONE read the entire book. Judging from a very informal survey among my diving buddies, very few people ever read all the material.
"What do you mean, PADI divers never learn proper bouyancy control? That's covered in pool session X!"
My answer to that: So what? Some lucky ones like me pick it up just by watching and thinking about it, but most people have to try really hard to get good enough to have any fun while diving. Repetition is the key to learning new skills. Virtually nothing is hammered home as much as it should be in OW classes. Yes, I was told that I should continue to practice all the skills tought during class. Exactly once. Yes, i did clear my mask. Twice, sitting on the floor of a pool. I even seem to remember that something was said about buddy awareness once, but I'm not sure about that.
I got my cert at a school here in Austria where people genuinely care about their students, I just think that even some of the more experienced instructors haven't got a clue how you should teach people a sport like diving. (Please spare me the "you're 20 years old kid, don't tell me how to do my job" answers. My complaints are on a very fundamental level, I'm not critisizing anybody personally.)
Why in the world is it like that. All instructors have to do is say the few really important things over and over and over, that can be done while people are donning their gear, during breaks, when floating on the surface for some time... It's EASY to make most courses better by far just by knowing what is important and what is not. Telling people that most situations are SURVIVABLE with the right training and attitude is of utmost importance.
Because that is not done, after OW most people are simply scared to death of some things that are outside of the scope of their training:
* free-flowing regulators
* decompression obligations
* diving without a DM
* diving without a computer
* diving from a boat
* shooting to the surface in an uncontrolled manner, like many still do on their last certification dive...
* loosing their buddy
* the need to do a controlled ascent whil air-sharing
* getting eaten by sharks ;-)
* ... and many other things ...
When one of those things occurs and everything you heard about that was of the negative "hope that never happens" or "this normally doesn't happen" variety, panic is the natural reaction for most people.
So is the certification-system broken? In that respect, certainly. People are coming out of OW afraid of and underinformed about certain aspects for three reasons:
1) They weren't tought the right attitude.
2) They didn't get all the information they need.
3) They didn't get the opportunitiy to hone their skills enough.
I have the impression that more and more people are fundamentally afraid of diving, but continue that way in the false sense of security that arises from the industries "anyone can do it"-attitude.
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