PADI vs BSAC...Andrew Collins - BSAC OWI Advanced/Production ManagerDecember 7, 2006 at 07:08:52Curtis, is correct when he says that it is a mistake to put PADI and BSAC on the same page. PADI is a
recreational diver training program. BSAC training is far more comprehensive, it teaches gas calculation, decompression theory, rescue skills and nitrox is about to become mandatory from the very beginning , to name but a few differences.
Many (most?) PADI dives are conducted under the supervision of a guide whereas with BSAC divers, the buddy pair are expected to be self sufficient and through the club system there is a support network readily available, the differences are night and day. For many would be divers, PADI has an obvious attraction as initial start up costs are comparable to joining a BSAC club BUT your training is completed under the PADI system in a matter of days rather than the weeks or
months under the BSAC system. Training within the club environment continues week in week out with weekly pool sessions, lectures and many weekend trips (we even have an annual educational trip to Murryfield recompression facility). PADI does not have such infrastructure, and if it did it would be very expensive. This is of course all horses for courses! If all you want to do is dive once or twice a year while on Holiday(vacation) then PADI is probably quite
ample. If however, you wish to dive very regularly, ultimately in challenging environments with complex equipment and procedures such as mixed gas and recompression BSAC (or TDI, IANTD etc) is probably the best way to go. BSAC divers get miffed because we get compared to PADI. We feel our level of training and commitment far surpasses that of many many PADI divers. PADI is a recreational (tourist) diver training program. BSAC goes way beyond. I,
Myself regularly dive to 50m+ in cold (as low as 2C) water using accelerated decompression models on mixed gas with multiple cylinders all year round. This level of training is simply not available with PADI but was ALL available within BSAC (most of it within my club). So you can see why for example when I get in to a conversation with a PADI diver and they ask
what Qual I have and I say "advanced" (which requires under BSAC around 200 dives) I get a little testy when they say "ooh I'm advanced too" with their 11 dives! I apologise for any earlier comments which may have caused offence, but there are always two sides to every story. | 
