PADI is 100% responsible for the Scuba Diver course--the newbie is the victim...Jerome - Divemaster/Corporate BankerMarch 11, 2006 at 21:19:38Call me "arrogant" if you wish but you must have had a
very easy life if being called "ridiculous" provokes such pathetic psychological meltdowns. I'm not going to get into a point by point debate with you because your premise is absolutely absurd.
Yes, consumers have the right NOT to buy defective products but that does not excuse the companies that market and sell defective products. Do a Google search on "PADI Scuba Diver course". You'll get 1,660,000 results all promoting the course to scuba diving newbies and CDNN's editorial criticizing it. 1,660,000 to 1. So much for informed newbies making informed choices. Like it or not, PADI and its affiliates are 100% responsible for the Scuba Diver course and
persuading people that it's safe to go diving WITHOUT adequate training provided they are "supervised" by a PADI professional. So what happens when a PADI Scuba Diver dies under the supervision of a PADI professional? Well apparently you and PADI would blame the deceased for choosing a scuba diving course "that substitutes supervision for adequate training". I would blame PADI, the PADI dive shop and the PADI diving instructor for marketing and
selling a defective product "that substitutes supervision for adequate training". As you have correctly pointed out, you are free to opt out of the system and do your own thing. So freedom of choice is a non-issue. The issue is how much training diver certification agencies should require of entry-level scuba divers. Clearly, a course "that substitutes supervision for adequate training" falls short of the mark. | 
