PADI Scuba Diver inadequate? For what?...Phil - OW/Computer GeekMay 16, 2006 at 09:04:42Ok so there is a lot of PADI bashing on here, my son and I wanted to go diving during one of our
vacations. The options presented to us were simple, 1) a 2 hour "learn to dive" course at a resort hotel max depth 20ft, no real knowledge transfer no lasting cert. 2) a full PADI OW cert done over 4 days on board a royal caribean cruise ship, including 3 classroom sessions 4 pool sessions and 4 cert dives. We chose the 2nd but due to other circumstances we
were unable to complete the last day of class and the last day of dives, so we earned the dreaded "SCUBA DIVER" cert. What I will tell you, is this is similiar to getting an associates degree, it's not a full college education, but when you have the time you will be able to take that education with you and complete the course at another accredited college. The Scuba cours is of course a marketing driven course. The only part of the book
my son and I did not complete on board the was the section on dive tables. We took our time and worked at learning this "book" work on our own. This past april I contacted a PADI shop in Ft Lauderdale, I asked them to schedule 2 dives for my son and I, and told them I was only Scuba certified. I understood (and was happy they enforced) the requirement that I pay for a DM or Instructor to dive with us. When I arrived onsite the Sat
before we were to dive on Mon, to make sure the plans were in place the LDS owner as some questions and then suggested he could arrange to bring the instructor in for the dives, but also to complete our OW certs. This was the best of both worlds, we were able to go diving, and finish our certs. I view the SCUBA
course as something that should be used as a marketing tool, to bring people into the sport. But if all the high and mighty perfect divers (and dive boats and DM's) just look the other way when this person show's up to dive, don't blame the person with the Scuba cert. Use it as an opprutunity to expand the noobie and reach the OW level. And when you see the "scuba" cert, the DM and DiveBoat etc should "Require" a DM or Instructor dive with them.....and have them pay for the priviledge, I was willing or do as the Florida shop did and turn it into a 12 hour day with class and testing in the morning and diving in the afternoon which completed the OW requiremnts.
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