I agree to a certain extent, but let's face it, we live in a consumer driven
society.  I got certified in college through NAUI.  It was a full 16 week
semester course.  I think we'd all agree that I was a better diver after
that than if I was a two week PADI wonder, or worse yet, a three day wonder
at a resort.  But the reality is that people aren't willing to pay for a
longer course, nor will they take the time to do it right.  If every
certification agency decided to follow GUE's standards that would be great.
But then somebody would come out with what all the lazy bastards really want
and make a fortune.  The consumer off the street doesn't realize that he or
she is doing themselves a disservice by taking the easy way out with a
quickie course.  The shops know this and cater to it.  Not to mention that
the three people willing to do it right won't make up for the 100 people who
were too cheap to pay for proper instruction and just wanted the $119.99
special.

Think how much better our fellow drivers on the road would be if they all
took the Bob Bondurant driving school at Sears Point Raceway.  But how many
people would actually pay for it if they didn't have to?  Diving is no
different.

Kevin Metcalfe
kmetcalfe@ns*.na*.mi*
925-246-5938
DSN 350-5938



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Braunbehrens [mailto:Bakalite@ba*.co*]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 11:14 AM
> To: Ian Puleston; Todd Sieber; techdiver@aquanaut.com
> Subject: RE: WARNING - Coffee Alert
> 
> 
> Ian, I agree with most of what you say, and I agree that you *can* 
> turn out good students under the PADI system.  But look, it's a 
> simple fact, PADI is the governing body watching over the 
> instructors.   The fact that there is so much substandard instruction 
> *must* be laid at PADI's feet, because there is no one else.  Blaming 
> the individual instructors is pointless, as long as PADI doesn't 
> change who can teach, they will remain the same.  It must come from 
> PADI if we are to see a change.
> 
> Ian Puleston wrote:
> ~
> >But the party line isn't "certify all that pay". The PADI 
> course standards
> >clearly state that a student diver must "master" every skill 
> before going on
> >to the next. The skills taught, if mastered by the student, should be
> >sufficient to bring the student to a level where he/she can 
> safely do easy
> >dives and start to gain the experience to move on up.
> >
> >The question is can a student master those skills in the 
> time frame of a
> >typical course (usually 4 weeks or 2 weekends). My 
> observations have been
> >that some can, some can't. If the instructor certifies those 
> that cannot
> >then it is he that is at fault. Many instructors push out 
> sub-standard
> >divers because doing it properly would mean bringing those 
> students back for
> >further training, which would cost them (the instructor) 
> time and money.
> >
> >Then you have the question of what level of mastery is 
> required. A student
> >who wants to go and dive warm water with a dive guide while 
> on vacation
> >probably doesn't need to master the skills so well as one 
> who is going to
> >dive unsupervised in a less-ideal environment. That's a 
> judgment call for
> >the instructor, and again, a good instructor should be 
> prepared to tell a
> >student that they need to come back for further training 
> where he thinks its
> >needed.
> >
> >We all know that PADI's goal is to make money, and that they 
> want to turn
> >out as many divers as possible to make as much money as 
> possible - PADI
> >themselves admit to that. If they are at fault here, which 
> they probably
> >are, it is in not enforcing the standards that they have 
> published. But it
> >is primarily the instructors who are not meeting those 
> standards who are at
> >fault.
> >
> >A good instructor can turn out good divers using the PADI 
> system. I know
> >some very good cold water divers who came through that system.
> >
> >>  -----Original Message-----
> >>  From: Paul Braunbehrens [mailto:Bakalite@ba*.co*]
> >>  Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2001 5:37 PM
> >>  To: Todd Sieber; techdiver@aquanaut.com
> >>  Subject: Re: WARNING - Coffee Alert
> >>
> >>
> >>  Todd, as long as the party line is "certify all that pay", the
> >>  instructor is powerless.  There needs to be some kind of 
> line drawn,
> >>  and if you can't cross that line you don't get certified.  The
> >>  agencies have been loosening the requirements, if anything.  It's
> >>  true that you can have good and bad instructors in any 
> system, but a
> >>  good system is one that is able to adhere to a minimum 
> standard.  In
> >>  my experience, PADI's minimum is not acceptable for diving around
> >>  here (Monterey).  Then again, maybe it's fine for warm water no
> >>  stress diving, I wouldn't know.
> >>
> >>  Todd Sieber wrote:
> >>  ~
> >>  >Paul,
> >>  >
> >>  >Look I'm on your side on the issue of some people 
> shouldn't get certified
> >>  --
> >>  Paul B.
> >>  --
> >>  Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to 
> `techdiver@aquanaut.com'.
> >>  Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to 
> `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
> 
> -- 
> Paul B.
> --
> Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to 
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> 
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