Posted by Other Ben on October 18, 2000 at 11:14:04:
In Reply to: Three good reasons to boycott PADI posted by Jim Hoffmann on October 18, 2000 at 09:51:46:
Sort of disconcerting, for sure. My problem with the whole issue is that 1) I think there are few cases where training
is "too early" if you haven't skipped anything preceding it. (See my post below) 2) PADI doesn't sound any different than
any of the other certifying agencies. If PADI "reformed" and the other agencies didn't follow suite, don't you think that
PADI would rapidly lose hundreds or thousands of customers to the "easier" classes?!! Perhaps the answer is to have some
governing body or alliance of agencies that sets a world-wide standard for everyone. The problem here is really that the
agencies are trying to trade safety for market share. And when safety becomes a bargaining chip or a part of the profit
equation, everyone loses. But as soon as one agency does it, the other have to follow suit, or potentially risk bankruptcy.
The only solution is to take safety out of the profit equation. How do you do that across the board?
-OB