Posted by No Worries on October 18, 2000 at 14:15:31:
In Reply to: Re: Three good reasons to boycott PADI posted by Other Ben on October 18, 2000 at 11:14:04:
I'm PADI certified. Took me 3 days.
Day 1: Book work and pool dive/test
Day 2+3: 2 beach dives each day.
I've been diving since last June. So far I have ~35 dives, ~19 hours. 75% of my dives are night/solo (lobster hunting).
I always dive with a buddy incase of problems relating to private boating: ie somebody winds up down current from the boat, can be picked up, etc. Never truely buddy diving, because we're hunting, but we are in relatively shallow water (averaging 15-20').
What's my point? Don't knock the PADI system. There's stupid people at my work, but nobody is trying to tell the college/high school they went to what's wrong with their programs. If you're not smart enough to dive, you shouldn't be doing it. If the teacher's the problem, look at those requirements. We shouldn't spend too much time idiot-proofing everything--it incoveniences us and it waters down the gene pool.
No Worries