Posted by MHK on July 24, 2001 at 16:30:40:
I've been considering the current status of the dive industry as it relates to our local diving community. As you all know,I think it is in a sad and miserable state, but I've been frustrated in my efforts to advance that theory. It has occured to me lately the reason why..
It's kinda simple when you get right down to it, because basically the people that are the cause of the problem GENERALLY are involved in the equation. Furthermore, I appreciate the position that some find themselves in. In other words, I think guys like Fred Colburn, Pat Farina, Wayne, Kevin, Jeff Highley, et.al are very talented divers despite the fact that they teach for PADI. I TOTALLY accept that. My point isn't that there aren't talented people in the PADI pool, inasmuch as they are all too willing to accept mediocrity, they are all too willing to shrink the challenge level to suit the students needs rather than suit the tenacity of the class and challenge the student..
Diving isn't like golf or tennis and you shouldn't send an unqualified person into a hostile environment who isn't qualified with the promise of selling him/her an advance class at some future date.. You are either willing to teach/certify someone or you aren't, especially when the cert lasts for life.. PADI has done a masterful job at marketing, indemnifying and insulating.. I just wish they applied that same effort and skill level to teaching people how to dive that they applied to short-cutting the process..
Many question what I say about what the hell is going on at Casino Point and the PADI / Sport Chalet BS training process.. I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm asking you to go over there and see for yourself..
What I hear so often is that IF what you say is true than it's a disgrace, but I don't believe what you say.. Well, then go over for a weekend and see for yourself..
The first step to solving a problem is recognizing that there is a problem.. What I encourage any instructor to do, and what I would do if I were an instructor, is to challenge my agency. They have systematically devalued the value of your rating. Telling me today that you are a PADI instructor is tantamount to telling me that you have no clue what the hell you are talking about, rather than saying that you have paid your dues, you have earned your stripes and you are a qualified instructor..
I don't blame you, but at some point internally you have to tell the leadership that they are sellling their soul, they have sacraficed their credibility and they have so debased the value of the rating system that it is meaningless... If I were still in the PADI fold I would scream at the top of my lungs for the firing of the current leadership because they have sold the integrity of the name for the sake of market share..
Don't believe me, go take a look for yourself.. I had been operating under the assumption that we have been averaging 1 fatality a month in SoCal. That number was based upon the fatalities that I knew about. We ran into one of the instructors who lives and works at Casino Point this weekend. He told us that in the last 3 1/2 years he pulled 17 bodies from Casino Point alone.. I had NO idea that it was that bad over there.. DAN statistics [ I believe} provide for .045 fatalities per year { somenone can verify that because I can't swear to it], but nonetheless we are so far above the per capita average fatality rate that it is ridiculous... I'm astonsihed that I don't see more of an outrage and I see more of the *protecting my turf* attitude...
For the love of God why don't you guys challenge your agency and tell them to stop the insanity????????????????????????
Later