Posted by Wayne on February 10, 2002 at 20:54:28:
In Reply to: Diverlink vs PADI lawsuit text has been posted... posted by Bob3 on February 09, 2002 at 15:11:45:
I read the complaint as it was published on Diverlink's website and then I went through the diverlink site to see if I saw what PADI saw. And I did.
The "PADI bashing" was certainly there and the putdowns were unmistakable in my opinion. I think a newbie or prospective diver could easily be brought to thinking that an 'experienced diver' would look down on a PADI diver. I also believe that an otherwise uninformed diver would want to jump onto the PADI bashing bandwagon in an effort to look like a more "serious diver". Let's face it, this does happen a lot. It is a problem when people try to look at purchased brand names to evaluate a person -- and this is not a diving exclusive. Women do it with brands of clothes and lots of folks do it with brands of cars. I know I would be considered a lot cooler if I drove a cooler car.
I cannot imagine that the operator of the diverlink website did not know that he/she was antagonizing a large organization that could defend itself. I'll guess they thought that PADI would ignore them and stay above the petty attacks and obvious promotion of NAUI and YMCA. But it looks like PADI had enough. And I do not blame them.
While I have many complaints about how diving is taught today versus the good old days of yore, I do not think that bashing any agency is the solution. In fact, I recently found a shop doing PADI training that violated my understanding of a published standard (and I must point out that it was kinda minor and not what I would call safety related, but was a violation by my reading of the instructor manual). I called PADI and explained what was reported to me and what I personally observed. PADI kept my reporting confidential and kept their activity with the dive center confidential as well. What I know, is that the "problem" has clearly gone away and this place is doing it to standards. PADI members get to see the names of instructors who have lost their PADI credentials every quarter, too.
So while some may not like them as much as other agencies, you better not attack them unless you are comfortable getting into a big fight. I would expect the same for NAUI, Scubapro, SSI, US Divers, ... well you get the picture. When you attack a business, you can expect them to defend themselves.
To claim that it is now unfair because the big guy you attacked is now hitting back really hard is silly (hear that Mullah Omar?). My read of the diverlink webpages says that PADI is doing what I would do if it was me.
Wayne
C-Card brands: LA County, NASDS, NAUI, PADI