Posted by Walt on October 18, 2004 at 14:15:45:
In Reply to: More opinion of PADI posted by Northcoast_diver on October 18, 2004 at 11:15:58:
Lose the 'v' (for vital) in dive and you get what is being offered....a c-card to 'die'.
Even the 'advanced' courses are a joke - took drift diving specialty and there was no class, training, etc...the instructor showed up a day after our first drift dive (fortunately the dive master was excellent).
Just completed LA County's ADP certification (Advanced Diving Program) - now THAT is a dive training course! You need to commit to it for 10 weeks of Saturday and Sunday all day sessions (100 plus hours), homework assignments, tests, pool training, ocean skills training (all but 1 dive day at the beach). As an add-on to teh program, got my NAUI Master and Rescue (was already PADI Rescue Certified, but the ADP is REAL rescue - ocean and surf practice). In reflection, NAUI may be internationally recognized, but my ADP C-Card is what I will treasure, as I had to work my tail off to earn it.
Recommend LA County ADP for anyone who wants to get the best in training - I had 300 dives going into the program and I learned a LOT. Plus its an absolute bargain, as all of the instructors are volunteers.